When Public Statements of Regret are Disbelieved

Just because a public communication of regret or remorse has been made doesn’t mean is received as genuine and meaningful. Someone was recently quoted detailing how people often can perceive, feel and judge when they hear or read public statements in response to harmful actions.

“As with most publicly issued apologies that smack of crisis-management craftsmanship, it is a wordy awareness declaration that leaves the aggressor, rather than the target, feeling restored,” the person mentioned above says.

This means disbelief and a lack of credibility and little-to-no acceptance of whatever was communicated. That’s not good, for anyone on any side of the situation. This topic and problem is discussed by four communications professionals today in Communication Intelligence magazine.

Zoe Mumba

“Public apologies are meaningless if they are viewed as a way to bring the crisis to an end and minimize the negative impact on an individual or organization's reputation,” says Zoe Mumba, senior manager of public relations and communications at Bitmovin, a video streaming company, overseeing PR, corporate communications and internal communications programs.

These self-interested attempts are usually used to “prevent negative public perception from escalating, arguably restoring the aggressor because they have, in their eyes, apologized and are ready to move on,” Mumba says.

“However, unless the public apology is followed by an individual or organization’s commitment to learn, change behavior and-or culture, it’s much more difficult for the recipient to accept it and move forward.”

Amanda Proscia

“Public relations professionals are frequently asked to consult on apologies being issued by their clients or leadership. It’s happened to me many times throughout my career,” says Amanda Proscia, “The Dear Abby” of PR Help, co-founder of Lightspeed PR and Marketing, and the author of the book, “PR Confidential: Unlocking the Secrets to Creating a Powerful Public Image.”

She has noticed glaring miscalculations and subsequent poor responses.

“What I’ve observed is that the person in the wrong often makes the mistake of being overly focused on themselves, instead of the people they’ve hurt,” she says. “That’s when they draft long-winded statements that are less apology and more self-defense.”

Her preference and decision-making is different.

“In those situations, I try to simplify as much as possible. Get to the heart of what’s happened and why the apology is necessary,” Proscia says. “Most important, shift focus to the feelings of the people who will read it. When that happens, it’s more likely to result in a statement that has a chance of healing the situation, specifically, something short, to the point and that expresses genuine remorse.”

Doyle Albee

“The missing link to so many ‘apologies’ is understanding that it’s a multi-step process,” says Doyle Albee, president and CEO of Comprise, a communications firm. “‘You took it wrong’ isn’t an apology — it is simply covering your a**.

“If an action or statement rises to the level that a public apology is necessary, three critical factors are needed to ensure the target is restored:

“Ownership: Words like, ‘You’re right. That was a mistake on our part.’

“Empathy: ‘We understand your concerns, emotions, etc. and want to rebuild your trust.’

“Repair: ‘We are going to do (something specific) to work toward both fixing this mistake and ensuring it doesn’t happen moving forward.’”

David Prosperi

“It is hard to understand nuance in a statement that is not delivered orally or face to face. That is why a good PR professional has to understand the tone and voice of his or her client and then translate that honesty and empathy into the written word or into a video message where those traits can be on display for the recipients to see and take their own measure,” says David Prosperi, the executive vice president and managing director at KemperLesnik, a public relations, sports marketing and event management agency.

“There always will be some in the audience who will not accept the apology for what it is and instead look for a reason as to why the person is issuing it in the first place,” he says.

“Perhaps that reaction can be overcome by whatever actions are taken after the apology is given, i.e., change in the company's mission statement or values statement to support the apology, followed by real business activity to drive home the point.”