A “Spirit” of Composure

By Eric Seidel, CEO

The Media Trainers®

Interviews can test your emotions. Indeed, some reporters purposely tweak to get a rise out of you. You need to recognize this going in and make a conscious point of leaving your emotions outside. In short, don’t let ‘em get to you!

Spirit Airlines has announced a $45 carry-on fee for bags that don’t fit under the seat in front of you. Coverage hasn’t been favorable. And their marketing maven, Barry Biffle, got an earful from Fox News Channel’s Sheperd Smith. Watch Biffle’s facial expression when he is added to the frame in this video clip and as he listens to Smith set up the interview in this sound bite, accusing Spirit of a number of things like “we’re gonna nickel and dime you to death” and “people hate it”:

You’ve got to hand it to Biffle. He didn’t flinch. He simply smiles, keeps listening and patiently waits for his chance to speak. And, while his message could use some work, his demeanor is excellent (click the next video):

Yes, we could spend time on the content and the message. We could even speculate on whether Spirit is playing marketing with smoke and mirrors. News anchor Shep Smith thinks so and said it. Frankly, Smith's behavior in this interview was inappropriate.

But the take-away here is Barry Biffle’s body language. It never betrayed him or what he said. Non-verbal communication is something I work on with clients very comprehensively because if their body language conflicts with their message, body language wins.

C-Y-A Doesn’t Work in a Crisis

USA Swimming Executive Director Chuck Wielgus

By Eric Seidel, CEO

The Media Trainers®

USA Swimming is where future American Olympians are groomed. It also is where some young girls have been sexually abused for years by several dozen coaches.

The executive director of USA Swimming gets an “F” for how he’s handled this crisis, especially through the news media. Instead of displaying outrage and a sense of urgency to address and eradicate this situation, he chooses to minimize, deflect and, in short, practice C-Y-A.

At least 36 USA Swimming coaches have been accused of sexual abuse involving young female swimmers. In one case, when discovered, a coach simply packed up and headed for another town and began coaching teenaged girls again.

In an ABC News 20/20 interview, USA Swimming’s Executive Director Chuck Wielgus claimed: "It's not nearly as serious in USA Swimming as it might be in the rest of society…" “…I don't want to be the one to sit here and say 36 is not too many, one is too many, but this is not just a problem that's isolated to one sport."

Sadly, this is like a child trying to minimize and deflect bad behavior by saying “they did it, too, and even more than we did "(quotes added). Wielgus resorts to similar spin on the organization’s Web site.

Time and again, organizations and executives fail to learn from the mistakes of others in handling crisis communications. Based on the 20/20 story, USA Swimming’s Wielgus failed both in how the organization has reacted internally and externally to this crisis by portraying a genuine concern and a desire to quickly correct a situation so damaging to the young women involved as well as his group.

Those who support USA Swimming need to take a very close look at its leadership. Dramatic changes appear to be in order.

A Curious Case of Timing

Billy Payne, Chairman

Augusta National Golf Club

By Eric Seidel, CEO

The Media Trainers®

We’ve known about Tiger Woods’ sexual sins for nearly five months. There’s been plenty of time for all who have a vested interest in the game of golf and Woods’ contribution to it, to voice their opinions and concerns. Yet Billy Payne, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, chose the day before this year’s Masters Tournament began to pronounce his own admonition.

No question Woods' awful behavior still is too fresh to completely ignore, and Payne certainly had one of those vested interests. But Augusta National prides itself on tightly controlling its brand and image, especially during Masters Week. Golf during that week always has been the strict focus; controversies have been marginalized as much as possible. Payne, however, for some unexplained reason, chose to snap all attention back to Tiger’s tattered image and, as a result, thus taking some of the bloom off of Augusta National's fabled dogwoods and azaleas.

On the day before the tournament, why wasn’t it time to let those salacious dalliances retreat to the shadows and allow the grandeur of the Masters to re-emerge? And who better than the chairman to make the transition?

But, Billy Payne decided more had to be said about Tiger Woods:

“…it is the fact that he disappointed all of us…”

Our hero did not live up to the role model we sought for our children.”

“…his future will never again be measured only by his performance against par, but measured by the sincerity of his efforts to change.” (Click on video below.)

While it’s customary for Augusta National’s chairman to make a statement before competition begins, Payne had a perfect opportunity to refocus attention on his tournament instead of the soiled reputation of one of its players.