Responsibilities and functions of the press secretary. Functions of a press secretary Press secretary at the enterprise responsibilities

At best, analysts, speechwriters, image makers, stylists, makeup artists, press secretaries and even etiquette specialists work on the brand of the first persons. The actions of the PR-group directly depend on the stage of development of the company and on the ability to work as a "united front" to achieve a common goal - it is beneficial to present the business qualities of their leader.

In this case, let us consider the main qualities of a successful press secretary, because he is the "face of the team" and often combines at least 5 main specialties: journalist, crisis manager, psychologist, diplomat, producer - and all rolled into one.

As practice shows, the expected qualities and involvement in the process are much wider. Let's take a look at the most important qualities that an ideal spokesperson should have. Of course, according to our subjective experience.

1. Professionalism

Initially, he must be an expert in his field and have a clear idea of ​​how to do his job. He must live this profession 25/7, seven days a week, holidays and Sundays. A spokesperson is always at work, even if he is not at his desk.

2. Sociability

It is important to be tolerant and be able to build relationships with people of different genders, incomes, beliefs, education, etc.

Spokesperson is a position for those who love people. Because you must always be the sun for those around you, especially for the external environment. And sincerely love your organization, people, the business you are doing together.

3. The presence of some "devilry"

It is the ability to think outside the box, shape a style and be its bearer.

The spokesperson must creatively comprehend the situation and independently find such effective ways so that the main idea and idea that are present in the developed strategy reaches the consumer in the right way.

4. Education

A spokesperson should know not only the legislation and the Federal Law "On the Mass Media". He must also understand all the legal aspects of concluding and maintaining contracts for information support. In addition, a press secretary, as a professional in his field, must have an idea of ​​the "media kitchen" and all its components: what are the political and social aspects of the work of a particular TV channel and publication, on which days the pages are drawn up, in what light they work cameras, what quality photos are needed for publication in the media, how the editorial staff work on TV, radio and print media, etc.

Ideally, a spokesperson should know the face and have personal contacts of his colleagues: editors-in-chief, industry journalists and bloggers, press secretaries, representatives of local authorities and administration.

5. Adequacy in assessing one's abilities combined with healthy careerism

A spokesperson should be someone who is 100% trusted, because they know that he will not let you down or betray. And before the press secretary takes a step, he will think over everything a few moves ahead. And in case of emergency, he always has a backup plan.

6. Ability to make decisions and act independently in the area of ​​their competence

For example, a sudden illness of an executive may force a spokesperson to give daily press conferences and almost literally replace the head of state / company / organization in the media.

7. Stress tolerance

The spokesperson must be stress-resistant, ready for difficult situations. At any moment, he should be ready to answer questions for the leader as competently and correctly as possible and “cover him with his chest” in crisis situations.

8. Having a broad outlook

A good specialist should always be in the know. It shouldn't be "stewed in its own juice." He must know not only about how the company is developing, but also what is happening outside of it.

9. Promptness

A professional in his field must always be ready and on time to provide a journalist with the information he needs, even if he has to work overtime.

10. Good manners

A professional in his field should always be polite, friendly and positive (even over the phone), despite the fact that in the morning he got up on the wrong foot and a flock of black cats crossed his path. And a good press secretary should leave all his personal problems behind the scenes.

The success of an organization often depends on how often and what kind of information about its activities appears in the press.

The main goal of the press service is to create an external and internal socio-political and psychological environment favorable for the success of the organization, to ensure the necessary behavior of this environment in relation to the organization. The activities of the press service can be carried out in several directions, focused on various groups of the public or to achieve specific goals.

The main spheres, or areas of activity of the press service under the administration are: work with the media, or the media, relations with the local community, relations with employees of the administration, relations with the leadership of the regional administration, crisis management.

The core of the activities of the press service at any level is the impact on the state of public opinion. Most of the actions of the press service are carried out with the following goals:

1) convince people to change their minds on any issue or activities of the organization;

2) formulate public opinion when there is none;

3) strengthen existing public opinion.

"Public opinion is a collection of many individual opinions on a specific issue affecting a group of people." Public opinion is a consensus that is reached by the global efforts of the press service after a thorough study of the needs, interests, habits, economic status and, in general, the behavior of the main social groups of the target audience.

The work of the press service should take into account some features of public opinion:

Public opinion is changing - it is not enough to form it once - you have to work with it constantly;

The potential direction of public behavior is determined by the realities of reality;

There is no single and unified general public in working with it - the influence on public opinion should be oriented towards specific groups;

Public opinion tends to be influenced more by events than words;

Public opinion is determined by its interests.

