The Crisis Management Memo

Should spokespersons show emotion in a crisis?

In a recent individual media training session, I was asked by the student how I felt about spokespersons showing emotions during a crisis situation, particularly when the crisis involved injuries or possible deaths of employees.

As a female executive in a primarily male-dominated industry, she said she felt it was necessary to put a lid on her emotions as much as possible, if she wanted to be treated seriously by her subordinates and colleagues. It was something she said she had been working on since her early days in management. Now, as a potential corporate spokesperson, she asked if it was something she needed to continue.

I could only tell her what I’ve been telling other spokespersons and potential spokespersons over the years. As a spokesperson, particularly in a crisis, your credibility is your most important asset. And, I told her, that means you not only have to believe what you’re saying, but you have to believe in yourself, as well. That means, you have to be yourself.

A spokesperson can say all the right things and package their statement in perfect sound bites, but it means little if they are not believable. Unless you are an extremely good actor, it’s far better to be yourself than to try to be someone you think you ought to be. There are too many unemployed actors, as it is.

Personally, I feel a plant manager who is not somewhat emotional about the death of one of his or her workers is probably not going to be the organization’s best spokesperson. Sincerity, concern and compassion are all important in tragic situations, but they need to be real, not an act.

Overwhelming emotions, however, can present a problem. There are times when circumstances may dictate that someone with a better handle on their emotions might make a better spokesperson. That’s one reason we try to always have backup spokespersons available “just in case.”

Showing emotion is not only acceptable, it is expected in many circumstances. But, to be an effective spokesperson, you need to be able to keep your emotions under control. You can’t be an effective spokesperson, if your emotions keep you from speaking.

This debate over whether to show or not show emotions has far too often entered into the equation of who should speak for the company in a time of crisis. Is the person who appears to be a bit more emotional a better spokesperson than the person who genuinely just doesn’t show emotions that often? What about gender? Are women better spokespersons in a tragic situation, than men? Some people think so, including a lot of public relations professionals.

More than once, we’ve seen companies nominate a woman as their spokesperson in a crisis because they thought a woman would come across as more sincere and compassionate than a man. Does it make sense? What do you think?

It’s my belief that the best spokesperson is just that; the best spokesperson. If it happens to be a woman, that’s great. But don’t pick a woman simply because she is a woman. The same goes for her male counterpart.

If credibility is indeed the prime consideration in selecting a spokesperson, it stands to reason that the best person for the job is someone who knows what happened, is concerned about what happened, and is in a position to do something about it. Whether that person is male or female would appear to be irrelevant.

Ultimately, that person has to feel comfortable with what he or she is saying. They have to believe what they are saying. They have to be able to speak with conviction. And, to do all that, they have to believe in themselves and be themselves.

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