An employee of a company that caters to leisure-time activities was accused of inappropriate behavior toward females. A journalist asked the company to comment on the accusation.
But the company’s culture preached that absolute transparency is always best, so the CEO couldn’t restrain himself. Rather than simply answering or deflecting that single question, the CEO rambled aimlessly.
Finally, he blurted out that he personally felt sexual-harassment training was hokum. He’d been in the business for 14 years, had never received such training, and saw no value in providing it to his employees.
That disclosure — to a question he was never asked — created a whole new set of negative perceptions that severely damaged the company’s reputation and caused consumers to launch a boycott.
Selective truth-telling doesn’t mean lying — or even fibbing.
Nor is it purposely twisting the truth. It simply means being circumspect about what you do disclose.
There are plenty of good reasons why the acronym TMI exists: Sharing too much information confuses more than it clarifies. It blurs context. It’s more than people need or want to hear. The more dirt that’s thrown in the air, the more it obscures the issues of the moment — and sometimes makes them worse.
The goal is to steer the storyline … to conjure images and frame the discussion to influence how others perceive you.
At all costs, avoid doing the opposite — divulging more than asked. Transparency is good, but only up to a point.
The Moral:
Regardless of what you’re asked, answer the question you want. That lets you control your message. And unless there’s a clear benefit, never volunteer what you’re not asked about. That’s just begging for trouble.
You can reach Roger Gillott and Eden Gillott directly at 310-396-8696.
Check out A Board Member’s Guide to Crisis PR and A Lawyer’s Guide to Crisis PR (Second Edition) on Amazon.
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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