Any organization needs to have a public relations officer or spokesperson on staff. Such a specialist is needed to establish relations with the media and form public opinion.

The activities of the press secretary are conditioned by a number of provisions from regulatory legal acts, expert judgments, as well as the historical experience of the development of this type of activity.

The main source describing the activities of the press secretary is the Regulations on the press service, developed in any organization where the press service operates.

A typical set of job descriptions, according to S.N. Ilchenko, are as follows. Press Secretary:

Organizes the work of the press service, guided by the Regulations on the press service of the administrative association;

Prepares press conferences for the head of the administrative association;

Interacts with local (city, regional) print and electronic media;

Prepares press releases and other information materials for the media;

Prepares media reviews for the head of the administrative association;

Has the right to attend meetings of the city administration;

Has the right to request the necessary information, receive the necessary orders, acts Ilchenko S.N., Krivonosoe A.D. Modern press service: Textbook. allowance. - SPb .: SPbSU, 2005 .-- P. 34 ..

According to M.A. Shishkina. a press secretary must have a number of personal and professional qualities.

The press secretary must have a high general culture and erudition, and also:

Professional training as a public relations specialist;

Industry-specific training, which presupposes knowledge of the conjuncture of the relevant market, analysis of the information situation around the PR subject, the management structure and management team, the system of divisions of the PR subject;

Social responsibility for the results of their work and loyalty to the subject of PR Shishkina, M.A. Public relations in the system of social management. - SPb, 1999. - S. 75 ..

The spokesperson should:

Know the modern media market, its structure; principles of management, political orientation and economic specifics of specific media activities; typical and specific characteristics of the media; technological features of print, radio and television production; rating of broadcast and printed product; price advertising policy;

Possess the necessary journalistic skills to collect and process primary information, prepare it for publication in the most common genres of print and electronic press;

Be able to monitor and analyze current information from the media;

Be able to use individual technical means (dictaphone, photo camera, video camera, computer, scanner, copier);

It is advisable to have established contacts with professionally oriented participants in media relations in this area (industry and specialized publications, radio and television programs, news agencies, Internet resources), as well as personal contacts with specific journalists specializing in the industry Utkin E.A. Public Relations Management. PR. - M .: TEIS, 2001 .-- S. 97 ..

The spokesperson's methods of work include the following:

Press conferences,

Briefings,

Preview (preview),

Round tables,

Meetings with journalists,

Interview with Tatarinov, G. Introduction to the specialty "Public Relations": Study guide. Omsk: Publishing house OmSTU, 2000. - P. 101 ..

Press conference - a meeting of a representative (representatives) of a PR subject with journalists, with the aim of providing the media with problematic, factual and commenting information.

The duration of the press conference is from 30-40 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes. Form of communication - answers of representatives of the subject of PR to journalists' questions. The number of participants in the host party is from two to three to five people, usually a moderator (the moderator is a press officer), the first (official) person is a newsmaker and an expert responsible for providing special information. In certain cases (especially when it comes to the socio-cultural sphere of PR, presentation at a press conference, for example, of a new film, then the number of participants can be much higher).

The norms of representation from the media at a press conference in real practice are as follows: print edition - 1 correspondent + photographer, TV company - 1 film crew from one program, radio station - 1 correspondent from one program or program, online editions, news agencies - 1 correspondent Tulchinsky , G.L. PR of the firm: technology and efficiency. - SPb., 2001. - P. 82 ..

Briefing is a short (no more than 30 minutes) meeting of journalists with representatives of the subject of PR, during which they receive either commenting information or relevant statements on a specific informational occasion. The briefing can also be devoted to certain procedural issues of the relationship between the PR subject and media representatives (for example, on accreditation at the enterprise itself or for actions and events organized by this PR subject). Most often, the briefing is organized by PR subjects, endowed with power and obliged to report to their target audiences.

The form of communication at the briefing is the speeches of the official representatives of the PR subject. The messages at the press briefing are one-sided and informative. Questions from journalists are not envisaged during the briefing. In actual practice, after the official conclusion of the briefing, journalists often start asking questions. The number of speakers is no more than one or two. The number of journalists, like during a press conference, is not limited, but status restrictions may apply.

Preview (preview) - a specially organized preliminary acquaintance of journalists with a specific object (exposition, exhibition, complex, structure, etc.), scheduled for opening. In the course of the inspection, journalists receive comprehensive information about the object to be opened, and take pictures of it. The preview can be included in the itinerary of the press tour.

