{"id":9135,"date":"2024-02-09T16:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=9135"},"modified":"2024-02-09T16:49:09","modified_gmt":"2024-02-09T16:49:09","slug":"crisis-of-communication-a-week-to-forget-for-top-politicians","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/crisis-of-communication-a-week-to-forget-for-top-politicians\/","title":{"rendered":"Crisis of communication: a week to forget for top politicians"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who\u2019s had the worst week? Sunak, Starmer and Biden offer lessons in communication with missteps and mistakes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For politicians, communication is often about control. Sticking rigidly to a script and staying on message. Choosing when and by whom you agree to be interviewed. Planning your announcements with military precision. From Washington D.C. to Westminster, this week showed what can happen when they lose that grip \u2013 through a lack of preparation, a mistake made in the heat of the moment or buckling under scrutiny. Rishi Sunak was pressured into a bet on his Rwanda policy, Sir Keir Starmer struggled for clarity on his party\u2019s flagship green investment pledge and President Biden floundered while facing criticism of his memory and old age.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sunak gambles on Rwanda  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Gimmicks and gotcha moments are common in political interviews, often used by journalists to cut through carefully scripted, evasive answers. They\u2019re awkward for the interviewee and can lead to unflattering headlines and viral video clips. Piers Morgan knows all this very well and his \u00a31000 bet with the Prime Minister was an eye-catching moment in an otherwise unremarkable hour-long interview<\/a>. Rishi Sunak didn\u2019t verbally accept the challenge but shook on it, later claiming he was \u201ctaken by surprise.\u201d\u00a0 Even so, he could\u2019ve avoided the criticism that followed (trivialising an important issue, casually betting \u00a31000 when households are struggling) by stepping back and taking a second to think. \u201cI\u2019m not here to make bets, but I\u2019m confident our plan will work.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s not trivialise this important issue Piers\u2026\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t need to put any money on it \u2013 but come back after the election and ask me if it\u2019s worked.\u201d All possible ways to avoid the trap Mr Morgan had set. It\u2019s hard to stay calm and think under pressure, but preparation and practice can help you deal with unexpected moments and avoid being lured into saying something you might later regret.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An ill-judged jibe at PMQs <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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While it usually pays to stay on message when the stakes are high, sometimes you need to think on your feet and adapt to the circumstances. Prime Minister\u2019s Questions on Wednesday was one such occasion when a subtle change to the script would\u2019ve saved Rishi Sunak from criticism across the political spectrum. His ill-judged jibe about Keir Starmer\u2019s attempt to define a woman while the mother of murdered transgender teen Brianna Ghey was visiting parliament left him facing calls to apologise. While he was reportedly unaware of Ms Ghey\u2019s presence, the PM had to defend his remarks<\/a> the next day, in turn accusing Keir Starmer of using the tragedy to score political points. A mess which could\u2019ve been easily avoided and might (just might) prompt all politicians to reflect on their words around gender identity, as the Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt suggested the Prime Minister should.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Labour\u2019s longest u-turn <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Labour\u2019s long-expected confirmation that it was ditching its pledge to invest \u00a328bn<\/a> in green projects provided another lesson in strategic communications. Already scaled back, the policy had been in further doubt for months and on Thursday Sir Keir Starmer confirmed (in a gloomy looking rain-soaked interview) that the commitment had been \u201cstood down\u201d \u2013 a phrase no doubt chosen for its ambiguity.\u00a0 Starmer\u2019s team have calculated that short term pain for scrapping the pledge will pay off in the long term if voters judge they\u2019re acting responsibly. It also removes some ammunition for the Tories, keen to paint Labour as the party of tax and spend. But acting sooner would\u2019ve avoided weeks of will-they-won\u2019t-they reporting, exposing disagreement within the shadow cabinet and wider party, and leaving Sir Keir open to further criticism that he flip flops on big decisions and nobody really knows what he stands for.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Biden blunders in surprise remarks  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Faced with the outcome of an investigation of his handling of classified documents, President Biden had two options. Either welcome the fact that he\u2019d been cleared of criminal charges and dismiss out of hand the report\u2019s claim that his memory was failing, or come out fighting – knowing his opponents would seize on any talk of his age and mental capacity. He chose the latter, and in a short notice White House press conference<\/a> appeared choked when refuting the claim that he\u2019d struggled to remember when his son Beau had died. Emotion is powerful, it helps us communicate by allowing our audience to empathise and connect with us. But it\u2019s also unpredictable. Confronting criticism that he\u2019s a \u201cwell-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory\u201d, Joe Biden invited further questions about his age and mental capacity, especially from hostile right-leaning US media outlets. And given the deeply personal nature of his answers, maybe his mind was elsewhere when towards the end of the news conference he took a question on Gaza and mixed up the names of the Presidents of Mexico and Egypt.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a General Election in the UK expected this autumn and November\u2019s US Presidential contest looming large \u2013 the stakes for politicians are high and communication matters more than ever. They\u2019ve taught us, and themselves, some important lessons this week.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more <\/em>Insights & News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Who\u2019s had the worst week? Sunak, Starmer and Biden offer lessons in communication with missteps and mistakes.   For politicians, communication is often about control. Sticking rigidly to a script and staying on message. Choosing when and by whom you agree to be interviewed. Planning your announcements with military precision. From Washington D.C. to Westminster, this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9142,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[29,28],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-9135","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-public-affairs-and-policy","services-leadership-coaching"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nCrisis of communication: a week to forget for top politicians - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Who\u2019s had the worst week? 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