Having a communications team that is aligned is of the utmost importance for organizations and brands everywhere. But how do you ensure that your leaders can speak with a similar voice? In the latest edition of the Can You Hear Me? Podcast, co-hosts Rob Johnson and Eileen Rochford welcome Jessica Koth, Director of Public Relations for the National Funeral Directors’ Association, to discuss How to Leverage a Team of Spokespeople for High-Impact Media Coverage.
Jessica A. Koth is a seasoned public relations leader and trusted voice serving as the director of public relations for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). With nearly two decades at NFDA and more than 27 years in the public relations field, she leads the association’s comprehensive communications strategy, championing initiatives that strengthen NFDA’s reputation, support funeral service professionals and increase public understanding of meaningful memorialization.
Jessica oversees national media relations, crisis communication, brand storytelling and thought-leadership development for NFDA. She serves as editor of the “NFDA Bulletin,” manages the Pursuit of Excellence program, and develops high-impact content across NFDA platforms, including a monthly column for “The Director” magazine. She also established and managed NFDA’s social media presence for 14 years, significantly expanding the association’s digital reach.
Before joining NFDA, Jessica worked in agency public relations supporting nonprofit, healthcare and hospitality organizations across the country. She is a graduate of Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.
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Rob Johnson: Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Can You Hear Me podcast. I'm Rob Johnson, president of Rob Johnson Communications.
Eileen Rochford: And I'm Eileen Rochford, CEO of the marketing and strategy firm The Harbinger Group.
Eileen Rochford: Having spoke to people that can clearly articulate an organization's or brand's message effectively is imperative today. Not being aligned and able to share that message with external stakeholders can make or break an organization. But what if you have multiple people who are authorized to speak? How can many voices remain consistent throughout varied and concurrent media interviews? That is what we are here to talk about today guys. And we are going to talk about it with someone who is so wise and experienced in this regard, Jessica Koth, Director of Public Relations for the National Funeral Directors Association, also known as the NFDA. Jessica, thank you for joining us today.
Jessica Koth: Hi, I'm so glad to be with all of you.
Eileen Rochford: This is gonna be a really fun conversation.
Rob Johnson: It really is. It's fascinating to me that you can manage that many people with that same message, but before we dig into the topic, why don't you share with our listeners a little about your background, your origin story?
Jessica Koth: Sure. So, um, I've been working in public relations for, um, just over 27 years now and with NFDA for, um, almost 20. I'll be celebrating my 20th anniversary with them in October. Um, like a lot of people in communications my path wasn't exactly linear. Um, I graduated from Marquette University with my degree in journalism, but I actually, um, right out of school, uh, began working in association management doing public relations and communications for, um, a medical association. Um, after that, I spent several years working at agencies. Uh, I worked with clients ranging from healthcare and non-profit to tourism and consumer brands and I eventually found my way back to the association world. Um, you know, it 20 years is a long time to stay at any organization, but what's kept me at NFDA for almost two decades is the opportunity to help a profession that is very often misunderstood tell their story. Um, I've gotten to know so many funeral directors over the years and they do extraordinary work for families during some of the most difficult times of their lives and helping the public better understand that work has really become a, a deep passion of mine. Um, and I'm really fortunate, um, to be able to work with, um, Eileen and her team at The Harbinger Group. Um, we started working with them, um, just over a year ago after, um, we had been working with another agency. We did an RFP process to, um, evaluate whether that agency was still the best fit for us or if there was, um, someone else out there that might be able to help us, um, continue to grow and we found Eileen and her team and they've just been such a great partner to us as we've continued to expand our national media efforts.
Rob Johnson: You have a great group that you're working with no question about it and the Marquette connection. There they go. I'm telling you what I've met so many brilliant people from Marquette it's just amazing.
Eileen Rochford: It is. And uh and I will say that Jessica and I did not know each other. I'm older than Jessica and graduated quite a few years before she did, so we didn't interact on campus at all. Yeah. I I think we connected um because of both of us um on LinkedIn paying attention to Marquette content and yeah, I think that's how we came into each other's spheres.
Jessica Koth: Yes. Yes.
Eileen Rochford: Yeah, which is wonderful. Um and I'm delighted to be in your sphere and working with NFDA is an absolute honor and our team just has loved this journey. Absolutely loved it. Um, so, for context for our conversation today, I think we could start off um maybe just a little bit more about what does the NFDA do for its members as an association?