The main form of communication is the story and demonstration of the object, followed by answers to questions or comments directly during the preview (excursion).

Typically, previews are less than one hour, but no more than two.

A round table is a specially organized meeting of journalists with representatives of a PR subject (or several PR subjects), dedicated to the exchange of views on a problem, phenomenon, event common to all invited parties. The main purpose of the round table is to draw public attention to an urgent problem. As a rule, the round table is used within the framework of larger organizational events, such as: symposia, scientific and practical seminars, meetings, congresses, congresses.

The main form of communication is a multilateral exchange of views, discussion on the stated topic. The duration of the round table sessions is from 1 hour to 2.5-3 hours. The number of participants from each of the parties is negotiated separately, but, as a rule, in order to comply with the principle of equality, the norm of representation is of a parity nature. The number of participating journalists is either determined by the number of media outlets interested in the topic of the round table, or agreed in advance by the organizers.

Meeting with journalists is a specially organized communication between a representative of a PR subject and journalists in an informal setting. It has no strictly specified formal regulations. The main form of communication is a free exchange of views in a dialogue mode on a previously agreed range of issues of mutual interest. Mutual mode of questions and answers is assumed and allowed. It is used for a closer acquaintance with specific media representatives, at the initial stage of relations between the newly appointed first (official) person and journalists, it can also become a form of constant communication between journalists and, for example, leaders of territories.

The duration of such meetings is not specially stipulated, but experience shows that they last from one hour to two hours. The number of participants - no more than one or two from the inviting party and no more than ten journalists. The qualitative and quantitative composition of the invitees is determined by those persons who go to such a mode of communication with them.

Interview is a form of dialogical communication of a particular journalist personally with one of the representatives of the PR subject in order to obtain information, judgments, assessments. It is often encountered as a special case of communication with the press in such forms of communication as a press tour, preview, meeting with journalists. The main form of communication is a dialogue in the "question-answer" system, which is directed by the journalist in relation to the person being interviewed. The interview lasts from 20 minutes to one hour. The number of participants is strictly defined: this is usually a one-on-one conversation. On rare occasions, the interview is given by one person to several journalists.

• Public relations - media, partners, representative offices of your own company, large customers - all the official environment of the brand. Coverage of events, preparation of expectations from journalists, holding meetings.
• Information component - preparation of materials, news, presentations.
• Organizational action area. The spokesperson checks with the employer's schedule to plan for his important meetings / negotiations.
• Brand representation.
• Content control of the information site.

Organizing the mood in the main information field and creating a positive public opinion are the main functions of a press secretary. There are additional responsibilities.

Secondary tasks

So, a media and public relations specialist must:

• Monitor the work of the department's employees - distribute responsibilities, monitor performance.
• Proofread the material (interviews, addresses of the head) before submitting it to circulation.
• Plan future business events.
• Establish cooperation with journalists.
• Prepare releases.
• To agree on the elements of the brand book, the nature of the printed information presented to the public.
• Provide information on the schedule of the management.

Possible additional functions

The press secretary is entrusted with maintaining an archive of published materials, analyzing public reactions to the company news covered - the number of duties is determined by a specific employer. This employee can be assigned responsible tasks:

• rebranding planning;
• monitoring the situation in the media market;
• the formation of a database of press representatives;
• work with public / charitable organizations.

A spokesperson can conduct briefings with employees of the advertising, branding, marketing department. He can develop the corporate website of the company or control the correctness of the information displayed on it.

What areas of knowledge and skills may be required?

The wide range of duties of a press secretary, his great responsibility for the image of the employer sets high requirements for his personality and professional training. As for the knowledge, without which it is impossible to take place in the profession, their circle can be outlined with a list of 5 points.

• Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship. The communications specialist must clearly understand the structure of the market in which the company operates.
• Journalist or copywriting skills. Competently formulate thoughts, present the employer's product in the most favorable light.
• Management competencies. This is not only a representative, but also an organizer, manager, PR expert.
• Knowledge of effective advertising techniques in various areas of the company.
• Ability to clearly build a performance plan.

Of the useful personal qualities, stress resistance, communication skills, the ability to conduct a dialogue, to establish relationships with a wide audience should be distinguished. Good diction, competent writing, developed memory, the habit of looking neat / authoritative will only accelerate the career of a specialist.

Education requirements as one of the selection criteria for candidates

De facto, there is no independent profile of a press secretary in Russia. But you can master this profession through other specialties. In our university, these are the profiles of the Faculty of Management, specialties of corporate psychologist, sports manager, marketer, advertising manager (digital and classical).

