In politics, you’re either on message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… Think before you Speak.
As March came to a close, we were provided with a great example of why thoughtful communication strategy is a critical part of achieving any objective and how saying the wrong thing can do far more damage than saying nothing at all.
The Salt Lake Tribune published a story on March 27th detailing allegations of verbal abuse of multiple female candidates by the Salt Lake County Republican Party’s unofficial communication director David Robinson.
The story outlined allegations that Robinson called to berate then-Salt Lake County Council candidate Laurie Stringham about a video she had produced ahead of the 2020 election, saying she sounded like a “whore,” threatened to ruin her politically and even to make sure the party would never work with her.
When Stringham and other women brought their concerns to party chair Scott Miller, they say Miller told them, “That’s just Dave.”
I’ll be the first to admit, campaigns can be intense but 20 years into the new millennium, everyone should know that those kind of comments are tantamount to begging for trouble.
If the allegations are true, there’s a lot that went wrong here from a culture standpoint but our focus is on the communication.
So, what’s the lesson?
The Tribune mentions that Robinson and Miller gave the paper a two-and-a-half hour interview. That’s a long time to let a reporter dig in on a story. It’s basically a deposition for the court of public opinion.
Of course, there are circumstances when setting the record straight by taking all the difficult questions a media outlet can throw at you is the right move… but you better have your story straight and be ready with an air-tight clarification of the story that makes it impossible to paint you in a bad light. If you can’t do that in under 20 minutes, you really aren’t ready to talk to a reporter and even that may be too long.
Based on the full reporting by the Tribune, I don’t think Miller and Robinson had their messaging ducks in a row.
If your behavior has been misreported or misinterpreted, take the opportunity to set the record straight. Be sure to outline your version of events in a truthful, clear and concise way. And avoid the mistake of trying to justify your behavior by making excuses.
The Trib reports that it posed questions about allegations Robinson had made “inappropriate comments about women’s bodies,” and Robinson’s reply was this:
“Keep in mind, I come from a very, very, very high level of judging horses and livestock and being very critical. OK, I have a critical eye. But it doesn’t mean that I’m degrading an individual.”
I’m not sure how to fit this one into a principle, but if a reporter asks if you have said degrading things about women and your non-denial, denial includes a comparison to your experience judging livestock… I’m not really sure how you continue to tout yourself as a communication expert.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground. Don’t forget to like this video and subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
If you haven’t already, you should subscribe to our Utah Political Underground email so you get each issue delivered directly to your inbox.