Mar 2 by Ken Scudder
Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), when faced with reporters asking why he was blocking the jobs bill, handled it about as poorly as he could (see :37 mark of this video).
It could have been worse - he could have put his coat over his head or shoved a cameraman (ABC’s reporter says that Bunning gave him the finger prior to the cameras’ rolling).
Of course, what he should have done is had a one-sentence explanation. Something along the lines of “this bill needs to be funded, and I don’t want to see it passed until we agree where that funding comes from. Now, if you excuse me, I’m needed on the floor.” It gives the media, and the public, the basic argument and still allows him to get out of there. And, it would make him look responsive.
Mar 1 by Ken Scudder
Considering I’ve played one complete round of golf in 25 years it’s kind of ironic that for the second time in two months I’m being quoted in one of the game’s most prestigious publications.
Golf World Executive Editor Ron Sirak included me among four crisis consultants giving their opinions on Tiger Woods’ public confession/apology in the March 1 issue. While none of us thought Woods did a terrible job, our opinion of his performance ranged from my “good but not great” to another counselor’s “superb apology and great job of correcting certain facts.” All of us did agree, though, that he needed to take questions to really handle this crisis correctly.
Sirak also quoted me as saying “I think had he [Woods] publicly said what he said today three months ago, he would have had a much easier time of it in the public eye.” And “He’s giving the impression of someone doing just enough.”
I recommend Ron’s story as a great recap of Tiger’s career and this latest episode. You can also read my original blog on Tiger’s statement here.
Feb 24 by Ken Scudder
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda’s decision to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, after initially refusing, paid off today. His performance, along with that of North American President and CEO Yoshimi Inaba, countered some (but not all) of the image of the company as aloof, unresponsive, and unconcerned.
Toyoda delivered his opening statement well, especially considering his English is not as strong as his colleague’s. It was a smart move to “take full responsibility” early in the statement, as was saying he was “deeply sorry” for the injuries and loss of life in the accidents. However, towards the end of his statement he was not specific enough about exactly what changes in the recall process would be taking place.
Inaba’s statement needed more energy, but the writing was solid and he did a good job of outlining Toyota’s actions and what they will change going forward.
The members of the committee were not as aggressive with their questions at first. I think this is due to three things: 1) CEOs tend to get respect, even from subcommittees; 2) concerns about language comprehension and translations forced them to slow down; 3) their opening statements pre-empted some of the tougher questions and gave an image of a company that is working to solve the problems with their cars.
The need to translate the questions for Toyoda, and for his answers to be translated back, slowed the pace of the hearings. It also defused some of the fire that could have come from the representatives. Toyoda and Inaba handled questions well for the most part; but on occasion Toyoda’s answers did not start by directly addressing the nub of the question, instead starting with an overarching statement of either history or policy. This could be a problem with translation, but even so it’s important to directly satisfy the question – then, if appropriate, steer to an appropriate key point.
Toyota helped itself before Congress today. This is step one on a million-mile journey to get its reputation back.
Feb 23 by Ken Scudder
James Lentz, President and COO of Toyota Motor Sales USA, faced two hours of grilling from a House subcommittee today looking into the acceleration problems with Toyota cars. And his performance ranged from very good to fairly poor, depending on the question and situation.
He opened with a well written statement, admitting mistakes by the company, apologizing, and citing specific figures about the recall (fixing 50,000 cars a day). He also announced a new software system to have brakes override accelerators on their cars. Lentz did say that Toyota’s problems were mechanical, not electronic, in nature. However, by not looking at the representatives when making this claim he lost some credibility.
Lentz’s Q&A performance could be best described as a good job of playing defense, but a terrible job of transitioning to offense. He missed hundreds of opportunities to answer a question and then steer to his key points. There were times that he did, often segueing either to an admission that the company has not done a good job in this matter or to an apology for the situation. But he should have done this more often.
His biggest problems came, not overly surprisingly, when he was asked questions he simply did not know the answers to. While he should not be expected to have known the answer to everything he was hit with (much of which was fairly detailed aspects of the company’s operations that he would not be familiar with) he could have been better briefed and should have been able to say “I don’t know, but I can tell you…” more often to give some context and appear more knowledgeable.