Our graduates of the Faculty of Business, economists, and financial managers became press secretaries with a wide range of powers. We are the best in managerial competencies. This is confirmed at the highest level (first place in the rating of management specialties).

Press secretary- the head of the press service or its only representative who is responsible for working with the media in the organization, often a former journalist.

The absence of a spokesperson on the staff of the organization often leads to the following negative consequences:

The deadlines given by journalists for solving a specific issue are not met;

There is a distortion or even "leakage" of information due to the lack of experience of the administration's specialists in dealing with journalists;

The work of the administration is often presented in a disadvantageous light to it;

Decreases trust in the organization.
Meanwhile, the dialogue between the authorities, business and the media is extremely important. The first fundamental element for any democratic state is the society's right to receive reliable information. It is difficult to say who is more interested in establishing partnerships and friendships. On the one hand, journalists need official information every day. On the other hand, organizations and firms strive to establish strong ties with the media ("the fourth estate"), which not only informs the mass audience, but also seriously influences the formation of public opinion, creates a certain mood among the masses. The press secretary is in charge of regulating the interaction of these two parties.
Typically, the spokesperson has the following responsibilities:

Promptly disseminate official information about the organization's activities in the media and on the website;

Organize support from the media for political, social, economic initiatives, programs and projects of the organization, thereby forming public opinion about its activities;

Study press materials in order to inform the management about the position of the media in relation to the activities of the organization, systematically prepare reviews of the local press, on the instructions of the management - monitoring the media;

Track messages in the media and take, if necessary, measures to correct errors, organize speeches with appropriate rebuttals or comments, respond to media inquiries, provide them with comprehensive information services;

Prepare congratulatory texts for city and regional authorities, professional communities, collectives of enterprises, etc .;

To compose photo reports on the conducted PR - events;

Provide assistance in the preparation of texts, photographs and layouts of information stands dedicated to the activities of the organization;
For the most effective performance of official duties, the press secretary is endowed with certain managerial powers:

Request and receive the necessary analytical, informational and reference materials from the heads of structural divisions;

Use the communication and communication systems available in the organization;

Make proposals for improving the information support of the organization's activities;

In agreement with the management, involve specialists from the creative environment in the work on a contractual basis.
Based on the outlined range of rights and responsibilities of the press secretary, it is clear that he can claim the role of an employee who single-handedly implements the information policy of the organization set by the management. At the same time, the personality of the specialist in charge of communication with the media plays an important role. It depends on his sociability, friendly relations, ability to unobtrusively present his point of view, whether a positive image of the company, organization and from the leadership of journalists and, accordingly, of the population will be formed.
The functions assigned to the press secretary require not only professional, but also certain psychological qualities. Let's list the main ones:

The appearance of the press secretary must correspond to certain circles of his communication;

The press secretary must have a communicative style and communication skills, which includes a high general culture, technique of expressiveness and imagery of speech, perfect possession of various types of communication, the ability to use techniques of manipulative influence on the interlocutor, master the technique of emotional contagion, and inspire the trust of communication partners;

A press secretary needs to be professionally competent, which includes high general and special erudition, flexible mind, knowledge of psychology, ideological orientation of those journalists with whom you have to communicate;

It is important for a press secretary to have special skills, which include natural behavior, ownership of initiative, including in difficult communication situations;

A press secretary must be able to control the situation and at the same time treat representatives of different party orientations kindly, respect their choice;

A press secretary must be moral, honest, decent, principled;

The press secretary must be bold and objective, master the techniques of psychological defense: self-regulation, stress resistance, etc.
Despite the differences between the press services of government and business structures, the main principles of their activities must be observed in the work of each of them. Firstly, consistency principle, which consists in a system of successfully approved techniques, methods and procedures for interaction with the public. Secondly, principle of mobility- the ability of the structure to adapt to changing conditions of activity, to adjust its work. Third, must be respected principle of adequacy- compliance of the structure of the PR-service with the tasks set for the organization.

TEST

Specialty: Psychology

Discipline: PR

Topic: ROLE OF THE PRESS SECRETARY

Introduction

What does a spokesperson do?

What should it be?

5. The work of a press secretary

Conclusion

Introduction

Now there are many definitions of the essence of PR science. One of the leading researchers, American Sam Black, defines PR as "the art and science of achieving harmony through mutual understanding based on truth and full awareness." A very tough and American-style pragmatic definition of PR is given in the book "Communication Management": "PR is the activity of translating the pragmatic goals of an organization into a policy acceptable to society." In more detailed definitions, public relations is the science of communications, which aims to create an atmosphere of trust between an individual and a group, a group and society as a whole and has an informational influence on public opinion.

