Communications Experts Analyze Trump's Apology

BATTERY ROAD, Singapore - Oct. 9, 2016 - PRLog -- In crisis communications, an effective apology comprises two key elements - sincerity and contrition. Communications consulting firm CW Fong & Associates analyze Donald Trump's recent apology for lewd comments about women and find them missing.

The dictionary defines sincerity to mean the absence of pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy. By claiming that he has "changed" when he continues to attack former Miss Universe Alicia Machado hints at deceit. Additionally, what makes Trump's apology less sincere is Donald's parting comment that Bill Clinton has done worse things than him. This final comment alludes to hypocrisy as it shows Trump failing to acknowledge the seriousness of his own actions and negates the original intention of the apology. In short, while Donald has literally said the words of an apology, the underlying tone contradicts it.

In a crisis, people know that words are cheap and, in the case of a Presidential Election where the stakes are high, PR speak will always prevail. As such, people judge the sincerity of an apology by the contrition that is offered. Contrition is important as the public expect you to "pay" for your mistake. In this case, Trump made no offer of contrition and by ending his apology with the line "see you at the debate on Sunday" demonstrates his flippant attitude that life goes on for him. This lack of contrition further reinforces the message that Donald is not sincere in his apology.

The key lesson for crisis communications is that one should always apologies in situations where you are wrong. However in situations where a sincere apology cannot be made, then one should not apologies. A half-hearted or insincere apology will create a crisis of its own and the aftermath may be something that the client cannot recover from.

We think that Donald Trump has literally killed his chances at the polls.

For crisis communications services, contact us at www.cwfongandassociates.com