Back to basics
Effective communication can typically be achieved by following some basic principles. It never ceases to surprise us, however, how even experienced spokespeople lose sight of these basics and stumble–often badly.
Consider the following examples from the Canadian and U.S. political arenas:
Once the dust settled following Canada’s recent federal election, it was clear the Tories ran a very good campaign. They won a minority government after twelve years of Liberal rule. The party’s messages were focused and controlled. Stephen Harper refused to get side-tracked into impulsive comments or off-message speculation.
Contrast Harper‘s performance with that of former Liberal communications director Scott Reid. He committed perhaps the greatest gaffe of the campaign, suggesting that Canadian parents would spend the Tory’s proposed day-care credits on beer and popcorn.
Of course, media had a field day with Reid’s quote. It was a tight sound-bite and he let it slip just prior to Christmas when voters were less engaged on policy. Since he was talking about child care, it was also an issue that affected a lot of people. The Tories were able to use the subsequent coverage to keep the focus on their childcare plan and accountability act.
Lessons learned: stick to your messages and avoid off the cuff comments that can be extremely damaging.
On the other side of the border, the Texas Cheney Saw Massacre (as one journalist dubbed it) was a near tragic story that reached comic proportions. Inappropriate messaging and questionable spokespeople dominated media coverage of Vice President Cheney‘s accidental shooting of Harry Whittington.
Communication about the accident was bungled right from the beginning when Katherine Armstrong, the owner of the ranch where the accident occurred, offered her comments to the media. She was quoted as saying, “Harry was in the line of fire and got peppered pretty good.The gun shot wounds knocked him silly.”
Cheney and the White House came under attack for their lack of communication about the affair. The late shows had a field day with the incident with one host quipping, “Apparently the reason they didn‘t release the information right away is they said we had to get the facts right. That‘s never stopped them in the past.”
Just when things started to die down, Harry Whittington (the victim of the shooting) made a public apology on his release from hospital that fuelled further coverage and comic attacks.
Lessons learned: if you‘re found in a situation where someone is hurt, develop empathetic messages that express concern for the individual’s well-being and offer hope for a speedy recovery; if you’re overcome by emotion and can’t speak to the media, find an experienced surrogate with good media instincts or release a written statement to the press.
