Having a press office or a public relations team to handle corporate communications is a sign of a successful business, but savvy CEOs are recognising the value of getting out there and delivering the messages themselves.

You only have to look at Virgin’s Richard Branson and Tesco’s Terry Leahy to see that figurehead communication is now a significant factor in public perception. Some CEOs positively excel at keeping the media spotlight trained on their business, but there is more to it than having the gift of the gab.

Edward Bird, a director at communication management solutions provider Romeike, says: “Whether you are delivering good news or dealing with a crisis, an effective communicator has to win the trust and the confidence of the public, and in order to do that a business leader must embody the values of the company.”

A good example, he says, is Michael O’Leary, chief executive of budget airline Ryanair. “The ethos of his company is about getting a better deal for the traveller, and when he speaks it is in a way that demonstrates that he is absolutely on the side of the consumer,” says Bird.

The best business communicators are not necessarily the slickest orators. Virgin chairman Richard Branson at times appears uncomfortable during interviews, but he embodies his own brand values of fun, innovation, and competitive challenges to such an extent that the public accept his integrity without question.

Visibility is another key factor. Stuart Rose, the ubiquitous chief executive of Marks & Spencer, was recently named Business Communicator of the Year, in an event run by the PRCA (Public Relations Consultants Association) and Romeike.

PRCA chairman Richard Houghton says: “Trying to run a company and turn it around is a challenge for any business leader, but Stuart Rose has remained highly visible, promoting campaigns such as Look Behind the Label, getting involved in product development, and also being quite honest about the fact that things haven’t been going quite as well as expected. That level of honesty and openness are very much at one with the old trusted high street brand values of M&S.”

So what can the leaders of smaller organisations learn from this? Mandy Haeburn-Little, founder of Edinburgh-based MHL Corporate, which runs coaching programmes for senior executives, believes that they can reap the same PR benefits as their FTSE 100 peers by having genuine passion and an awareness of their subliminal communication signals.

“To communicate effectively, leaders need to be aware of their ‘footprint’, the impression they leave behind whenever they engage with people, whether it is walking into a crowded room, answering the telephone, or replying to an email, and then ensure that it aligns with that of the company employing them,” says Haeburn-Little.