Page 205 - The New Articulate Executive_ Look, Act and Sound Like a Leader

196 AFTER THE SPEECH AND MANAGING THE MEDIA

“incompetent,” ignore the provocation and forge ahead with an
answer, perhaps a bridge, that lays bare the lie and turns the situa-
tion around.

Don’t say, “No comment.” We hear “no comment” all the time on
TV, but these two little words provide a lot more problems than
solutions. “No comment” suggests that you are stonewalling—even
though you may not be.
I remember the story of the oil company CEO who cautioned his
vice president of corporate affairs never to speak to the press without

first consulting with the CEO. One day when the CEO was away on

a fishing vacation, a tank farm blew up, throwing fl ames hundreds
of feet in the air. When the newspeople showed up, the hapless vice

president stood in front of the fire saying “No comment” over and
over. Of course, he had nothing to hide, but the next day local head-
lines hinted darkly of a secret nuclear facility or special government
top secret weapons program gone bad.
To avoid this unnecessary embarrassment and still satisfy his
CEO, the vice president need only have said something sensible like,
“We have a problem and we’re working to fix it. As soon as we know

more we’ll let you know.”

When several questions are asked by the same person at the same
time, don’t feel obliged to answer more than one. Pick the one you
like, answer it, and then move on. If you wish to answer all the ques-
tions, you may have to take a couple of notes, or ask the questioner
to repeat the remaining questions.
During the course of the Q&A session, don’t respond to the same
question twice—even if it is worded differently. Say that you have
already answered that question and move on.

If, in the beginning, you have no “plant” and no one seems to want
to ask the first question, ask yourself a question to get things
going.