Prescription for Better PR
As I write, I imagine the makers of Tylenol with a splitting headache. Tuesday the FDA announced acetaminophen – Tylenol’s main ingredient -- is a leading cause of liver failure. While Tylenol prepares to respond, stakeholders are watching …
Beware of Body Language: Don’t focus so much on how you respond that you overlook how you act.
When five employees became trapped in an underground hydroelectric plant, reporters flocked to the scene. The company was communicating with stakeholders and regularly briefing reporters on rescue efforts. But at the 5:00 p.m. briefing, the usually-prompt and friendly spokeswoman was late and looked angry. Her demeanor had changed and -- we knew – so had the story. Her body language put the company in the awkward position of notifying next of kin while denying reporters the truth. The rescue was now a recovery.
Never Say “No Comment:” Refusing to answer one question only raises more questions.
Recently a friend asked me how PR professionals should respond when they cannot answer the reporter’s question. Reporters don’t expect to get every question answered, they must, however, be sure they get every question asked. When you can’t answer, say why you can’t answer. If you don’t know, say so. If you are not at liberty to say something, say that.
Tip: When crises develop, prepare a response for every scenario, not just the one you want.
In response to your post for Prescription for Better PR, unfortunately people tend to abuse pain relievers which increases the risk of damage to ones body, however my family doctor recommends Tylenol over Advil because of Ibupropheren's tendency to cause stomach bleeding/intestinal damage.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518250,00.html
Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThis latest post was great and extremely informative. As a spokesperson for a 10 billion dollar corporation. So crisis communication is my bread and butter. My girlfriend from Prague is in town and I had showed her your post because she is a fellow spokesperson in Prague. She loved it and she might become a follower.
I’m always looking for to reading more material about crisis communication. I understand that there’s not a lot out there in regards to training. During my military public affairs course to include this site http://www.dinfos.dma.mil/DinfosWeb/pald.asp#. I hope this link is beneficial to you.
Down2earthlupuie
When I'm watching live feeds of press conferences coming into the newsroom, I can tell you Jennifer is right on - we're all watching for body language. Not just the reporters and crews on the scene. We're watching in the newsroom too. We're analyzing the situation as well s we try to stay on top of the story and make plans for coverage.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Tylenol will take D.Brooks' advice and remind people of the dangers of its competition. It seems the company is lying low ... trying not to draw attention to the FDA report and hope no one noticed the negative press and hoping anyone who did hear about it forgot about it.
ReplyDeleteToni,
ReplyDeleteGlad you like my post and thanks for the P.A. link. I just checked it out and plan to incorporate the information into future posts. Thanks!
Along with watching for body language, we also pay attention to the timing of events.
ReplyDeleteFor example, when it was reported Michael Jackson had been rushed to an LA hospital, many of us in the newsroom were almost certain he was deceased ... figuring if were alive someone would have come out to speak to the press. The delay indicated something was wrong.