No Comment
The
fast track to looking guilty in PR
Having public relations (or even
journalism) as a major, we all learn that the phrase “no comment” is seen as a
big no-no when it comes to responding to a crisis or incident. In journalism we
learn that anyone who says “no comment” usually means they have something to
hide, or we learn that this response makes the public think you are guilty. But
when is it okay to say this phrase or one similar to it in this profession?
Sometimes there are ways around saying those words by basically saying nothing.
There are other times when you can make it obvious that you really have nothing
to say at the moment.
According to PR Fuel, these are some reasons this saying is taken the wrong way:
1. People
think this means you have been uninformed and caught off guard in the moment.
2. You’re
afraid to admit you made a mistake
3. You
are defensive of your wrongdoing
4. You
have no explanation or justification for the situation
5. You
feel as if you aren’t in the wrong- or are being stubborn
Some
suggestions when in a predicament where you can’t report what you know I got
from John Greer’s article on CBS Moneywatch.
He suggests to:
1. Not
use the phrase itself.
2. Find
some different phrases that generally mean the same thing, but are more informative
and don’t seem as suspicious. – phrases such as “I’m sorry but I am not able to
respond at this time because of (insert vague excuse).”
3. Stand
your ground after you have answered.
Although it is your right to remain
silent, a lot of people see it as a means of suspicion when there is news or a
scandal breaking. Aside from saying the phrase, giving informative answers is a
much better response. For example, you work for a company that sells all
natural granola bars and have just been informed they are getting sued. You only
know that much. What would you say? A good response at this point would to be
honest and respond with something along the lines of “we have just been
informed of the lawsuit and are still finding out all of the details as to the
situation at hand.” Or “We are still in the process of retrieving all
information regarding to the case and plan to make a statement as soon as we
know as much as we can”. Responses like these can save you from looking like
you are hiding something and can keep you from revealing information without
having to say “no comment.”
These responses also make your
company look professional in the media because it shows that you are not
ignoring the questions that are arising from the situation. Your company is taking
initiative to find out everything to better inform the public, which is an
admirable action.
Now, you have found out that your
company is being accused of not providing the appropriate listed ingredients on
your packaging for granola bars. Now that you know the situation, some answers
you might be able to provide would be “we are currently handling these
accusations by allowing an investigation to take place” or any answer similar
to this. This shows that you now know the situation at hand and your company is
cooperating with the lawsuit, showing you have nothing to hide and that you are
taking action to clear up the mess.
Throughout the investigation your
company should continually report and update regarding the findings. Continue to
be honest and show action and responsibility to solving the problem. If you don’t
report it the media is going to anyway, and you might as well beat them to it.
In the end, it turns out the
packaging was misleading and ingredients were wrong. At this time a statement
should be made that shows you are taking responsibility and working to fix the
problem. If it is a minor detail problem, share it with the public so that they
can know it wasn’t a huge mislabels and that the granola bars produced are and
always have been ‘natural’ ingredients for a healthy diet. Honesty is usually
honored as well as taking responsibility for any mistakes, even if it is just
minor details.
So, when your company is caught in the
middle of a misunderstanding or scandal it is always ideal to steer clear of “no
comment” in order to keep an honorable and respectable reputation throughout
the process and within the eyes of the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment