Guest article: Matt Baldwin, Coast
There were several media stories that caught our eyes over the last two weeks that all included apologies.
Some were genuine, others the ‘we’re sorry we got caught’ type of apology, and several stories that lacked any apology despite needing one.
There is real art to an apology. It is something we learn as toddlers, hone as teenagers, and carry with us into our professional (and personal) lives.
Whatever age and in whatever role, it is probably fair to say that most of us will go to great lengths to avoid apologising. It is, after all, an admission that something or someone got it very wrong.
It can tie PR and comms teams in knots.
Sometimes, the need for an apology is immediately obvious – as the Office of Budget Responsibility learnt on Wednesday, having leaked the entire Budget an hour before the Chancellor stood before MPs.
And sometimes it is obvious to everyone apart from those who need to apologise. The damning Covid-19 Inquiry into behaviour at Number 10 appears inexcusable yet with little accountability.
Then there is the drawn-out apology that isn’t. It took Southern Water two weeks to issue what can only be described as a ‘half apology’ to those who enjoy the beautiful Camber Sands and Rye Harbour nature reserve following the accidental release of millions of toxic beads used to filter sewage.
Occasionally, an apology, whether dressed up as one or not, will only make matters worse. Just ask Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or Baroness Mone.
Sorry remains, famously, the hardest word.
It doesn’t matter how well you prepare for a crisis, the best laid plans can quickly unravel. Key messaging workshops, scenario planning and messaging matrices all collapse.
It will, of course, take time to understand the cause of the need for an apology. But the void left by a delayed apology, or its absence, will quickly be filled. Silence is damning.
To fess up, apologise and take the flak is sometimes the only option, however hard that might be.
You can bet the OBR’s apology went through many drafts before it was issued. It wouldn’t surprise me if Southern Water’s response went through many more, with the first bearing little resemblance to the last.
Here, the carefully crafted words from the comms teams will be crawled over by legal for fear of admitting guilt and with it expensive litigation.
And don’t believe for a moment that professional services firms are immune from having to make grovelling – and sometimes expensive – apologies.
With national media and strong trade publications scrutinising actions and behaviours, professional services firms are learning the art of the apology in a painfully public way.
Brands will (in most cases) bounce back, but the glare of those apologies will remain forever.
Sometimes, it is best to own your mistakes, learn from them (genuinely, not just words) and move on.
In professional services, where trust is currency, how you apologise will define how quickly you recover.
Matt Baldwin is the joint managing director of Coast, a media relations agency.