No amount of training and experience is enough for a captain while steering a vessel in a storm. The same goes for political leaders particularly when they come to steer their country through the maze machined by COVID-19.
Nothing could have predicted the devastating toll in financial, economic and human terms this virus would leave in its wake. A crisis not seen like it since World War II, as some leaders have described it. Some leaders shine while others mess up in the way they communicate with their public.
Crisis communication is the way national leaders inform and attempt to assure their country folk during dire situations. Printed in a textbook, such rallying calls might sound like an adrenaline rush where leaders spread their feathers wide open and occasionally puff a quote for the history books. And that will be it. In truth, it’s all hands on deck while the pandemic rages on. Several political leaders have moved centre stage and earned themselves savoury accolades while others have been mocked for the way they communicate and the puerile suggestions they come up with.
One leader who struck my eyes and pricked my ears is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her scientific background rose to the surface when she explained how the infection rate factor works. Fielding questions from reporters, she clearly detailed how infection can spread.
No visual aids were used and no fancy backgrounds. Just plain language. German of course. A stationary medium shot with the proper use of hands to make the right emphasis and leave a lasting impression. It was as if she had changed from chancellor to mentor.
Across the Atlantic, another leader became prominent in how to communicate effectively, keeping in mind who the audience is. No, it’s not the disinfectant-injecting ‘hero’, but the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo.
In a column published in The New York Times, former press secretary for prime minister Tony Blair and director of communications for the Labour Party, Alastair Campbell, praised Cuomo as the ideal communicator in such a storm and as a living lesson for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Cuomo’s style is as if two people are having a chat over a coffee. Direct. Sometimes too direct, as if a parent is admonishing a child for misbehaving. In most of his press conferences, the pattern is a statement followed by a Q&A session with the media. The statement is pre-prepared although the way Cuomo delivers it, it’s more narrative than a monotone. It’s as if you, as a viewer, feel part of his narrative. He’s talking directly to you. And by so doing, he slips into your good books.
Several political leaders have moved centre stage and earned themselves savoury accolades while others have been mocked for the way they communicate- Josef Cutajar
His press briefings are broadcast in split screen. On the left, there’s governor Cuomo explaining thoroughly how the state is performing and on the other side, visual aids highlighting keywords and visuals. He mirrors the mood of his people. The sense of frustration and sadness of lives lost. And in the midst of all this, he has the knack of lacing his speeches with a touch of sarcasm and humour. Just where needed.
There are other leaders though, who aren’t racking up too many points on their scorecards. Far from it. Among them is British Premier Johnson. Although the man went through a roller-coaster ride as he wrestled Britain out of Europe and whitewashed Jeremy Corbyn and his unmerry men in the last general election, you don’t get the reassurance from him that everything is hunky-dory.
Claims by UK’s news giants The Sunday Times and the Guardian suggested that Johnson was pre-empted that a deadly hurricane was heading his way but he didn’t do much to shield the people from it. Not to mention the ‘exit plan’ out of the lockdown that fuelled more confusion than assurance on how the ‘new normal’ would work out in practice.
Then there’s the leader of the ‘free world’ whose pastime is bullying and harassing journalists. His press briefings have been a circus that Barnum and Bailey would be ashamed of. The shouting accompanied by the ridiculing of reporters would have America’s founding fathers weep in their graves.
Whenever Anthony Fauci, one of the most trusted figures in America, comes to the podium it’s as if Trump expects the decorated immunologist to be his puppet on a string.
Although Trump did hit the ground running when it came to unemployment in his pre-COVID honeymoon, it’s now time to face the music. With over 30 million registered unemployed, the stakes are stacked against him.
Josef Cutajar is a communications professional based in Brussels.