Reputation management and communications consultancy

I found it noteworthy that in the course of his inaugural address, Barrack Obama made two direct references to the “crisis” facing America. He said:

“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

“Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

“These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights.

“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: they will be met”.

It struck me that his words epitomised effective communication in a crisis: by acknowledging the breadth and scale of the problem he demonstrated empathy, realism and set expectations about the size of the challenge. But equally, his concluding remarks provided reassurance and confidence in his determination to take whatever action is required to meet these challenges – and further established himself as a leader in whom his people could trust and follow.

We all know that a key part of Obama’s success has been based on his skills as a communicator. As an example of how and what a leader – any leader - needs to communicate in a crisis, his inaugural address takes some beating.