Can you read a statement in front of the cameras during a crisis? In general, I won't make this a blanket statement. But certainly 99% of the time, I do not recommend that you read a statement in front of the media. Because the sheer act of reading means you've destroyed your eye contact. Typically, you've destroyed your body language. I mean, how would you like it?

If I deliver the whole course this way reading the script that I prepared, I might give you the same great information, but I guarantee you, you wouldn't be able to stand it after about 30 seconds. So you really cough your ability to communicate a great deal. If you're reading you also typically make yourself more monotone, more boring, your speed becomes consistent. So it tends to ruin a lot of things that typically work for people in communication now, even if you're a full time news anchor, realize news anchors Get to use teleprompters and it's highly unlikely you're going to use a teleprompter. during a crisis, media interview or a crisis press conference. You couldn't use one if you're making your own video.

But even then, I recommend that you sound conversational you look and sound like you're talking to one person. By all means it's perfectly fine to have a single sheet of paper that has specific facts if you want to name a particular colleague, our sympathies go to Jane Smithers, we understand did not survive the accident today and all of her family, you obviously want to get the name just right of somebody who's been killed, harmed injured in any way. If there is a specific number you want to get across, we realize that we'd like to announce there has been a destruction to 27 acres of woodland. So if you want to get the biggest That number, right by all means have that written down. But nothing's worse than something like, we'd like to extend our sympathies to the following. And it just sounds as sincere as someone trying to get excited about reading the phone book.

There may be times when you have a lawyer say, look, look, this is so contentious. If we get one word wrong, it's going to set us up for litigation. It's going to bankrupt the company. Everyone here is going to be unemployed, and no one will ever hire you again. And you're going to have to move down the river and eat cheese. If that's what they say, okay, there may be times when you have to be so precise One wrong word is going to get you into trouble.

I would argue that's rare. It's far more important to get a few positive messages out about what you're doing in this situation and To look and sound the part to look like you're being proactive to look like you're energetic trying to solve the problem and to look like you're a human being, who actually cares about the problem, you lose all that. The second you're reading word for word script. So, yes to notes, find a glance down to get a number, just write or a name, just write no to reading a full script. It just doesn't come across as very sincere.