Jessica Koth: Sure, so, um, we are, um, the country's leading and largest funeral association representing, um, funeral directors. The way I like to explain it, um, which helps people understand what associations do, we're kind of, everyone's familiar with the American Dental Association, we are like the American Dental Association but we, uh, work in funeral service and serve funeral directors. So, we provide our members with, um, information, education, research. We really want to be that support system. We are the we help the helpers. Um, we also do, um, quite a bit of consumer outreach and engagement work. So we have Remembering A Life which is our consumer, uh, education, uh, platform, um, which has a wonderful website and so many great resources for consumers. And then we also, um, as you can imagine being the largest funeral association in the country, um, we get a lot of inbound media inquiries from, uh, reporters, journalists, um, who are working on stories, um, about funeral related topics. And so they come to us looking for, uh, background information, uh, research, and our data, um, and also those expert interviews.
Eileen Rochford: And you do put out a tremendous amount of unique research that is, um, of extremely high interest to media as you've said. So, um, that is, uh, that is one of the things that we were initially just so impressed by, that volume and the depth of that research is, um, is very unique, for sure. But to tell your story, sometime ago, you started a robust, I would call it, stable of spokespersons to talk on behalf of the NFDA. And I think that is what is so unique about your organization, the sheer size of that. So could you tell us a little bit about how, how large is it and how did it come to be and whose, whose selected to be a spokesperson and, and what do they do?
Jessica Koth: Yeah. So, um, we have a team of about 20 to 25 spokespersons, um, which I know is really, really unusual. Um, all of our spokespersons, they're licensed funeral directors, so they are out there every day serving, uh, grieving families and communities. Um, and the reason we have a team that is of that size is because of the reality of our members' work. Um, funeral directors are serving families every day. And if CNN calls in the middle of a funeral that one of our spokespersons are directing, even though they may be our first choice as a as a spokesperson, they simply might not be available because, you know, their priority in that moment is serving that family. So having a deep bench allows us to respond quickly, uh, to those, uh, media inquiries without sacrificing quality. Um, we sometimes, you know, when we get those inbound media inquiries, we might have to reach out to two, three, sometimes even four spokespersons before we find someone who is available to take the call. It's not that they're not willing or uncomfortable with handling the inquiry, it's just simply a matter of, you know, the work that they're doing every day to serve grieving families, taking priority in that moment. Um, our spokesperson team, it is, um, comprised of the members of our board of directors, they are automatically, um, on our spokesperson team given the nature of the role, their leadership role within the organization. And then we have, um, the rest of the team is rounded out by other, um, individuals, some of them are former members of our board of directors who are just really good spokespersons for us and they're they enjoy the work and so we'll keep them around as long as they're willing to continue, uh, to serve in that capacity. And the others are, um, they might have some sort of special expertise or be very well spoken. Um, and all of the members of our spokesperson team, they typically stay with us, you know, for years and they become highly skilled at this work. And our goal with our team is not necessarily to create a team of 25 people who sound exactly the same. It's enabling this group of men and women to tell the story of NFDA and funeral service in their own authentic voices.
Eileen Rochford: And I would imagine, um, geographically, this is something that our listeners probably don't realize. Uh, in funeral service, geographically, globally but we're talking the United States here, um, the practices, the customs, preferences, vary greatly region to region. So having some diversity geographically is necessary for your organization. Would you agree?
Jessica Koth: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely because, you know, a funeral director in, um, and a funeral, at a family plans in Seattle, Washington is gonna look very different than what, um, a funeral in Oxford, Mississippi is gonna look like. Um, you know, as we see laid out in our research, you know, preferences vary greatly by by region, by, uh, culture, by religion, by ethnicity, um, so there's a great deal of diversity within the kinds of, um, funerals and memorial services and celebrations of life, um, that families plan and so we strive to have a team that reflects that diversity, um, within funeral service.
Eileen Rochford: Yep. That makes sense. As an association, to have subject matter experts that can speak to all people if you will, um, versus, you know, really just kind of the majority. So that's that's good to hear so subject matter expertise is really important too, it sounds like.
Jessica Koth: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. Um, because there all, yeah, there are, um, you know, reporters are calling in with different inquiries and so if someone is looking to, uh, doing a story about green funeral service, you know, we have folks on our team that can speak to that, or someone who, uh, a reporter doing a story about, um, something cemetery related. We have some, um, of our spokespersons who own cemeteries and can speak to, um, those questions. So that, um, diversity of experience is really important to us as well.
