Our mothers have lied to us.
Now it is no longer acceptable to just say, “I’m sorry.” It seems the magic words have gone out of style, or at least when it comes to public relations. A study done by Weber Shandwick, a worldwide PR firm, found that out of 950 global business leaders surveyed, 59 percent believe that public apologies by CEOs are not as effective as other tactics when it comes to communicating during a crisis.
This makes sense. During a crisis, people want action, not talk. The same surveyrevealed that a majority of business leaders expect CEOs to address the problem and the steps they will take to fix it.
So where does this leave PR people? It is our job to help hold the apologies and get our CEOs moving in the right direction. Letting the public know how the problem will be fixed is fine, but will only work if that plan is followed through.
While apologies are essential on the playground, they may not be the best tool for the boardroom. The learning lesson here is simple. Do now, and apologize later.
