Part of an on-going effort to encourage those speaking with reporters to avoid the dreaded “no comment”
Here’s a classically bad scenario for “no comment”: You’re talking to a reporter and answering their questions, then, when you get a question you don’t like, out comes the “no comment.”
No comment is bad enough. People think you’re hiding something or assume the worst. Answer-answer-answer-no comment is even worse. How bad does the situation have to be to ice up in the middle of the interview?
Such was the scenario with Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso this week. Here’s how the interview went:
- He commented, G20 nations agree there’s a need to coordinate response to coronavirus.
- He commented, he doesn’t think that the coronavirus significantly increases risks in Japan’s economy.
- Reporter: What about recent weakness in the yen?
Taro Aso: No comment.
Oh boy. Nothing reassures the public and establishes on-going trust in a currency more than “no comment.” Come on…
How about this, instead:
“These are trying times with intense external pressures, but the foundation of our currency and our economy is sound and we’ll continue to work to address those outside forces as they develop.”
