What if Your CEO is a Poor Communicator?

[by Howard Fencl]

When a crisis significantly impacts reputation or stock price, when the magnitude of crisis is significant enough to bring business to a halt – your key internal and external audiences expect to hear directly from the CEO. But what if your CEO is a poor communicator?

An extreme example: Edward Burkhardt, the tone-deaf chairman of the company that owned Montreal, Maine and Atlantic railroad, waited four days to show up at the scene of the catastrophic Lac-Mégantic train derailment last year. Nearly 50 people died when the runaway train exploded. At an overdue press conference, Burkhardt pointed fingers at vandals, firefighters, and an employee – all speculation. He issued a hollow apology, made a joke about how the incident would impact his own net worth, and told a reporter asking how he could sleep at night that, “If you’re tired enough, you’ll sleep anywhere.”

The magnitude of the crisis demanded the top executive’s voice. But Burkhardt’s lack of empathy and contrition caused even greater outrage and damage to his company’s reputation.

Consider these options if your organization’s top executive has trouble connecting with audiences:

• Executive communication training – One-on-one communication training with videotaped hard-ball mock interviews can help your CEO stay on message and handle withering interrogation from media, investors, customers or staff.

• Video statement – For some, a genuine expression of empathy is just not in their DNA, no matter how much training they’ve received. If your CEO has difficulty in interviews, she or he can tape a statement for company web and social media sites. Just don’t expect the media to settle for a videotaped statement over access to the CEO.

• Alternate spokesperson – In some situations, you may have to identify another high-level executive to speak for the company. This is a last resort, but preferable to a CEO who makes things worse.

If your CEO resists training and insists on acting as spokesperson though it is clear he or she should not, someone in the C-suite should make the case for another spokesperson. Of course, no one relishes the idea of telling the emperor he “has no clothes,” and a number of our clients have brought us in as third-party counsel to help recalcitrant CEOs understand what is best for their organization’s reputation. Identifying and training the person best able to connect with your key audiences is of the utmost importance in a crisis. Always remember the ultimate goal: preserving the organization’s good name.