In Effective Apology, Kador stresses the apology as a leadership skill that, like any other skill, can be learned and improved upon through practice and reflection of prior case studies. Crisis communicators often face a difficult decision in how to approach an apology. They often face pressure from the legal department to ‘not say too much,’ but they also know that, to restore public and stakeholder trust, they ultimately must take responsibility for their wrongdoing. Kador provides crisis communicators with a step-by-step approach to the apology, in which an apology is the first resort, rather than the last. He provides us a plan to effectively implement a media-friendly apology that will satisfy the CEO as well as the public.
A public relations professional and principle of a communications agency for over 30 years, John Kador learned the benefits of - and problems that arise from lacking - an effectively-implemented apology. His work centers on identifying and describing the best practices of leadership within the public relations and communications sphere, and this book follows that tradition.
A sincere, well-planned apology, as proven through case studies sends the clearest signal to stakeholders that an organization has the character strength to reconcile with the truth. Kador proved this point with case study examples, ranging from the U.S. Army’s defacing of the Quran to the American Airlines pension scandal. Though the case studies also remind us that there are costs to apologies, we can clearly see that stonewalling can impose even greater costs. Our institutions suffer when we try to lie or limit responsibility, rather than cleaning up the mess we made.
According to Kador, effective apologies have - in varying degrees- five dimensions: recognition, responsibility, remorse, restitution and repetition. The apology must start with the direct acknowledgement of your mistake and must end with the repetitive reassurance to the victim that the offender will not repeat the offense.
Though the inclination to apologize comes naturally to us as moral beings, it’s tough to know exactly when, how, or through whom to offer that apology. From this book, readers can learn that in most cases, there is a process to follow. Readers should, first, recognize that the ‘offense’ occurred and the impact that it had on various stakeholders. Readers must then take responsibility without making excuses, express genuine remorse using the actual words “I am sorry.” After that, we must offer restitution in a practical and appropriate manner, and repeatedly assure stakeholders that this type of action will never recur. Kador, in this book, provides excellent supplemental reading for a crisis communication course, as apologies can be the most daunting part of a crisis communicator’s job. Kador shows us that, as crisis communicators, students can learn from both the good choices as well as the mistakes of others-- we do not have to reinvent the wheel, as many offenses are made and apologized for every day.
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Kaylon Kirk
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
A public relations professional and principle of a communications agency for over 30 years, John Kador learned the benefits of - and problems that arise from lacking - an effectively-implemented apology. His work centers on identifying and describing the best practices of leadership within the public relations and communications sphere, and this book follows that tradition.
A sincere, well-planned apology, as proven through case studies sends the clearest signal to stakeholders that an organization has the character strength to reconcile with the truth. Kador proved this point with case study examples, ranging from the U.S. Army’s defacing of the Quran to the American Airlines pension scandal. Though the case studies also remind us that there are costs to apologies, we can clearly see that stonewalling can impose even greater costs. Our institutions suffer when we try to lie or limit responsibility, rather than cleaning up the mess we made.
According to Kador, effective apologies have - in varying degrees- five dimensions: recognition, responsibility, remorse, restitution and repetition. The apology must start with the direct acknowledgement of your mistake and must end with the repetitive reassurance to the victim that the offender will not repeat the offense.
Though the inclination to apologize comes naturally to us as moral beings, it’s tough to know exactly when, how, or through whom to offer that apology. From this book, readers can learn that in most cases, there is a process to follow. Readers should, first, recognize that the ‘offense’ occurred and the impact that it had on various stakeholders. Readers must then take responsibility without making excuses, express genuine remorse using the actual words “I am sorry.” After that, we must offer restitution in a practical and appropriate manner, and repeatedly assure stakeholders that this type of action will never recur. Kador, in this book, provides excellent supplemental reading for a crisis communication course, as apologies can be the most daunting part of a crisis communicator’s job. Kador shows us that, as crisis communicators, students can learn from both the good choices as well as the mistakes of others-- we do not have to reinvent the wheel, as many offenses are made and apologized for every day.
.
Kaylon Kirk
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill