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poseycorp helps innovators become great communicators.
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ISSUE 118

Tell it like it is
“It's not the crime, it's the cover up.”

--
a cliché in both business and politics

 
When I was a young PR person in New York City, my department chair always told us, “When there’s a problem, shout it from the rooftops! Tell everybody! Never keep a problem to yourself!” He told us to tell all of our colleagues so we could get help to find a solution. He told us to tell our clients ASAP, bringing potential solutions and consolation with us when we did so.

The conversation around former Uber security chief Joseph Sullivan’s trial, which started Sept 6 in San Francisco, reminded me of my old agency boss in New York. As a former practitioner of litigation communication I know that evidence presented in court never tells the full story of any situation. I’m not sure if we’ll ever know who said what to whom when re: that Uber data leak.

But every organization that has a problem has to make decisions. What do we tell to whom and when? And why?

It takes a ton of courage to be the bearer of bad news, especially when something you or your team did or didn’t do created the problem. But it’s absolutely necessary. So take a deep breath and face the storm.

First, you need facts. What actually happened? What’s verified? What’s rumor? Sometimes you can gather all the facts right away, sometimes it takes time. But you still need to communicate.

You can start with a brief holding statement saying that you’re investigating. You do not speculate beyond the facts you have confirmed. You do not speak off the cuff. How many times have we seen CEOs say things like “This isn’t true, our company would never do this!” or “I never touched her.” only to have to walk back those denials within hours? Don’t be that person.

When you DO have the facts, apologize immediately. Do it gracefully, patiently, and consistently. Via every communications channel.

Next, take control of the narrative. Be the first to share every development as you investigate and resolve your issue. Show that you can own your mistakes and forthrightly resolve them by describing your plan that will both fix what’s broken and ensure it never gets broken again. You may need to invite a third party in to audit that you’re doing everything you said you would. Graciously accept that help.

Deploy courage throughout your organization. Face your truths. Fix your problems. Learn. Grow.


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“Thanks again Lisa, we learned a lot and had a blast,” said a happy client after a day of sessions.

If you’d like great results, schedule a conversation with me! It’s easy! Reach me at inquiries@poseycorp.com.
Your business must scale, and you must scale with it. Great communicators create the change they want to see in the world. poseycorp helps innovators build powerful messages and the skill to deliver them so they can break through the noise and be heard! Lisa Poulson, poseycorp’s principal, is expert at helping innovators scale by becoming great communicators.

Do you wish everyone around you had great communication skills? Share this link with them so they can learn too!


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Pema Chodron always provides great perspective.
 
 
 
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