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QUICK TIPS FOR "KEEPING COOL"
HONESTY: STILL THE BEST POLICY!
This was brought home to me from two totally different sources this past month. One of the keys to getting along with the media and getting along with other people can be summed up in two simple words: Be Honest!
The Media Salivates at the First Hint of an Untruth
Attending an affair for a weekly local newspaper's 75th anniversary, I ran into the Managing Editor of the daily Raleigh News and Observer. As we chatted,I told her that I had written a book for organizations on dealing with the media during a crisis. Her comments: "That's easy. Just tell them to BE HONEST. It will be a lot better for both of us.
It is when journalists get a whiff that the person they are interviewing is not being totally honest -- dancing around the whole truth, evading providing straightforward answers (even when embarrassing), or leaving out certain pertinent information -- that they really go on the attack. I've seen it play out on television or in the papers time and time again. At the first indication that an organization's spokesperson is not being completely honest, the needle on the journalist's Credibility Monitor swings to zero. After that, everything else the spokesperson says is suspect.
The Public Wants You to Be Straight With Them Too
For example, earlier this month my 92-year old mother was involved in an incident at her Assisted Living facility. Neither we, her family, nor the administrator of the facility feel we have the complete story of just what happened. The nearest we can figure out, it goes like this: Mom was sitting in her chair reading at approximately 9 p.m. The doorbell rang (which is unusual because staff members usually just use a key and quietly peek in to see if the resident is safely in bed or needs any help.) When the bell continued to ring, Mom managed to get up and walk to the door. Just as she got there, another staff member -- who had come with a key --opened the door quickly, hitting Mom in the head and knocking her down! Some minor chaos followed while the on-duty nurse came and attended to her. A decision was made that she wasn't hurt badly, so no one called a family member.
The next morning, when a private caregiver/companion came to see her and heard what happened, she went right to the Head Nurse's office and asked to see the Incident Report. On it was written, "Resident found on floor after a fall." WHAT??? That's not what happened by a long shot! It immediately seemed like someone was trying to cover something up. It raised a lot more questions in the minds of her family than would an honest recounting of what apparently had happened. Instead of it all being taken care of with a phone call explaining what could well have been an understandable accident, there had to be a family meeting with the facility administrator where answers were demanded to a whole lot more questions. The family was left with an uneasy feeling about the whole thing. The facility's credibility was certainly damaged in our eyes.
This Is Not to Say Honesty is Always Easy
Certainly not. If something bad has happened, it is likely that the organization will be embarrassed. They will wish that certain things would not be made public. But the long-term reputation of the organization will hold up a lot better if they are honest about what occurred. They need to face the music, acknowledge what happened, apologize, make amends as best they can, and take steps to try to ensure that such a thing will not happen again.
Negative fallout will be minimal compared to what would happen if they are found to have lied (or to not have been completely truthful). Once they lose their credibility, it is VERY hard to regain it.
Our Parents Understood This
Basic principles for dealing with incidents in our adult lives go back to the things our parents taught us. Remember when we tried to wiggle out from under what we knew would be a punishment for having done something wrong by lying about it? Didn't our parents say, "I'm upset with you for what you did. But I am MORE upset with you for not telling me the truth?" Didn't we then get into twice as much trouble as we would have if we had 'fessed up?
The more things change, the more they remain the same...honesty is still the best policy.
Until next month...KEEP COOL! If I can help or you want to talk about scheduling a workshop or a conference presentation/speech for an organization, contact me at 1-800-848-3907 PIN 2145 or jchent@earthlink.net
A monthly e-zine on crisis management brought to you by Judy Hoffman QUOTE OF THE MONTH: Copyright (C) 2007 JCH Enterprises Click here to view other e-zines by Judy Hoffman. |
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