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Saying sorry

As Elton John sang, 'Sorry seems to be the hardest word...'.

After 150 years the English government recently said sorry to the people of Ireland for English actions during the potato famine.

Indigenous Australians have been calling for the Australian government to say sorry for past wrongs for some years now. Still balking at using the word sorry, Federal Parliament has finally passed a formal 'expression of regret'.

Saying sorry is just as important in the business context.

Following problems with contaminated Coca-Cola in Europe in the middle of the year, CEO Mr Doug Ivester not only flew to Europe to apologise personally, the company also ran newspaper advertisements in which he said 'I'm sorry' or 'we regret' or 'I apologise' five times.

When the Australian Bankers Association was caught out with revelations of a secret million dollar deal to purchase positive on-air comments from radio superstar John Laws, they were quick to apologise.

ABA chairman Mr Frank Cicutto said he was 'apologetic for the concern and embarrassment the ABA matter has caused for our employees, for our customers, for our community and for our shareholders'. However with a plummeting level of public confidence in bank actions, this apology has been widely interpreted as meaning the ABA was sorry they were caught, rather than sorry for their conduct.

Saying sorry, and meaning it, is a central component to regaining lost trust and recovering from any mistake or crisis. But no matter how hard some people find it to use the word sorry, words are not enough. A true apology has to convey an honest intention to raise future standards and be supported by appropriate and genuine actions.

If there's something you need to say sorry for, have a look at the details of a seven step model for securing public forgiveness following a crisis, developed by James Lukaszewski. Read>>

Saying sorry with a smile

A Belgian reader contributed a local perspective on Coca-Cola's handling of their contamination issue following the above article. 'I regret to say that Coke's management of their product contamination episode offers a classic example of what NOT to do in managing a crisis', he wrote.

'Sure, Coke ran advertisements in Belgian newspapers saying they were sorry. But did you know that they featured a corporate PR dept stock mug shot of the CEO smiling! The words said one thing. The picture said another. Any money Coke spent on those advertisements was thrown straight out of the window because the visual was out of sync with the message - such a fundamental mistake.'

How true! When your words say one thing and your voice, body language or actions suggest something else, all the evidence shows that people will dismiss your words and believe your non-verbal message.

All aspects of any communication must support and reinforce your words. Coco-Cola's error reinforces the importance of appearing to mean what you say when you apologise by ensuring that all your communication media are presenting congruent messages.

Have a look at this checklist of all the communication details which need to be congruent, if you are to get your message across clearly and consistently without falling into this trap. Read>>

Key questions

Does your organisation need to have available a range of photographs of key people, suitable for use in different situations?

Does your crisis management plan include deciding whether your regular television or print advertising is still appropriate if an incident occurs?

© Kerrie Mullins-Gunst
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