Eileen Rochford: So it's not just volume like you've got 25 people because you want everybody to be included, it's your organization, your association needs to have the depth as well as the breadth is what it sounds like. So that's something, um, to call out when when we're here to talk about using a robust stable of spokespeople or just spokespeople in general effectively inside your organization. So that that is a big consideration. All right. Rob, I stepped on you. Tell me what you wanted to say.
Rob Johnson: Oh no, I've I I uh I'm just listening, it's all good. When we were first talking about this, um, before we recorded this, I was so impressed and so befuddled because, you know, typically, and I think a lot of people that do PR will say, well, gosh, you know, all the clients I work with have maybe one to three at the most, three at the most, people in the entire organization that can speak publicly. So I think the thing that really impresses me about this is how you are able to rein everybody in and to ensure that the messaging is tight, and I understand the point about, well, so and so is not available let's go down the line and see who else is available. But that that messaging is tight and that you don't that that there's, you know, unanimity in in that messaging. How do you how do you ensure that? That that to me is one of the most impressive things about this entire discussion.
Jessica Koth: Sure. Um, you know, I don't know if I personally think about it as reining them in, it's, um, we have a group of incredibly dedicated spokespersons who genuinely want to represent the profession well. And so we just take that it's almost like molding clay into a pot. It's about helping, um, coach them and train them, and making sure that they're prepared to step into those, um, interview situations. And we, we do that in a number of ways. So, um, we do annual media training, so we invite, um, our board of directors since they're, um, you know, our leaders of the organization, the face of the organization, and they're the ones most frequently put in interview situations, as well as, um, the folks who are newer to our spokesperson team. And then for the, um, veterans on the team who have been through this a number of times, we invite them back every three or four years to do refresher training. And we not only go over those, um, fundamentals of being a spokesperson, you know, using messaging and, um, you know, all the techniques like bridging and, you know, all of that, um, that's important, we, we go over that, but we also do a lot of practice and mock interviews. Um, our spokespersons really like and value that feedback that they get doing those mock interviews. And we've always, um, you know, even before working with Eileen and, and the other agency, we've always used a third party to conduct that media training because the spokesperson team they're hearing from me throughout the year so it's important to have sort of that external validation if you will, um, that I am, you know, I know what I'm talking about, uh, when I when I'm coaching them. Um, we've also developed, um, a messaging playbook that has, um, information, um, messaging around some of the most common topics that we get media inquiries on. Um, we also have background information about, um, all of our research, um, and other helpful information like, um, some of the background materials that we send out to the media so that they're aware what reporters are looking at prior to an interview. We also provide spokespersons, uh, before any interview, uh, thanks to Eileen and her team with briefing documents, um, that go over the reporter, um, the outlet, recent stories, uh, likely questions that they might ask, um, messaging that might be useful as well as resources that NFDA offers to consumers around that particular topic. Um, we also offer spokesperson support and coaching prior to an interview and then we give them feedback after the interview and after the article is published. Um, which helps sort of reinforce the good things that they've done as well as things that they might want to work on that for the next interview that they participate in. And then throughout the year we do, um, little coaching moments with our, uh, spokesperson teams. We do, um, what we call office hours calls with, um, Eileen and her team and spokespersons, uh, we do a coaching corners a regular part of those, uh, calls, and we offer other, um, coaching interview, uh, opportunities throughout the year. So it's, um, that sort of consistency in training and coaching, um, throughout the year really helps everyone sort of share the same message but in their own unique way and own using their own unique voice.
Rob Johnson: Crucial. So that's a really robust support system what you just described. Do you find in the use of those various supports, could you prioritize those that you feel have been the most effective that people should really think about bringing into their systems?
Jessica Koth: Um, I really think the briefing document is probably one of the most important tools, um, and that our our spokesperson team really values those because it's really puts everything that they need to know about a particular interview right in front of them. So that, you know, even if they don't look at the playbook before an interview, they have all of the information that they need, um, about the reporter and the inquiry, things that they may want to highlight and touch on, uh, during the interview. I think that's probably one of the most, um, valuable pieces that I would encourage organizations to invest the time in developing, um, for those who, um, represent their organization as a spokesperson.
Eileen Rochford: That's great advice I'm glad you picked that one. I tend to agree with you that, um, I talk to a lot of people, friends, who have, you know, very important positions inside of lots of different types of organizations and it shocks me when they tell me how little support they're given in advance of a media interview, by either an internal team or an external agency. Um, that briefing book, um, if you're not getting that from your current agency, ask for it. Um, and Or ask the Harbinger Group to...
Rob Johnson: Okay, okay. Enough, enough. It's not commercial.
Jessica Koth: Yeah, I mean our, the folks who are on our team they're not professional spokespersons. This is something that they're doing in addition to the, uh, important work that they're doing serving families. So anything that we can do and provide to them to set them up for success and make them feel comfortable, uh, during those interviews, um, we are happy to provide that.
Eileen Rochford: Yeah. And honestly guys, like who is a full-time spokesperson, like in the people we deal with, you know Rob, like nobody, right? It's, it's maybe five percent of the time that they spend in the grand scheme of things so they need every little bit of structure and preparation done for them, um, as possible in, in my opinion, it sounds like you certainly agree Jessica.
Jessica Koth: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
Eileen Rochford: Rob, was there something else you wanted to add I'm sorry. I did it again.
Rob Johnson: No, no, no, you keep going.
Eileen Rochford: Okay. Um, so that was a great description of the types of supports. Um, do you have, um, an opinion Jessica on should associations in particular should they really consider building up a stable of spokespeople and putting that the investment that you just described into, um, helping those spokespeople, spokespersons be excellent at delivering the story and the mission of an association?
Jessica Koth: I absolutely think it's valuable, um, regardless of the size of your association. I mean, you don't have to have a team the size that we do. Um, but I think building up a team of spokespersons, even if it's just the members of your board and investing in training them, that's going to help in so many situations, not just interviews with consumer media or, uh, trade public relations, it's I think going to help them generally as leaders interact with, um, members, uh, the members that they serve. Um, you know, I think there's a lot of, um, and it'll even help them, you know, in their professional lives as well outside of the association. So I think it's definitely an investment worth making.
Eileen Rochford: That's great. Good. Glad to hear because you know it's a lot of work and people don't always want to put in that kind of work so they they have to understand, you know, the value behind the of the outcome from the effort. So that that is really good to hear. Um, so I think there are different, you have a lot of inbound, it sounded like. Is that true? So that's another reason why you have such a, you know, robust group of folks. And the majority of those are, let's, I don't want to say safe interviews, but they're more comfortable, right? They're within your wheelhouse of expertise of your spokespersons, they're very much about your industry, but there are absolutely situations that are sensitive and maybe even cross over into the area of crisis. How does an organization differentiate, your selection of appropriate spokespeople when it is a more crisis-adjacent situation? How does that change?
Jessica Koth: Yeah, absolutely. I mean during those sort of routine inquiries, we have tremendous flexibility because of the size of our team. But during a crisis we get much more disciplined in our approach. And in determining our strategy, whether it's just, you know, a high stakes interview like with the Wall Street Journal or New York Times, or a crisis situation that has, um, the potential to threaten, you know, NFDA or the profession, we intentionally narrow the number of people that we want speaking about that. Um, typically it's handled by members of our board of directors, very often our president, president-elect, or immediate past president, just because those folks are among our most senior spokespersons and, um, they're the face of the organization. Um, we also, um, during those crisis situations, we keep our broader spokesperson team informed so that everyone understands our strategy and approach even if they aren't speaking publicly, this, and this allows us to maintain some consistency while avoiding confusion, um, over who is speaking. Um, we in those crisis situations we generally ask the entire spokesperson team to forward any inquiries that they may receive to me so that we can carefully vet that inquiry, determine who our spokespersons are, and tailor the messaging, um, as appropriate depending on the angle that a reporter is taking. Um, you know, I would say that, uh, you know, being at, you know, NFDA so long, um, you know, I built really close relationships with my spokespersons and I know them well, and they trust that when I make those recommendations around those high stakes and crisis situations, that the decisions and strategy that we're making it's because I want to protect the reputation of NFDA and its members and the profession, and that trust, um, makes some of those conversations, um, around, you know, who's serving as a spokesperson and who isn't a lot easier.
Rob Johnson: I really liked when you talked about earlier about having the playbook and making sure those messages are honed, and you also talked about, you know, customization, learning more about the reporter. I mean, going into real deep detail about, uh, not only the subject but also the people that would be conducting the interview. So I, I thought that was really important to share that, that information because there is so many nuances to it and to the point that was being made earlier, you know, sometimes people don't do that and you all are doing that. So with that as a backdrop, um, and, and I know that your industry is one where people do need to get out there and they do need to be in front of it and they do need to educate people because a lot of people aren't properly educated about your industry, true?
