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April was certainly a month filled with crises which grabbed the headlines and the TV news shows and prompted thousands of web pages to be filled. It left those of us who are interested in the topic of crisis communications with a lot to talk about. I'll focus on just three of those crises in this issue.
Before I go any further, though, even though you may have done it before, let me ask that you stop just a minute and remember in your own way -- whether with a prayer or a moment of silence -- the victims of the tragic assault at Virginia Tech and their families. It is hard to fathom such a horrific thing happening; there are no words that can fully express our emotions.
WHAT YOU SAY
Just ask radio talk show host Don Imus if he doesn't wish he'd been more thoughtful and sensitive about the way he referred to the women of the Rutgers University basketball team. Apparently he'd gotten away in the past with saying a lot of outrageous things in his efforts to be humorous and live up to his reputation as a "shock jock." Perhaps this past history made him totally oblivious to just how far he went over the line in his characterization of these women. Even if he weren't totally wrong in his description of these highly intelligent and athletically gifted ladies, why would any sane person think that the words he used would be acceptable in today's society? He probably didn't count on the fact that those words would not just go out over the air waves for a few moments but would be captured electronically and played over and over again until the fire they ignited caused his bosses to realize they could not sit by and not react.
Another example of how important WHAT you say is came in the congressional hearings into the death in Iraq of NFL football star Pat Tillman. This point further underscores my admonition in my workshops that one of the "Five Big Nevers" is NEVER LIE. It is easy to understand the distress of those in command in the Army when the most famous soldier under their command -- the fellow who had stirred tremendous feelings of patriotism when he walked away from a multi-million dollar contract in order to enlist in the Army after the tragedy of 9/11 -- had been killed. As it has come to light now, those in command knew rather quickly that it was a horrible case of "friendly fire" that caused Pat Tillman's death. The death of every military person is a tragedy. But the idea that one of your comrades or one of your allies caused that death is even harder to take. The Army brass -- going how high up in the chain of command I'm
HOW YOU SAY IT
It can't be emphasized enough that your words often pale in comparison to the attitude you assume as you say something. Your tone of voice quickly and pointedly communicates your true thoughts. Whether or not there appears to be any compassion and caring in the way you speak will be noticed by your audiences.
An obvious example of this occurred during the press conferences held after the massacre on Virginia Tech's campus. This past week, while conducting a workshop for a company, their Corporate Communications Director told me that she was watching one of the press conferences I didn't see. In it, after the community's Police Chief and the President of the College had provided updates to the media, one of the reporters asked-- in a very agitated tone -- "How can the two of you be so dispassionate about this whole thing?" The Communications Director had noticed the same thing. Both of the spokespeople had been so busy providing the facts of the situation that they did not display any (or at least not enough) compassion. In other words, the reporter and she felt that they didn't really care about the tragedy. Obviously, that was not true. But perception is key.
HOW FAST YOU SAY IT
The speed of your response is critical as well. The length of time that went by before Don Imus got around to making a sincere apology for his offensive remarks was not acceptable. It looked like he was hoping it would just blow over. It was only when the sponsors became aware that they had to do something did the pressure build up enough for him to realize he had to express regret and do it directly to the team and their coach.
And one of the biggest issues that will be dealt with by college administrators (and probably those in public/private schools in general) is how you communicate with those on your campuses when there is a danger. We will likely never know if a warning issued widely and loudly after the first two people were killed at 7:15 a.m. could have prevented the slaughter some two hours later. This issue will probably become the basis for lawsuits filed against the college's administration. It will be debated for a long time whether that first incident should have been enough to trigger a campus-wide lockdown. The point here is that there was no well-established system to get the word out quickly. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, schools all over the country are looking into e-mail and text message alert capabilities; others are thinking they might employ a siren that doesn't depend on everyone being hooked up electronically. The point is
20/20 HINDSIGHT
It is always easier to Monday-morning quarterback than it is to be the one in the trenches when bad things happen. Personally, I can't see any reason to use the kind of words Don Imus did. But I can understand the angst that must have been felt by the Army officers who heard about the tragic incident where Pat Tillman lost his life and their desire to put the best possible face on it. And I can sympathize with the President of Virginia Tech who was trying to do a good job of communicating with the press during a crisis by providing them with the facts. It is easy to point fingers -- tough to be the one on the "hot seat." But my hope is that we can all learn some lessons from these examples that will help us when we face a crisis in the future.
SPECIAL NOTE: If I can help you prepare for that day when something bad happens in your organization, contact me at 1-800-848-3907 PIN 2145 or jchent@earthlink.net. For some additional articles you might find useful, go to my web site at www.judyhoffman.com and click on "Free Articles."
A monthly e-zine on crisis management brought to you by Judy Hoffman QUOTE OF THE MONTH: IN A CRISIS, IT'S WHAT YOU SAY, HOW YOU SAY IT, AND HOW QUICKLY YOU SAY IT 'Til next month...KEEP COOL! Copyright (C) 2007 JCH Enterprises Click here to view other e-zines by Judy Hoffman. |
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