Sometimes the best thing to say, is nothing at all

In the words of Ari Gold (and English poet Thomas Carlyle), Silence is Golden.

Well, sometimes anyway.

I'll start this post with an important caveat. When you're publicly expected to comment, you comment. When there's unquestionable benefit or untenable risk if you don't - you comment.

Now that's out of the way...

I spent many hours over the past week counselling my organisation in regards to corporate reputation and advising on a media issue - a debate being played out across the country with a clear link to grab hold of.

My advice? Say nothing.

My last blog touched on the importance of leveraging within the media cycle - taking advantage of trends, and smartly aligning your brand in order to reap some of the benefits. So it makes sense that we’d balance the ledger by now discussing the importance of silence.

We should always be scanning our environment for opportunities and threats. How we deal with each of these however, requires careful consideration. Not every opportunity should be explored, nor every threat abruptly extinguished.

Sometimes the smart choice, the strategic choice, is to remain silent.

I can see some eyebrows raising already. “But our job is to get positive coverage for our organisation!”.

On the contrary, our role is to enhance and protect reputation – media coverage is just one tool in our arsenal.  Strategic advice is another.

So when I find myself mid-discussion with key executives — as was the case last week — I know my role is not to simply nod my head, but to listen, analyse and provide quality recommendations.

When a director suggests we come out strong on an issue, they may have only considered certain pieces of the puzzle. My job is to bring all the pieces onto the table and show how, sometimes, they don’t fit.

I’d say for every opportunity we explore, we follow-through with maybe a third (the other 2/3 get placed in the ‘monitor’ bucket).  Of course your mileage may vary. If you find yourself in a job which is heavily consumer/sales based and your targets all revolve around awareness and sentiment, these bridges may be crossed far less often.

So what are some reasons you may use silence?

• Short-term exposure is outweighed by long-term impact.
• You please one stakeholder but alienate another.
• Your angle is weak, unlikely to be run and damages your reputation with the media.
• The issue is in its infancy and information is missing from the debate – you’d be making assumptions.

Considering stakeholders in decision-making - The Utopia way.

Of course, like anything in PR, there is no scientific method. Choices will depend on a range of factors, including your appetite for risk.

At this point it’s important to note the difference between silence and unresponsiveness. Silence assumes you haven’t been asked. Things change when the media specifically seek you out.

When a journalist knocks, the one phrase you can never say is ‘no comment’. For obvious reasons… it sounds evasive, it’s too blunt and it annoys a journalist who wants a balanced story – not good media relations!

However, sometimes you’ll find yourself saying ‘no comment’ without actually saying it. And that’s OK if the circumstances call for it.

It’s perfectly OK to say “we take this very seriously and will investigate and get back to you again by X date”. That’s better than guessing.

Or for example “As this is an ongoing legal matter, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time” (side note: ‘legal matter’ and ‘commercially confidential’ are bugbears of journos so don’t use them as a scapegoat!).

It’s important not to let the media pressure you into making rash decisions or providing inaccurate or unnecessary information. Much like the strategic pause used by reporters to elicit extra commentary - an empty space shouldn't always be filled*. 

In my example, I spent close to three hours in meetings, drafted up a press release, and prepared a media plan. All of this despite recommending not to pursue it. Why? Because in the event we were green-lit, we’d be ready to go without delay.

On this matter, my advice was taken on board and three days after the idea was floated, it was parked. Here I had lost several hours preparing for something that would not eventuate. And I had done my job.

Demonstrating you understand not just how the media operates, but also how decisions: 1. Influence your broader stakeholders, and 2. Impact your organisation in the short AND long-term, make you a sought-after resource for key decision-makers.

Don’t be afraid to question decisions from higher-ups in a respectful and constructive manner. Give reasons and alternatives, don’t just point out problems. Over time, as your relationships develop and confidence grows, it will become second nature.

And as if to contradict this entire post, I’ll finish by saying silence is always your last resort. Your goal is to test every option to see if commenting can provide a positive outcome. And of course this does not apply during times of crisis or when stakeholders are otherwise expecting a response.

When deciding on whether to enter a debate at all, you may run through all the scenarios and find silence is your only option – and that’s perfectly fine.

Rhys

*Unless you're Tony Abbott and likely to stare awkwardly for 24 seconds on live TV.