Blog
Courting Public Opinion
After a Disaster
Posted June 16,
2010
How do you remake a
company's public image after a disaster takes place? Is it possible
to carry on with business as usual? That's the challenge British
Petroleum has faced since the Deepwater Horizon exploded in
April. Unfortunately, BP's public response has done little to
mitigate the damage done to its corporate image.
From the beginning, BP
seemed to underplay the full scope of the problem. According to the
press, the company admitted to a certain number of gallons being
spilled and no more, even though independent scientists eventually pegged the
oil flow at much higher levels. As the environmental disaster has
continued, the magnitude of the spill has become evident. The numbers
are staggering. Shouldn't BP have admitted that their initial
estimates weren't accurate?
While it's logical to
assume that lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic cautioned counsel,
the enormity of the problem spreading through the Gulf demanded the
company come clean with the public as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, it's the court of public opinion which will judge BP
(even jurors in future lawsuits will be swayed by the impressions
they form of the company as it responds to the disaster). Going
forward, anything less than full disclosure risks making BP's public
persona even more troublesome than it currently is.
If BP is to regain public
support, senior executives must also be seen expressing genuine
remorse for the incident. BP CEO Tony Hayward's comments in Britain's
Guardian newspaper did little to assuage public anger, noting
that "the Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of
volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in
relation to the total water volume." Comments of this caliber fuel the perception that BP is indifferent to the damage
it has caused and tarnish the company's corporate image.
Category: Media Training
Tags: corporate
image, crisis
management, facing
the press, handling
questions, interview,
IPO,
journalist,
media,
media
relations, press,
press
conference, press
releases, product
launch, public
relations, reporter,
statement,
staying
on message
See
the media training page
for more information about Trimount’s MediaSmart Training Program.
E-mail
Shortcuts
Posted March
23,
2010
E-mail is a great communications tool. It's fast
and easy—perhaps a little too fast
and easy.
E-mail encourages people to take shortcuts they
wouldn't take in handwritten or printed letters. E-mail presumes
readers understand the meaning conveyed even when the writer has
eliminated subjects, skipped verbs and written incomplete sentences.
The result? Confused readers who are left scratching their heads,
wondering what the real message is supposed to be.
It's true that it takes a few extra moments to
double check your writing, replacing missing words and filling in
unintended gaps in the meaning of the text. However, your readers will
be grateful that you took the extra time to make sure your writing can
be clearly understood.
Category: Writing Training
Tags: business writing, communications, confidence, course, direct mail, e-mails, letters, newsletters, overcoming fear, presentations, proposals, reports, seminar, speeches, training, websites, workshops, writing
See the writing
training page for more
information about Trimount’s WriteNow Training Program.
Spinmeisters
Posted
January 6, 2010
The new year is only six days old
and the 2010 election cycle has begun in earnest. Members of Congress
as well as politicians across the country are already jockeying for
position. Spinmeisters representing both Democrats and Republicans are
working overtime to present their candidates in the best possible
light.
Unfortunately, candidates and
their acolytes will undoubtedly spin stories which distort the facts in
order to gain votes. While such distortions may be common, they weaken
the credibility of the candidates and the entire political
process.
Of course, spinning stories isn’t
limited to politicians. Corporations do the same thing, often with
disastrous results to themselves and to the public. Remember the claims
made by Enron? Or the tobacco industry?
The best way to “spin” a story is
to tell the truth. It may not be easy to do, but the resulting damage
will be far less than spinning a story and having it unmasked in the
press as a lie, which is usually what happens.
Category:
Media Training
Tags: corporate image, crisis management, facing the press, handling questions, interview, IPO, journalist, media, media relations, press, press conference, press releases, product launch, public relations, reporter, statement, staying on message
See the media training page for more information about Trimount’s MediaSmart
Training Program.
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