Most media commentators gave Donald Trump poor reviews of his apology – or what he called an apology – following revelations of his lewd comments about women. PR crisis managers took criticism a step farther to dissect why Trump’s apology fell short. As almost everyone knows, a live mic recorded Trump making vulgar, offensive comments about women to Billy Bush, co-host of Access Hollywood in 2005.
In an ideal apology, you:
- Take responsibility for what you did.
- Are specific.
- Don’t talk about how you got caught and whether that is fair.
- Apologize directly to the people you hurt.
- Offer ways to make amends.
- Don’t justify why what you did is acceptable.
- Don’t go off topic to avoid talking about what happened.
A Translation of the Candidate’s Statement
Trump’s apology fails on every single one of those elements, says PR crisis expert Josh Bernoff, who provides a section-by-section translation of the apology in his blog. For instance, the presidential nominee said: “Let’s be honest — we’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we’re facing today. We are losing our jobs, we’re less safe than we were eight years ago, and Washington is totally broken.”
Translation: I’m not enjoying this. Can we talk about something else?
Trump said: “Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground.”
Translation: I cannot be contrite for a whole minute without attacking somebody else to shift your attention.
“Frankly, it pains me that the campaign has come to this,” Bernoff says. “I’ve analyzed some lame apologies in this space, but this one is the first one that ends with an attack.”
He recommends against including the word “but” in your apology. If you do, listeners will know you’re not really sorry.
Conway Fraser, managing director of Fraser Torosay, a strategic communications consultancy, also called Trump’s apology attempt dismal. He would have recommended a swift, unfiltered, authentic, straight-forward apology to everyone.
“Instead — what we got was this surreal attempt at damage control — with Trump’s opening line: “I’ve never said I’m a perfect person…” Torosay says.
3 Main Elements of Effective Apologies
Torosay says effective apologies contain three main elements, all lacking in Trump’s statement.
The words “I’m sorry.” In the video, Trump never utters those words. He says: “I said it. I was wrong. And, I apologize”. It’s not just a matter of semantics.
Sincerity in non-verbal language. Authenticity and sincerity come across in your non-verbal communications, meaning your body language and voice tonality. Speakers need practice and professional coaching to relay feelings of remorse non-verbally. Trump’s eyes and facial expressions lack indication of regret. He looks like he does in previous campaign videos.
No excuses. He states: “Let’s be honest, this is nothing more than a distraction.” He appears to accuse his opponents of making his comments an issue. He then attacks his opponent and her husband. “It comes off as petty and a weak pivot to campaign-style messaging,” Torosay says.
Release a written statement if you cannot authentically apologize without excuses. That’s far from ideal, but a poor and obviously insincere apology can only make the situation worse, as Trump’s dwindling support from leading Republicans proves.
“A written statement would have protected him from his own ego and personality,” Torosay says.
Given the vast amount of video footage of Trump’s TV appearances, it’s likely he’ll get more practice in delivering a credible apology before the presidential campaign ends.
Bottom Line: An analysis of Donald Trump’s attempt at an apology provides lessons for PR, executives and other spokespeople. Sincere remorse, attention to non-verbal language and acceptance of responsibility are essential elements of successful apologies. If speakers cannot accept those elements, a written statement may be preferable to making the situation worse.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
