Wanted: Credibility

When it comes to dealing with a crisis, there are two essential ingredients that must be part of the mix: credibility and transparency. When people are feeling threatened and do not know what to do about the perceived threat, it is the primary responsibility of those in-charge to provide them with information as to what is going on and what steps they and others can and are taking to deal with the situation. Anything less than that only makes people more anxious, feel less secure and gives spread to often false and exaggerated rumors. In other words, without valid information, as bad as circumstances might be, they become worse.

For information to be fully embraced by those in crisis, it must be believable and come from a source that is credible. In the famous tale, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," the tragedy was that at the end, after lying so often, when the boy was actually telling the truth about the wolves, no one believed him. He had no credibility. Truth, no matter how powerful, will not be visible or accepted if presented by a source viewed to be unreliable or untrustworthy. As the U.S. and the world faces the potential pandemic disease that is the coronavirus, credible experts and entities must be given the spotlight so that everyone can contend with this growing threat.

In the U.S., from a communication standpoint, there exists a credibility problem. Like him or not, President Trump is not credible because he is not viewed as a teller of truth. If I were his communication advisor, I would beg him to say as little as possible about the coronavirus and, instead, let the experts do the talking. They have credibility. He does not. The more he and his key aides blame members of the democratic party and the media on genuine concerns people have about the virus, the more Team Trump contributes to making what is already a dicey situation worse. That is as much of a reality as the virus itself.