Public Relations is a management tool, its main strategy is to build trust, its audience has no distinct boundaries and addresses. Of course, calls for confidential communication on the basis of objective truthful information in their reality can be compared with the ideas of universal equality and brotherhood, but the increased control of society, the desire for stabilization and the desire to correspond in its image to social standards still make these tasks not so hopeless.

The main tasks of the PR lay in the field of improving external and internal communications.

Today any large structure has a press secretary on its staff. At the same time, the authority of this profession in society is so high that a good press secretary is often perceived not just as a "face of the team" or an ally of a major politician. Sometimes spokespersons themselves are included in the ranking of leading political leaders and are promoted to the top along with their bosses. Nevertheless, the applicants for this position, and the managers themselves, are not always well aware of the functions of a press secretary, the amount of knowledge that is required to perform his job duties, and many other points that invariably surface in the process of real work. We will consider these questions in this test.

1. The main functions of a spokesperson

Often, in practice, a press secretary is not only an employee of the information front and a constant carrier of information "in the first person". Often he is a devoted assistant who, in addition to official data, owns a sufficient amount of internal confidential information, which allows him to be a significant political and "court" figure in his circles.

However, obtaining such a status in a political or commercial structure is a matter of time, desire, chance and an individual approach to this circumstance of the employee and the employer. But what a press secretary is obliged to own, regardless of the circumstances, is a complete arsenal of PR tools. Moreover, many believe that press secretaries should not be limited only to competent presentation of information - they should deal with the entire set design for working with public opinion. On the other hand, the press secretary is not obliged to completely replace the PR manager, therefore, below we will consider the main duties of the press secretary, according to classical traditions and approaches.

What does a spokesperson do?

The press secretary maintains contacts with the media.

The spokesperson is responsible for the preparation, distribution and control over the publication of company information, intended for general information, which may include:

Press releases

Messages

· Statements

·Interview.

3. The press secretary organizes press conferences, interviews.

The spokesperson informs his manager about the entire range of issues related to communication with the media.

If necessary, the press secretary himself organizes specialized research on all problems of working with the media.

If we are talking about the work of the press secretary of a political leader, then he must present the candidate to the voters and the media.

2. How and with whom does the press secretary work?

Ideally, the press secretary works under the direction of the campaign manager or PR manager of the firm, while being in close contact with the candidate (or the head of the firm), the dispatcher and the head of the volunteers (during the election campaign) and with the heads of departments (on enterprise). In practice, however, it often happens that a spokesperson replaces the PR manager and leads the rest of the team. Sometimes, during an election campaign, a spokesperson acts as the leader of the research group. In this capacity, he collects information and studies the materials necessary to write a plan for an election campaign, immediately before its start. Then, during the entire campaign, the press secretary collects information, conducts various studies and analyzes the election results, that is, in general, takes over the functions of an analyst.

In the classic version, the press secretary, along with the head of the company or the candidate, is the only person who can officially contact the media on behalf of the organization. Moreover, the rest of the team members in this case, practically, should not communicate with the media representatives. This is due to the fact that they do not have information on the entire range of issues and may speak in a completely different way. As a result, this can negatively affect the image of the company or candidate, so it is very important to ensure that none of the employees, except the manager and the press secretary, have contact with the media.

The spokesperson should have as much information as possible about the candidate or the company he represents. For example, a spokesperson working for a manufacturing company should be well aware of the production technology, the range of products manufactured by the company, etc.

The spokesperson must correctly quote the speeches of the head of the company (or politician), correctly placing emphasis and avoiding ambiguous perception of what was said. The spokesperson should always have answers to any provocative or "sensitive" questions. In many cases, while preparing for a speech in front of the media, he can prepare such questions himself in order to give answers to them in advance (ahead of journalists), and thereby cut off the appearance of subsequent "unnecessary" questions. Along with this, he may have with him a list of all possible questions and answers to them, prepared so as not to accidentally damage the image of the company or the politician with the "wrong word".

A spokesperson should always be ready to answer any question to journalists, as well as advise editors and media journalists on any questions they may have regarding the activities of the company or the politician.

There is another very important point in the spokesman's relationship with the media: he should never deceive journalists by providing them with false information. This can prove to be very dangerous for the image of the company or the politician in the future. If the question posed by the journalists puts the press secretary in difficulty, then you should try to "nicely" avoid answering it or ask the journalists for time to get full information on this issue and return to the conversation later.

But if all of the above refers to the "external" side of the press secretary's activities, then one of the main tasks of his "internal" work is to inform the head of the company (politician) on the entire range of issues related to the media. Although we have already said that, ideally, all information should come to the media from only two sources: from a press secretary or the head of a company (politician), in practice it is not always possible to implement such an installation. Therefore, another function of the spokesperson is to organize control over all information that enters or leaves the company.

3. Possession and work with information

The press secretary communicates with journalists, and journalists are corrosive people. If they want to know as much as possible about a politician or company, it will be bad if you cannot provide any information on the questions asked. In general, it must be said here that many people who seek to become a press secretary unfairly believe that for this work it is enough to be able to write a press release, and the maximum is to make a statement at some press conference. However, any person who is not deprived of some literary talent can easily cope with this, as for the skills of a professional press secretary, they lie far beyond this area. In fact, a press spokesperson is the face of a firm or a politician. The press does not want to think that the press attaché is a simple subordinate: for her, he is a plenipotentiary representative of the structure or person of interest to them. Therefore, at any press conference (however, as well as in a public conversation) he can be asked many questions, which must be answered without hesitation.

The press secretary can be asked about the relationship of the company with competitors, about the position of its head on a particular issue, etc., and in any case, no matter how difficult and "unpleasant" the question may be, he should answer it, not while harming the image of the company, its leader (or politician). Therefore, coming up with answers on the go is not the best option. A good spokesperson needs to know all the answers by heart.

A bad spokesperson can go wrong with a very good deal. The fact that this statement is not an empty phrase is evidenced by at least such an example that took place in reality. One advertising agency has a contract with a car factory. According to him, the directors of the company were supposed to carry a new model car (developed by the plant) provided to him free of charge, and the company, in turn, was obliged to praise this car at any opportunity. Why the press secretary of the firm did not know about this agreement remains a mystery. But once, at one of the press conferences he was asked to express his opinion about this car, to which the secretary replied something like this: "To be honest, when we are going to go somewhere, we always ask each other:" Well, that we will go in a special car or in a normal one? "Naturally, after such a performance, the contract was terminated. Not without a small scandal, which, in general, caused considerable damage to the company.

What should it be?

It is important that the future press secretary has his own political position. However, a politician will sign a verdict for himself if he takes on this position a person who is sure in advance that the media have already made up their opinion on this candidate, and there is no way to change it in the other direction. The press secretary must understand and share the developed company policy, and if we are talking about a political leader, then the press secretary must understand the strategy of the election campaign. The press secretary must creatively comprehend the situation and independently find such effective ways so that the main idea and idea that are present in the developed strategy reaches the voter or consumer. Therefore, it is necessary that the press secretary works directly with the head of the company (or politician) and directly discusses all issues and problems with him.

secretary information publication image

4. Image as one of the main tasks of a spokesperson

Image includes indicators of at least three levels: external appearance, psychological properties and social inclinations, corresponding to the needs of the time and society.

The external appearance (the first level of the constituent image) includes, first of all, natural external data plus their skillful use in order to make a favorable impression with the help of clothes, hairstyles, and cosmetics. Some image professionals believe that 55% of an impression is related to how a person looks. This is also noted in the Russian proverb. "They are greeted by their clothes." Since a person's clothing is a major part of his external image, experts in "wardrobe engineering" provide a number of tips for men and women in different social positions in order to improve their impression of themselves. One of the famous books is even called "Clothes for Success". The main recommendations still boil down to not standing out from the society around you: study how the people around you are dressed, and generally follow their clothing patterns. However, not everyone expresses this point of view. Some people believe that you need to dress in the way that the place you are applying for requires, and not in the way that the place that you already occupies requires.

In addition to clothes, the first impression is greatly influenced by hairstyle, makeup, the presence or absence of jewelry, various business accessories such as a briefcase, notebooks, pens, etc. It also developed fairly detailed recommendations for various situations, including non-standard and informal.

External image is especially important for short-term contacts, when the first impression is especially important. For longer contacts, long-term cooperation, it is necessary to take care of the deeper components of the image.

The second level of the constituents of the image includes the psychological properties of a person of an individual, personal and socio-psychological nature: communication, empathy, reflexivity, eloquence, skills acquired as a result of education and upbringing. Some information about the second level can be combined with the first: for example, a badge with a university symbol placed on the lapel of a jacket. For the second level, speech indicators are especially important in all its variants, from oral to written, from active to passive. It has been experimentally shown that, for example, loud and clear speech is a sign of energy, loud and fast - threats, soft and distinct - prudence and isolation, soft and slow - striving for security, quiet and indistinct - fear of failure, timidity.

