Media Lessons From Tiger Woods

Say what you will about Tiger Woods. In fact, don’t. We’ve said it all over the past three months, and it’s not my desire to condone or condemn the man. I’d rather assess something closer to my heart: communication. More specifically, how he has chosen to communicate with the public (or not) since the now infamous moment in which he fled his home in his SUV.

I was prepared to be annoyed or dismayed by this morning’s press conference, in which Woods addressed the public for the first time since the November 2009 incident. I didn’t even watch his press conference this morning, but I’ve seen the clips and I read the transcript word for word. Go figure, but I find myself amazed. In awe. Fascinated. By his behavior? No. By his control. And when I speak of control, I’m talking about every aspect of his personal crisis management. Let’s assess his media relations actions and apply them to situations closer to home:

1. Control of timing: Woods chose to avoid public communication for three entire months. In crisis management, each scenario must be considered individually. In the case of Toyota, media interviews and press conferences had to occur much sooner, and in most corporate crisis situations should occur as quickly as possible. With a celebrity, perhaps not so much. I felt he should have spoken immediately, but now I think he was right to wait; to let things calm down a bit, to allow the initial shock of his fans to settle, and so on. The message here is not about waiting a long time before communicating, but about determining when is the right time for yourself, or your company, to address the public.
2. Control of environment. Although reporters and golf fans alike sniffed at Woods’ very selective group of onlookers for this morning’s media address, he clearly made his choice based on who he trusted. Corporations do not have the luxury of picking and choosing media during an incident like a pipeline eruption or workplace violence, but they do have the right to determine when and where they will speak. By selecting a location away from dramatic backdrops like fires or angry crowds, a spokesperson can focus on the message and avoid unnecessarily negative footage on the 6 p.m. news.
3. Control of message. Tiger Woods knows, and pretty much stated, that there are many questions people have about more personal aspects of his situation, such as when he cheated, and with whom. He declared that this information belongs between him, and his wife, and that is where it will stay. He instead focused on his humiliation at having let down family, friends, business partners, and children who have benefitted from his foundation. Similarly, when an organization comes before the media to describe an incident or a developing situation, not all information must be shared. You can select the content you will communicate; it doesn’t need to be based only on what the media is asking. On the other hand, keep in mind that if your goal is to build community trust where you have a facility, you may not get there by being tight-lipped about a fire at your plant site.

Mr. Woods, despite his human weaknesses, may be much more in control than I’d ever have imagined. At least when it comes to communication and media relations! What are your thoughts? Weigh in by leaving a comment below.

4 Comments so far
Leave a comment