Congressional hearings are the most challenging communications situation any business executive can face. Lentz’s performance ranks in the middle of what we’ve seen – he didn’t make the Toyota situation worse, but he didn’t improve their image as much as he might have. That job now lands on the desk of Toyota’s CEO Akio Toyoda when he speaks tomorrow.
Feb 19 by Ken Scudder
Tiger Woods’ publicly-delivered statement today is a first step to getting his reputation, and life, back. But it falls short of what he should have done.
Part of the reason for this is how long it took for him to appear in public. It’s been almost three months since his traffic accident, and not one thing he said today (except for his admission that he is in therapy) could not have been said then. The story has run rampant for three months; he’s had to play catch up ever since. And golf fans know Tiger plays better with a lead, especially in majors. (more…)
Feb 18 by Virgil Scudder
“It’s a rule of PR: you don’t take questions when you can’t.”
Those words, or words very close to them, came out of the mouth of the host George Stephanopoulos this morning on Good Morning, America, regarding why Tiger Woods won’t be taking questions after his statement tomorrow.
We strongly disagree. Stephanopoulos should stick to news hosting or politics, two fields in which he has excelled.
That thought prevails among a lot of politicians—that you can stonewall your way out of any problem. That’s one reason politicians have such low trust ratings—dodging the tough questions.
Tiger will have no peace, or rehabilitation, until he faces the music. A statement of contrition and a promise to reform won’t be enough.
He also didn’t help his image by scheduling his statement for this Friday when a major golf tournament opens, sponsored by the first big company to drop him as an endorser, Accenture. That’s an “in your face” action which is likely to make other companies think twice before considering him as a spokesperson.
He is still getting—or demanding—very bad PR advice.
Feb 17 by Ken Scudder
Tiger Woods is going to meet the public, finally, this Friday. Well, not really the public. According to his agent he will give a statement to “a small group of friends, colleagues and close associates.” And, he will not take questions.
We’ve been saying for months that Tiger needed to appear in public, but this is not what we had in mind. Unless he unfurls a statement that lays out every bit of his story, handles every rumor that’s arisen, and adds something to our understanding of his life (don’t hold your breath), this is not his best strategy. He needs to take questions.
In Golf World I suggested Tiger should do one interview with Larry King or Oprah Winfrey on this topic, then have one (real) news conference. Taking questions would show he’s open, give the impression that he is willing to talk like a “person,” and will allow the public (through the media) the chance to get the story. A statement just gives part of the story; and that will not satisfy.
If asked, we would suggest that the statement start with an apology to everyone affected, detail where he’s been, detail the extent of any injuries he might have suffered in the accident, and say when he expects to return to the PGA tour. We would not suggest listing which of the women who have come forward he actually had relations with, but he would have to admit that he did with some of them.
But, most likely we’re going to hear a brief apology, a request for privacy, and a determination to “do better in the future.” This is a 200′ drive on a par 5 - it’s not bad, but it won’t win a tournament.
Feb 16 by Virgil Scudder
How did the world’s largest, and most respected, car company become a symbol of getting things wrong?
First, it’s obvious that as Toyota raced to overtake GM as the top car company, quality control was neglected. There were too many failed parts and far too many casualties. Worse, the public was generally not told of problems until after several people had died in runaway vehicles.
The company’s initial public response in the U.S. was slow and ineffective. It had no recognizable spokesperson.
Moreover, the CEO did not come to the U.S., as he should have, to address the issues and supervise the fixes.
When he belatedly spoke out in Switzerland and Japan, he dodged tough questions with non-responsive answers and platitudes.
Thus, we would have to conclude that the company neglected quality control, had no crisis plan, rewarded cover-up over candor, and had no public relations expert at the head table. These are multi-million-dollar errors. Rebuilding the brand will be long and costly.
Feb 8 by Ken Scudder
So how bad is it that Sarah Palin wrote notes on her left hand and referred to them during the Q&A following her Tea Party Convention speech?
Pretty bad.
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Feb 8 by Virgil Scudder
When I logged on this morning the first thing to pop up was a headline and link to yet another story and video about Mel Gibson losing his temper in a television interview. This time we were treated to two clips of Gibson unloading on interviews along with five other such losses of decorum by celebrities dating back over more than a decade. Tom Cruise, Quinton Tarantino, and Tom Selleck were among the others whose negative clips were featured.
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