Such professionally important qualities as friendliness, sociability, ability to win over, attentive listening, fulfillment of all the details of business etiquette are highly appreciated. Of particular importance are fixed indicators that acquire the character of a business document: business letters, faxes, telephone messages, reports, minutes of meetings, business cards, questionnaires, etc.

The third level of the image includes social inclinations, everything that is associated with the life and professional experience of an individual and is reflected in accordance with behavioral reactions to the needs of time and society. Behavior and its motives, real actions in ordinary, extreme and conflict situations, attitude to one's own mistakes, one's own hierarchy of life values, the stability of social relations, the choice of a friendly and family circle of friends, social independence or social conformism - all this information of a higher, social order for their manifestation takes a lot of time.

5. The work of a press secretary

1. What kind of person is suitable for this position.

The first requirement for a future press secretary is erudition. The future press secretary must have some personal experience, and, in addition, he must be able to keep the secrets of his leaders (for which he must be a person of restraint). It is desirable that the personal position of the future press secretary coincides with the position of the leader (politician). Psychologically, a press secretary should not be hysterical, but at the same time, in no case should he be an indifferent person. It is required that it be a disciplined person who understands well what subordination is. In the future, such a person is expected to be willing to show absolute loyalty to the firm or politician for whom he works. It is important to initially look for only such a person who could be unconditionally trusted.

Where to find a spokesperson.

The best option is to find a spokesperson through personal connections. And even better - to hire your good friend, who will not be afraid to entrust any secret. In addition, the advantage of this option is that the personality of the acquaintance and his qualities are known initially, in contrast to the "hidden" qualities of any other candidate. True, this also has its drawbacks: for example, if a person (an acquaintance or "acquaintance of acquaintances") is hired, whose professionalism turned out to be inconsistent with the position he occupies. It is "inconvenient" to dismiss such a person, but it is impossible to work with him at the proper level. But, despite the possibility of such a situation arising, it is still better to take those people whom you unconditionally trust for the position of press secretary. And the problem of professional suitability can be solved by sending a new employee to special training courses.

Experts believe that one of the best options is to hire a press secretary for a journalist who works for local media. Such a person has certain connections that could be useful to you, and, in addition, he is already aware of the situation (political, economic, social) in your city (region, region). It is possible that recruiting agencies will show themselves well in the selection of a candidate, especially those that receive money for the selection of personnel from you, and not from the candidate for the position. It is best to choose a specialized agency dedicated exclusively to recruiting media professionals and workers associated with the industry. In a sense, this is one of the most convenient options for an employer. Firstly, you will no longer think about how to have time to talk with all applicants for the position - only the best applicants will be sent to you. Secondly, if the candidate does not cope with his duties, the agency will again look for his replacement.

If the financial resources do not allow you to turn to the help of recruiters, and you cannot find a good employee through personal connections, then you can try to find a spokesperson through ads. But in this case, the head (politician) needs to independently select candidates, because this person will have to work with him personally, and not with the HR manager. In addition, it is important for the leader (politician) himself: he must understand what, as a result, he wants from the person who will represent the company (or himself) in the external environment.

In general, there is nothing specific when hiring a press secretary. There are certain rules for hiring top managers, which also apply to press secretaries.

Summary. When you receive a resume, you must carefully read them and first select the people you like for an invitation to an interview. Candidates do not always send recommendations along with their resume, but there is nothing to worry about. It is customary to provide recommendations on demand, so they can be asked by agreeing with the candidate about the time of the interview. If, while reading the resume, you have any questions that you would like to clarify, it is better to ask them by phone than to drive the candidate around the city and waste your time meeting with him. You should not throw away such "controversial" CVs right away without receiving information on all the questions that interest you, because you can miss out on a good employee.

Interview. Preparing for an interview is not that difficult, as long as it does not turn into empty talk. To do this, it is necessary to think in advance about what to ask the future employee and what the manager himself will have to tell him. You can arrange a test for the candidate for psychological compatibility, for the type of character. It is best not to look for such a test in popular books and magazines, but to ask to develop a special version of it in the same recruiting agency. If the candidate came to you from a recruiting agency, it means that he has already been tested (this happens in most cases), and you will certainly be shown the results of these tests. If the candidate was unable to provide recommendations, do not pay special attention to this fact. Firstly, the lack of recommendations does not mean a lack of knowledge, and secondly, in our country it is still not accepted to give recommendations to workers. In the absence of recommendations, you can request the phones of the former managers of the employee and call them yourself; you can also find phone numbers by company name in the telephone directory. If recommendations are presented, then you need to check them. In a telephone conversation with a referrer, much more can be found out than is written in the recommendation. In general, calls to the past places of work of a future employee make it possible to find out whether this person can be completely trusted.

