Oopsies! You said something well-intentioned, but you ended up upsetting a bunch of people. You know what you meant to say. So how did it all go so terribly wrong?
Here are some tips to stop you from making an already bad situation worse or creating a crisis out of thin air.
Messages have many moving parts. Getting them to work together is a challenge. Getting them to mesh flawlessly is an art.
You know in your heart what you’d like to say. But you’re often unable to hear what it sounds like or how it might be interpreted by your family, employees, or the public (donors, investors, customers, the media, etc.)
For more tips like these, check out A Board Member’s Guide to Crisis PR: Protecting You & Your Organization’s Reputation.
Some of the common ways that communications go sideways are:
- 1st Sharing only the bad details without providing a path forward. (You gotta give people hope! Otherwise, they may give up and not stick it out as you find a solution.)
- Using a stiff and formal tone when sensitivity and empathy are required. (It’s difficult sometimes when you’re pushed outside your comfort zone or are trying to show you’re strong & have things under control.)
- Incorporating overly dramatic and emotional imagery that fans the flames. (You don’t have to repeat emotionally-charged, negative imagery simply because the other side does.)
- Unintended connotations may conjure starkly different imagery because of generational, regional, or cultural perspectives. (Step outside of your bubble and get feedback from people who don’t look and sound like you or aren’t paid to agree with you.)
- Body language that sends conflicting signals. (The body doesn’t like to lie. If you look as if you’re fighting off an evil witch’s spell, people are going to have a hard time believing the words coming out of your mouth.)
Our parents were right, “Think before you speak.”
But that alone isn’t enough. Those closest to a situation are often least able to distinguish what must be done. You need a fresh set of eyes to provide a steady guide and comprehensive strategy that anticipates pitfalls, steers you around them, and never loses sight of where you want to go.
Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.
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