There are a lot of adages that most of us have heard our whole lives. These rules to live by are repeated over and over because they ring true.
Since I love a wise and helpful adage, I’m taking a look at a few of my favorites to help make a strong case for why we must prepare to communicate about difficult topics. I’m starting off the series with one of the most popular of all the rules to live by: Murphy’s Law.
I dug into the history and meaning of Murphy’s Law so I could apply the thinking to our work in strategic communications and here’s what I found. Some form of Murphy’s Law has been circulating since the early 1800s but it gained traction decades later when an aeronautical engineer named Murphy repeated it.
As the story goes, Murphy was working on a project at Edwards Air Force Base in the High Desert of California. One of his technicians made some key mistakes and Murphy remarked, “if there’s any way to do it wrong, he will find it.” Later, another scientist involved in the project attributed their difficulties to “Murphy’s Law” when asked about it in press conference.
If you want to read more about Murphy’s Law, have a look at this link. Also included at the link are some variations on the main theme such as, "Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse."
Sounds like something I would say, doesn’t it? In fact, I said something close in TIP #1: “There are no magic words for addressing a challenging situation. Don’t ignore the issue hoping it will go away. Be brave. Have the conversation.”
Applying Murphy’s Law can help us prepare to handle sticky issues. Here’s why: if anything that can go wrong, probably will, then we must anticipate difficulty. If we ignore it, the situation will only get worse. We are flawed people experiencing challenging times. Stuff is going to get hinky.
Which brings us to a recommendation that I haven’t been able to make yet in this newsletter. And it’s a good one. Here it is…
Do a vulnerability audit of your company, organization, club, family, church, nonprofit, etc.
Assemble your leaders and ask them to think about all the things that could possibly go wrong on their team or in their department. Ask them to identify the issues that make your operation vulnerable. Stimulate their thinking by asking them what keeps them up at night. Encourage them to think long and hard so you don’t overlook anything. Then add everything to a list and get some help creating a response and communications strategy for handling each one.
For example, if you laid off a difficult employee that loves to post their tales of woe on social media for all to see, then be sure you have a plan for how you will (or won’t) respond to potential questions about wrongful termination.
As always, involve the legal and personnel pros from the beginning so your strategy will not create more headaches for you when you need to use it.
And if you haven’t yet read my 20+ tips, drawn from 20+ years as a strategic communicator, click below and get started.
Tip #1 - be brave and decide to have the difficult conversation.
Tip #2 - communicate to solve the problem.
Tip #3 - say as much as you can upfront and get it behind you.
Tip #4 - don't say everything! Leave out the unhelpful bits.
Tip #5 - use words we all understand. Be inclusive.
Tip #6 - people will make up their own facts if you don’t start talking. Get in the fray.
Tip #7 - think of the “evergreen” questions people will ask. Start there.
Tip #8 - give your “dreaded question” some thought too. That builds confidence.
Tip #9 - it won’t be perfect but folks are likely to cut you slack if you try to fix it.
Tip #10 - you must have a plan because it’s not just a conversation.
Tip #11 - don’t over communicate. Keep it simple and strategic.
Tip #12 - use real words that have meaning. No word salad.
Tip #13 - be interesting. Say something your audience can remember and repeat.
Tip #14 - get your head right. Your attitude will contribute to your success or not.
Tip #15 - beware of over-explaining. Don’t offer a multi-layered reason.
Tip #16 - it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” It happens no matter how prepared you are.
Tip #17 - you’re not a robot, so don’t act like one. Emotions are good!
Tip #18 - choose the correct audience. Not everyone needs to hear from you.
Tip #19 - say it in writing. Sometimes a written statement is best.
Tip #20 - you can’t reach everyone. Shake the dust off your feet and move on.
Bonus Tip! - the one-on-one Tough Talk is a bit different but many of the tips apply.
Tip #21 - give it a minute. Process destructive emotions before you start talking.
Tip #22 - handle it locally. Don’t kick it up to corporate unless you have to.
Tip #23 - it’s not personal. Even though it hurts, it’s not really about you.