However, in any case, you should not go to extremes and create additional difficulties for candidates. It may not be very pleasant to fill out the questionnaire you proposed, if it asks for the last name, first name, patronymic and position of the candidate's spouse, his parents or boss. If possible, you should avoid including such questions in the questionnaire, and if it is really important, then it would be much better to clarify this in a personal conversation.

If the candidate is currently working, then do not give him an unpaid trial period. If a person loses his job, it may happen that he will try to take revenge on the unscrupulous employer. It is better to ask the candidate to state in writing his views on a specific project or range of issues (the concept of working with the media, the project of interaction with the press in the framework of the election campaign, etc.), and if the theses presented by him unconditionally suit you, then you can start a specific conversation about the probationary period.

For those looking for a press secretary job

If a spokesperson has extensive experience, then, most likely, finding a new job will not cause him much difficulty. In this matter, he will be helped by personal connections and acquaintances established before. At the initial stage, it will be enough to inform all your friends about the search for a new job. The same channel of job search - "by acquaintance" can help even when the job seeker for the position of press secretary still has not so much experience. But if there is very little experience, and career aspirations are great, then there is an option that suits ambitious young people.

You can try to get into the team of a novice politician - not due to extensive knowledge and experience, but for the promise to work for free. In practice, this option can be found quite often: teams with a small amount of money willingly hire volunteers "for free". If the applicant has an appropriate education (preferably journalistic), backed up by some experience in writing texts, and also if his position coincides with that of a politician, then he has every chance of getting into the team. It would seem that if they do not pay money, then what benefit can there be? In fact, over time, having shown his best side, a volunteer can be invited to the team already as a paid specialist. But even if this does not happen, he will gain invaluable experience, which will be useful in further job search. In addition, his surname can be "lit up" in the press, and these publications can be added to your resume. Finally, a novice spokesperson may ask for recommendations that will also come in handy later on. As for filling out the resume, then, omitting other well-known points, I would like to remind you that in the column "Applying for the position" it is not necessary to indicate non-adjacent specialties. In no case should you mix the positions of a press secretary and, for example, a tour operator. Even if you consider yourself a deep professional in both of these areas, a potential employer will most likely consider you a superficial person who does not sufficiently know any of the declared subjects and will put your resume aside. Keeping in mind that the press secretary is the face of the company, you need to pay special attention to your appearance. It is imperative to show up for an interview in a business suit and clean shoes. Be sure to have a portfolio with you. If you do not have a job as a press secretary, you can take your journalistic work with you. In addition, you must bring your resume and recommendations (if any).

It is better to take care of receiving recommendations in advance, but if this is unrealistic, then you can grab the phone of your former boss for an interview. If he was satisfied with your activity, then he will undoubtedly recommend you to a potential employer from the best side.

Conclusion

And so, every significant person who is involved in politics or is a director of a company should have a press secretary with him. Sometimes spokespersons are ranked among the top political leaders and are promoted to the top with their superiors. They are irreplaceable carriers of information "in the first person", that is, they can provide any information of interest to a person in the shortest possible time. A spokesperson must have a full arsenal of PR tools.

The spokesperson should maintain contacts with the media, prepare, disseminate and control the publication of company information intended for general information, which may include press releases, messages, statements, interviews. Also, the press secretary organizes press conferences and interviews, informs his manager on all communication issues<#"center">List of used literature

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Aleshina I.V. Public relations for managers and marketers. - M., 1997.

Black S. Public Relations. What it is? - M., 1990.

Grunig J.E., Hunt E. Managing Public Relations. - M., Progress, 2000.

Doty D. Publicity and Public Relations. - M., 1996.

Zvegintsev R.S. Communication management. - M., 1998.

F. Kotler Marketing. Management S. - Pb., Peter, 1999.

Lebedeva T. The art of seduction. Public relations in French. - M., 1996.

Newsom D., Scott F., Turk J. This is P. R. Realities Public Relations - M., Unity, 2002.

Management Psychology / Ed. By G.S. Nikiforov. - Kharkov, 2002.

Tulchinsky G.L. Public relations. - SPb., 1997.

Chestara D. Business etiquette. Public relations. - M., 1997.

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