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38 Communication World MayJune 2010 www.iabc.com/cw

special report: latin america & the caribbean

Carina Carrasco: In your book,

you describe communication

directors as among the fewpeople who have a 360-degree

view of their company. What

do you mean by that?

Javier Bartoli Piero: The com-munication directors role goesbeyond the obvious require-ments of specific training inthe field of communication.The communication director

needs to be able to analyze com-plex settings for the enormousand broad management of allthe streams of information thatexist in an organization, makinghim one of the few people inthe company with 360-degreevision. That organizationalinsight makes him the CEOsright-hand man and a key mem-ber of the executive team, taking

on roles and responsibilities thattend to go beyond the merepractice of communication,directly affecting the organiza-tions reputation or corporateimage, thereby rendering himan image keeper.

Accordingly, the moderncommunication director spendstime not only communicating,but also listening and learning,understanding the reasonsbehind and the details of the

organization, learning the targetaudiences motivations andimpulses. The communicationdirectors daily raw materialinvolves image while his work-ing tool involves persuasion.

CC: Your book begins with an

academic approach and then

narrows its focus to day-to-day

work. How did your experience

as a teacher influence your vision

as a professional in this field?

JBP: My teaching experience isthe product of my professionalexperience, not the other wayaround. I have never been a pro-fessor bringing theory to organi-zations. My preference is forconcrete work, with measure-ments and results, rather than

theory in its strict sense.However, the intellectual exer-cise offered by the classroom,and the contact with the stu-dents, is enriching, and can leadthe professor to draw parallelsto situations that arise in theorganization in which he works.This surely leads to ideas andcourses of action that the profes-sor will apply to his daily workin the area of communicationonce he becomes an executive.

CC: What capabilities does a

good director of communica-

tion need, and what skills do

you think communicators will

need in the future?

JBP: Communication directorsneed to be strategic advisers forthe organizationsocial scien-tists who apply their knowledge,

A balance of imageand persuasionArgentine author Javier Bartoli Piero shares

his views on the communicators role

by Carina Carrasco

Each year, Wellcommunity, a Spanish-language onlinecommunity dedicated to business communication, recog-nizes Spanish-language and international books for theircontribution to the development of the communicationprofession. In 2009, it

chose a book by two ArgentineanPR professionals, Javier BartoliPiero and Federico Rey Lennon,Reflexiones sobre el management dela comunicacin (Reflections onCommunications Management),

which looks at some of the skillscommunicators will need to suc-ceed in the future. Bartoli Pierospoke with IABC member CarinaCarrasco about the book and its central points. Bartoli Piero is cur-rently the chief of protocol of the Inter-American DevelopmentBank, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Previously, he was theglobal director of public affairs and communications for the RoundTable on Responsible Soy and the corporate communications man-ager for Microsoft for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Javier Bartoli Piero

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www.iabc.com/cw Communication World MayJune 2010 39

about the authorCarina Carrasco is the general

coordinator for a world congressorganized by the Argentine

Center of Engineers. Previously,

she worked as a communication

manager and spokesperson for

Camuzzi, one of the largest util-

ity companies in Argentina.

Technological

tools do not serve

as a substitute for the

analytical capabilities

of the communication

professional.

in the words of Edward Bernays,to explain the company to the

public and the public to thecompany. They should aboveall else be people with analyticalcapabilities and the sensitivity tounderstand their audiences,both within and without. It isessential that they know theenvironment surrounding theorganization in order to be ableto make the decisions that willprotect the corporations image.

I think that in the future,communication directors should

be professionals who, in additionto cultivating communicationskills and knowledge of hownew technologies influence thecreation of an image, shouldhone their analytical capabilitiesto favor the decision-makingprocess at the organizationshighest level.

CC: From your experience with

Web 2.0, which tools can you

recommend to work in this new

and changing environment?

JBP: First, it bears mentioningthat technological tools do notserve as a substitute for the ana-lytical capabilities of the com-munication professional. Thus,there are two growing trends.One is the expansion of themonitoring of the productsfrom the full range of Web 2.0tools, and the other is the ana-lysts role as gatekeeper, in

being able to discern the impor-tant issues in the decision-mak-ing process. In addition, withinthis change in behaviors andpractices that is the product oftechnology, the communicationprofessional should have an in-depth knowledge of his organi-zation. He should learn to listento what is happening around

him, especially with regard tohis stakeholders. Based on this,

the public will state what itneeds, what it wants to hear andthrough which medium. As AlRies and Jack Trout were alreadysaying 30 years ago in their bookPositioning, What the peoplesay is more important than whatis said in a board meeting.

Another point to keep inmind is the measurement ofresults based on the use of thesenew technological tools and thereturn on investment, be it to

emphasize the path taken or tocorrect detours along the way.

CC: Can you explain the concept

of communication management

as you describe it in your book?

JBP: On the one hand, the com-municators role implies that heknow the concepts of manage-ment and take into account thehandling of the political pano-rama and communication tools

to avoid tarnishing the imageand consequent reputation ofthe organization he represents.

On the other hand, this com-munication management con-cept refers to the three roles acommunication director fulfills,or should fulfill: the resonancerole, which refers to the prep-aration and execution of thecommunication policy; thereflection role, which refers tothe monitoring of the relevant

changes in the environment andthe capacity to foresee the polit-ical and communication conse-quences for the organization;and the role of protector of theorganizations communicationcohesion, of its reputation with-in the public space.

CC: How has the economic situ-

ation affected the role of peo-

ple working in communication?

JBP: It depends on the geography.In those latitudes where crises areconstant, the role does not exhib-it much change, since those pro-fessionals are accustomed tounstable equilibrium. How-ever, in those regions whereorganizations have not had theexperience of living in crisis

whether constant or isolatedthey must become accustomedto addressing crisis situationsalmost daily and with an ever-

decreasing amount of resources,since it is a given that in thesetimes there is always a reductionin human resources in the areaof communications.

CC: Besides your book, is there

a book that you can recommend

for Spanish-speaking communi-

cators who want to learn more

about the subject?

JBP:When we took on the task

of writing Reflexiones sobre elmanagement de la comunicacin,we proposed using a mix of thetheory and practice of commu-nicationsthat is, combiningtheory and practice in order tomore closely resemble the realityfaced by professionals in theirorganizations, where decisionsconstantly need to be made inturbulent environments, ratherthan what occurs in the lab or inan academic setting, based on an

advanced level of professionaltraining.

As recommendations go, IthinkGestin de la marca corpo-rativa ( Management of theCorporate Brand), by PaulCapriotti, and Imagen corpora-tiva en el siglo XXI (CorporateImage in the 21st Century), by

Joan Costa, are excellent.