In last week’s Biz Tips article, we shared best practices for dealing with negative press. Now we will apply those tips and draft a response to a hypothetical negative press situation.
Imagine you are the director of a nonprofit organization that hires subcontractors to provide free services to senior citizens. A manager violated several policies by granting one of your service contracts to a company owned by their spouse. The services provided were substandard, and your senior clients suffered damages. You immediately terminated the manager and word spread throughout the community.
Embarrassed and spiteful, your former manager filed a frivolous wrongful discharge lawsuit against you. A long, expensive legal battle ensued. Eventually, the former manager agreed to drop all charges if your organization changed the internal records to reflect the manager voluntarily resigned. All parties agree, and the case is settled.
Then, the former manager posts this on multiple social media accounts: “All parties have agreed to settle this case. It is now official; I resigned, and I was not fired. I won!” This post implies your organization was wrong, and that you lost the lawsuit. The post gains traction and is having a negative effect on your reputation.
Remember, when something negative appears publicly, do not ignore it. Failure to respond causes unnecessary damage. Your natural response is to defend yourself, especially since you did nothing wrong, and these statements are not true. Do not make this mistake either. A defensive response usually turns the masses against you and escalates the situation.
Instead, deliver an effective, timely response designed to mitigate damaging statements, while enhancing your reputation. For example, your response might read:
“As a nonprofit organization, we are grateful you have dropped all charges against us, thus ending this lawsuit. We can now shift our focus back to serving the senior community in Arizona. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.”
