‘CHANGE is coming” was the winning tagline that worked for his campaign. Now that he is about to start his term, President Duterte should remember that promise and make visible changes. But, just as we remind every citizen who expects drastic changes to remember that change will only happen if each of us changes individually, our President should also try to make some changes in his public image.
Jumping from being mayor of Davao to becoming the president of our country, he must realize that, aside from mouthing all the changes he intends to do, he must show all Filipinos that he, too, is willing to change. Maybe not in a major way, but in various small ways, which could help people accept and see that his intentions are really good.
In my PR practice, I always advocate focusing on the positive and I do not hesitate to say that for me and many of my colleagues, I believe President Duterte is every PR professional’s nightmare. While I was writing this, the newspaper headlines were already screaming with protests over his fight with the media. I don’t really know if everything that’s happening to him so far will automatically rule out my advice, but let me still give him some very practical advice.
What I want to focus on in particular is the way he deals with the media, because we, in PR, know that our careers can only succeed if we can build a strong relationship with the “fourth estate.”
What I see:
He’s a tough man, which is why he was nicknamed “The Punisher.” He certainly talks without thinking, but he cannot do that when he’s dealing with the media.
n My advice: Deal with the media with a purpose. Plan your meetings with the media and always have a clear objective for each meeting. If you only want to talk to hear yourself, you can do that in closed sessions with your Cabinet, staff and your team of advisers, who, in turn, should take notes on what good points they can make out of your loose thoughts. After that, they should process all your ideas into a plan of action (or a communication plan) so that the next time you engage the media, you have some solid, positive and well-thought-out talk points to cover, instead of just rattling off anything that comes to your head.
Normally, our professional advice for this would be for you to put your talk points into a script guide so you can stick to saying only what you intend to communicate.
My impression is you just like to talk on and on. It is your prerogative to do this, but I think your staff should be proactive and prepare a script guide so every media encounter becomes useful and relevant to your objectives.
Should there be questions thrown at you that are not in the guide, perhaps you can just refer the question to the appropriate member of your Cabinet, but all your words should have a purpose, so you don’t waste your time and that of the media.
What I see:
He is impulsive and talks with belligerence and often without even looking at who he’s talking to. That’s his natural stance and he likes to shock people, even the media, with his unexpected comments/action (like the wolf whistle he did to a female broadcaster).
n My advice: Sir, please lessen your insults, expletives and negative comments, and learn to look at the people you are addressing. It would also help if you could smile a little more (and mean it). You can only keep your natural “fighting stance” if you absolutely refuse to change it to a more non-threatening posture and if you don’t want to accept that as a president or head of state, you must command respect from your audiences.
However, you must also limit your fighting stance to only a few occasions when what you have to say is intended to instill discipline or credibility, such as when you have to announce a major policy or law, which will affect the country and the people. This could be announcements like the imposition of curfew, the punishment of drug dealers or if you will be sending erring government officials to jail.
Second advice: Please appoint a spokesman who can be your regular mouthpiece to the media. (You have recently named broadcaster Martin Andanar to act as your spokesman). But you must trust your spokesman who must be able to communicate your thoughts very clearly and effectively. You, Sir, should reserve your appearances or talks with the media for only very important reasons. (It was a rational decision for your people to make use of the government station as your regular venue for making announcements.)
What I see:
You do not seem to be a very sociable person who will have the patience to attend functions, important parties or even the obligatory meetings with ambassadors, foreign guests or international dignitaries. If you don’t want to wear the required formal attire for such meetings, may I suggest that you delegate this part of your job to the most gracious and capable lady Vice President-elect Maria Leonor G. Robredo.
n My advice: You can still be the father, the muscle and the brains of this new leadership, but with some effort at cooperation, perhaps you could assign VP Leni to do the softer parts of the required protocol since you don’t really have a First Lady. Robredo can be the heart of this administration, while you maintain the strongman image and the symbol of power. You just have to give her the trust and specific directions on how you expect her to move in your behalf. Certainly, there must be some kind of protocol that will delineate how she can best assist you, but it would certainly be wise PR for you to try and work with your vice president.
That may signal that you are, indeed, willing to change somehow, for the good of our beloved Philippines and that you can turn our “nightmare” into a good dream.
Thank you, Mr. President, and we wish you all the best in the next six years.
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association, the world’s premiere association for senior communications professionals around the world. Joy Lumawig-Buensalido is the president and CEO of Buensalido & Associates Public Relations.
PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.