I am a bullshitter by trade. I have two degrees in it, in fact. (And I practice it daily, just ask my husband.) And I must say, I'm damn good at it. Of course, I try (not always successfully) to use my bullshitting talents for good and not evil. Bullshitting is a craft. And like it or not, bullshitting is a significant part of public relations.
I say all of this to say... even bullshit is communication. I live by the mantra that Communication is Everything and Everything Communicates. If you've ever worked with me in a professional setting, you know that is always my communications counsel. They way you sit in a meeting, your facial expressions, your body language, your poker face (or in my case lack thereof), and yes, of course, your WORDS. My great friend and one of my professional mentors, Gary Magenta, (of The Unbossy Boss fame) has helped me over the years to realize a lot of what I communicate with my body language, doodling and my words and phrases, and though I still have not mastered it, I am much further along that I was several years ago. (Shout out to Gary!)
But in this day and age, it's not just the words you say, it is also the words you tweet, post, or comment. Or the words that you allow to be spoken for you, either through a lawyer or a public relations statement. For public relations professionals (and EEK! lawyers), the words crafted in a statement should be strong and strategic. In short, they should be "good words." The statement should be taken as gospel and frankly, are your script. And good communicators don't veer from that script.
Hopefully that wasn't too long a run for a short slide, but the words chosen in a statement can either amplify or squelch a bad PR situation. And the Austin Nichols - Memphis Tigers issue is a bad PR situation for a program that doesn't need any more bad press. Let me go on record and say that I really hate to see Austin go. He is a highly-sought-after athlete that likely has an NBA future. He was good for the Tiger basketball program. He was good for University. He was good for the city of Memphis. I loved the story behind it-- "local boy stays home to be like Penny Hardaway." Damn, it was a great story to tell. I wanted to believe it, but deep down, I knew it would be too good to be true. Come on, Tiger Nation, you did too.
So when news surfaced last week that he was seeking a transfer from the Tigers, we knew it was a culmination of many things that led to this. Sure, I had a little fun at his expense and told him he needed to buck up and not let a breakup impact his decision, but I knew it was more than that. (And I can't blame him.) Then Pastner and the University prolonged the situation by not immediately granting the release. That made them look sour. My communications counsel (had I been consulted of course) would have been to graciously grant him the release and then take the high road and say wonderful things about Austin and the Nichols family and wish him well. Sure, we can be bitter in private, but publicly take the high road.
But the school and Pastner didn't do that, and thus, prolonged the situation. It took a couple of days to grant the release and they finally did. Thankfully. But, there were a lot of conditions. The kid couldn't transfer to a lot of school. It made Pastner and the program look bad. It made them look petty. Again, prolonging a bad PR situation. Embarrassing.
Not much was heard for a couple of days and the city got back to celebrating #marcgasolofmemphis (woohooo!!!) and then, BAM!! The situation got worse- the Nichols family hired an attorney. And boy, did they choose the attorney -- and words -- carefully.
"The restrictions are nothing more than a calculated effort to punish Austin's family for his desire to transfer to a new program. Although the staff has attempted to imply ‘tampering,' the broad nature of the restrictions clearly establishes that ‘tampering' is not an issue; this is a calculated effort by a dysfunctional staff to punish a player for taking a step to remove himself from a failing program."
Ouch. Talk about using strong, good words. I might be in pain just reading that statement (and a little jealous I didn't write it.) Let's break it down by what it really says (minus the bullshit, though it was pretty straightforward.)
"The University of Memphis and the entire basketball program is mad at Austin for leaving. They are making up this 'tampering' business to cover up that the program is losing support, money and fans, as well as losing a great player to a better school. Austin wants to transfer to Virginia and who can blame him? They are a very strong program -- stronger than Memphis and in a better conference. The Memphis basketball program and the University are the ones that aren't handling this breakup like adults."
Thankfully, within a few hours, the University did the right thing PR-wise and granted him an unconditional release. Now, let's keep in mind that honestly the U of M didn't do anything other programs haven't done in the past. Transfer waivers with restrictions are common. But the University was being petty and this attorney called them on it. And FINALLY, they did the right thing by squelching this negative PR situation pretty quickly.
Some might see this release as rolling over and to some degree, I completely agree. But just like surviving a breakup, we have to suck it up, buttercup. Sometimes we have to take the high road and just Let. It. Go. It was the best thing to do PR-wise for an already suffering program.
Of course, the PR professional in me wishes the unconditional release had been accompanied by a statement from the University that said something like, "Austin has been an integral part of our program for two seasons and we hate to see him leave. He is a talented player and we wish him the best at Virginia. We have very talented players on our roster and look forward to the upcoming season. Thanks for the support, Tiger Nation."
But then again, that would be bullshit. What they really want to say is, "Fine, Austin. Go on to UVA and the ACC. We hope you fail miserably." #nobullshit
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