All too often in these difficult times, it seems that companies have bad news to announce. Every day, we hear of falling profits, redundancies and downsizing.

How the bad news is relayed will have a large impact on how it is received by employees, shareholders and the public, according to former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation anchor Ona Fletcher.

Ms Fletcher, who has some 20 years' experience in media training and strategic communications, is seeing an increasing appreciation of the need for the services of her company, Ona Fletcher Consulting. Clients she has coached include chief executive officers, broadcasters and experts in fields such as finance and science who want to go to the media to get their message across.

"More and more people are receptive to the idea of media training," said Ms Fletcher, who also worked as a television reporter for WMAQ, a Chicago-based affiliate of NBC. "Companies are recognising that when they are prepared and trained and they have effective communication skills, then it can enhance the image of the company.

"Firms that have a good, strong brand put a lot of thought into how they are going to deliver bad news, internally and externally, to employees, clients and the general public. How they report bad news is something that is directly tied to the strength of their brand."

It doesn't matter how successful, competent or intelligent people are — if they are not used to facing the camera, they are likely to stumble.

"Among all the people I have trained over the past 20 years, I have met only one who was a natural," Ms Fletcher said. "It doesn't matter how accomplished, how brilliant, or how highly successful they are — most people feel fear or discomfort about speaking publicly, especially when they're on television or the radio.

"I firmly believe that anybody can acquire this skill. I've seen it happen time and time again."

The key is to cast aside feelings of self-consciousness and focus on the message being delivered, she said. She urges clients to bear in mind her philosophy, summed up by the phrase: "Stories in mind, people at heart". Preparing thoroughly for announcing the news, breaking the message down into key points and being ready for the various likely outcomes of breaking the news are all constituents of the training.

"You have to look at the situation from the perspective of key stakeholders," Ms Fletcher said. "What is this going to mean to them? Decide how you're going to resolve any issues they might have before you communicate.

"A company has to decide how it regards the media. Are they the enemy? Or are you going to bring them into the process? How do you protect the company's interests by making sure that a reporter fully understands the situation?"

Ms Fletcher has enjoyed the experience of seeing improvements in the communications skills of every client she has had. And she expects to be helping more corporate clients, in Bermuda and overseas, as companies come under increasing public scrutiny.

"Reputation is one of the top priorities of the best companies today," Ms Fletcher said. "Good leaders and CEOs know the value of reputation. And reputation is linked to communication."

For more information, contact Ms Fletcher at ona@onafletcher.com or call 292-9078.