Over recent years, there have been too many stories to keep track of when it comes to the government. Even in 2023, when things seem to have thankfully slowed down somewhat, there is always another momentous story around the corner. But there's one that has caught our eye recently. We won't name names, but it has led us to ponder the true significance of honesty for public sector communications. Because it should be imperative at all times, as we will now explain in today's article. 

First of all, when it comes to any public sector organisation, honesty is an absolute necessity through all internal and external communications in order to build trust. This relates to local residents and service users, but also colleagues and partners. If an organisation is dishonest (even a 'little fib'), it threatens to undermine the credibility of any and all of its other messaging. And that could create a negative perception that has the potential to remain for a long time depending on the severity of the mistruth. 

Secondly, it's important to be upfront and open about any negative media stories about a public sector organisation rather than taking the defensive route and potentially worsening the situation with an attempt to cover things up with denials or other mistruths. It sounds like advice that you would give to a child, but the reality is that many organisations go for the strategy of saying something today just to get through to tomorrow. Standing up and accepting responsibility by being honest is absolutely vital. 

Then we come to the impact of the relationship between the organisation or representative and their communications team. This has the potential to crumble by virtue of the organisation and/or its key figures not being entirely honest with those providing comms on their behalf. And that's because of the theoretical damage it does to the reputation of the public relations agency that is recognised as having unwittingly played a role in the dishonesty. Even if it happens once, once is enough for a PR company to be tarred with the same brush. 

But it could work in the opposite direction too. A public sector organisation has to be able to completely trust those communicating on their behalf. And if that trust is breached in any way, beyond the initial excitement surrounding shock revelations comes the harsh reality that nobody worth their salt would consider working with the PR agency representative again. And that threatens to not only hinder their own reputation, but also that of like-minded competitors who do perform their duties with the utmost professionalism at all times. 

Of course, these are just hypothetical scenarios that demonstrate the impact of not being honest when it comes to both internal and external communications. All of these can be avoided by doing the right thing and maintaining honesty on all occasions. It is crucial when it comes to positive reputation management for your public sector organisation, and also for any public relations firm representatives that are reading. 

So, make sure to do the right thing and always be truthful, because it's possible to lose trust and credibility on a large scale by demonstrating a flair for fibbing. 

Check out what Steele Public Relations can do for your organisation by visiting https://steelepublicrelations.co.uk/ or simply give us a call: 07591-745742

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