Jessica Koth: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. So many misconceptions and misperceptions about funeral service that we have to speak to every single day.
Rob Johnson: Now here's another one, because Eileen and I love to talk about AI, and this is partially AI related, more than partially. Uh, on a recent episode we talked about how recent earned media can enhance your SEO status. The the rules have changed, in other words. So because those rules have changed, does that change the role of the spokesperson where you need to get in there, you need to be quoted, you know, um, in a newspaper or on a on a television station or whatever the case is because it gets it, it, the recency is so important. Knowing that that's the case, does that impact how you choose a spokesperson for a particular interview?
Jessica Koth: Um, yes, and this is something Eileen and I we've talked about and that we've been integrating, um, over the last, you know, 12 months or so into, um, our media strategy. You know, I mean, as you said, search, um, you know, whether it's someone doing a Google search and having that Google Gemini summary at the top of their search results or if, uh, a consumer is using a tool like Claude or ChatGPT, um, as you said, the information that rises to the top, um, is influenced by who and what organizations are appearing in the news media. So it, and it's not enough for your organization to just be cited in an article, you know, some little piece of data. Having knowledgeable spokespersons who are quoted in meaningful ways that really helps ensure that your organization's expertise, um, rises to the top when AI, these various AI tools are putting together answers in response to queries from consumers. Um, and yeah, recency is absolutely, uh, important so you have to have a consistent level of visibility in, in the media so your information is prioritized by the, the various AI tools. Um, having a spokesperson team that is trained and well prepared to participate in interviews that's more important, I think, than ever before in, in PR. Um, and that's one reason why we're in, we've invested so heavily in preparing our a strong bench of spokespersons who can respond quickly and confidently and be quotable in interviews. So if your organization doesn't have that well-trained, well-prepared team of spokespersons, whether it's a, you know, commercial organization, a non-profit, an association, you're really missing out on opportunities to get your organization's voice out there to, uh, consumers.
Eileen Rochford: Great advice. Fantastic. Thank you. What a great way to wrap up our discussion. So, before we wrap up this episode, Jessica, do you have any parting thoughts that you'd like to share with our listeners, particularly any, you know, guidance or advice on what to do with what we've talked about today?
Jessica Koth: Well, I mean first, if you don't have a spokesperson team you need to develop one. Um, but beyond that, I would say that media training, it can't be treated just as a one-time event, something that you do every year just to check the box. Because I've seen incredibly accomplished leaders and executives, both, you know, in the association world as well as, you know, in the corporate world, become really nervous the moment a television camera, you know, the red light goes on on the camera. And but I've also seen relatively inexperienced spokespersons grow into exceptional communicators because someone invested the time and effort in coaching them. Um, the best spokespersons become great spokespersons because they have opportunities to practice and receive constructive feedback and are given opportunities to continue even, uh, improving over time. Every interview is an opportunity for a spokesperson to learn. Um, and following up after the interview and the article appears and celebrating the success can go a long way to building their confidence for the next interview that they participate in. So, um, you know, focus on, you know, reinforcing the fundamentals but also work on building the confidence through honest feedback and celebrating those wins, and then that will help you create a team of spokespersons who are prepared not just for one interview but, uh, for their entire career as a spokesperson for your organization.
Rob Johnson: Great advice. Fantastic. Thank you. What a great way to wrap up our discussion. Okay, so Jessica Koth, director of PR for the NFDA. Thank you so much for being our guest today.
Jessica Koth: Thank you. It was my pleasure being with you.
Rob Johnson: We really enjoyed all of your wisdom and the fact that you have everybody so well oiled on the messaging is just really impressive. So that's gonna do it for another edition of Can You Hear Me. I'm Rob Johnson. If you'd like to comment on the podcast or suggest a topic, please look for the Can You Hear Me podcast or check out our newsletter, both are on our LinkedIn page, or you can go to our website at canyouhearmepod.beam.ly. We'll leave that address and all the relevant information in our show notes.
Eileen Rochford: Fantastic. Okay everybody, I'm Eileen Rochford. If you liked what you heard today, please consider giving the Can You Hear Me podcast a positive review wherever you get your podcasts like Apple or Spotify. Your reviews help other listeners find our show and we would deeply appreciate it. So thanks very much for that. That's everything for today. Thanks so much for listening.