The End of Forgetting

This past Sunday, The New York Times Sunday magazine featured an article about the end of forgetting.  In it, Jeffrey Rosen presents a rather scary proposition - one that ought to be intuitive to anyone with any familiarity of online culture: every move you make can be kept online for posterity and come back to haunt you in ways you never imagined. 

Take for example, Stacy Snyder, whom Rosen references.  She had what was deemed as "inappropriate" photos of herself and, as a result, was denied a teaching job.  Why should what she does during non-work time at all affect her professional qualifications?

I can't go into the depth of argument Rosen did - I don't think I'd have anything to add - but I do want to comment on this from a perspective of reputation management.  As anyone who has been at the wrong end of a reputation crisis can attest: one "oh crap" is far more powerful than 10 "attaboys." 

Today, individuals who engage in public displays of everything personal must take upon themselves the same rules of engagement as companies and other organizations interested in reputation management.  To a large extent, what is right and wrong is irrelevant.  We can only deal with what is.

Survival

There's an AP video on Yahoo today about a Holocaust survivor who stars in a video, along with his grandchildren.  Here is the video from YouTube:



If you watch the video until the end, you'll get to the punchline, where the grandfather says he never would have thought that he'd "be here today dancing" with his grandchildren.

I guess not too surprisingly, there are people who aren't happy.

While I don't agree, I understand their point of view.  But, to me, this man isn't just celebrating his survival.  He's celebrating his total and complete victory over millions of people who sought to destroy him and all those who's come after him.


By just living and having children and grandchildren, he celebrates victory every day.

Foot in Mouth Disease

Interesting post by The Wall Street Journal's Jeffrey Zaslow on slips of the tongue.

One of the most important media and communications tips I give to clients is to "know your story."  I picked this up from a former employer who understood the power of having key messages and sticking to them.  One of the most painful things to watch is an interview with someone who isn't clear on what he or she is saying.  "The worst thing you can do in an interview," my employer would say, "is to try out a new message in an interview setting."

So, what is one to do?  Practice!

Here's how I put it to clients:  Remember when you were dating someone you wanted to impress (perhaps your spouse) and you'd stand in front of the mirror and review what you were going to say?  This is the same thing, except I'm your mirror and I'll give you feedback.

So, today's take-aways?

1.  Think about your key messages.
2.  Practice saying your key messages.
3.  No matter what, don't ever "try out" new messaging in an interview situation.

As Zaslow points out: "If only more of us would follow the advice of 1950s-era humorist Sam Levenson. 'It's so simple to be wise,' he once said. 'Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.'"

In praise of doing nothing

When I was at my first job - at Renee Sall Associates on Manhattan's East Side - I remember reading an essay in Newsweek, bemoaning the fact that, with business operating at breakneck speed, there was little if no time left for creativity.

I was reminded of that essay when reading this one by Peter Bregman.  In it, he laments the loss of boredom and the elusive downtime.  I agree with him.  I do some good thinking when sitting quietly on airplanes or while stuck in traffic. 

But here's another trend I'm noticing, as I speak to colleagues, clients and prospects.  There is a pressing need for an answer now.  Personally, I'm often in wonder of people who seem to have every answer at the ready.  Nonetheless, more often than not, we would be better served if we waited, reflected or - God forbid - said "I don't know."

Just a reminder that actions speak louder than words.

This is a bit too long, but sadly amusing.

Death of the Oval Office Address?

I just watched the beginning of President Obama's Oval Office address regarding the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  I was surprised that I felt compelled to turn it off.

His words, as usual, seem on target, on message.  They had the right levels of muted anger toward BP, compassion toward Gulf region residents and business owners.

My issue, it seems, isn't with the content of the message, but with the medium.  Simply, I'm not used to seeing him perform this way.  I'm used to seeing the President behind the lectern or working the crowd in a "town hall" type of setting.

Today, the President wanted to do what those before him have done in times of national crisis.  He sought to leverage the gravity of the Oval Office.

I think he failed.

Today, we see him sitting behind a desk where his natural hand gestures seem comical and distracting, his reading of the Teleprompter, unnatural.  The result?  For me, it's the impression this man doesn't belong behind this desk.  He seems out of his element.  In some ways, too small.

Typically, I talk about the message.  I think President Obama should have paid more attention to the medium.

No Such Thing as "Off the Record"

I wrote the following when the Helen Thomas bruhaha was just brewing.  Must've forgotten to actually post.  In any event, the  message is still the same: no such thing as off the record!

I often tell my clients, "There's no such thing as 'off the record' when talking to a journalist."  It's always interesting to see the tables turned.

In case you've been hiding under a rock, storied White House reporter and now columnist, Helen Thomas, was apparently unaware that recent comments regarding Jews and Israel might actually be recorded when she was asked at a recent White House event what she thought of Israel.



I think she's enjoyed her last birthday cupcake at the White House.