Don’t Create a Pig in the First Place
Term: Don’t Create a Pig in the First Place | Book: Lipstick on a Pig (the no-spin era): book profile and conceptual summary
Definition and main idea
The best way to avoid dressing up reality is not to create the flawed situation in the first place. Good communication cannot permanently hide the real weakness of a product, decision or policy, or unethical behaviour.
Explanation and elaboration
If a product is flawed or a decision has harmful effects, producing a positive message does not replace fixing the problem. Before drafting the message one should ask: is the decision defensible? Are the promises consistent with actual performance? Should we fix the problem, or do we only want to change how it looks? Strategic communication must therefore be tied to the quality of operations, ethics, decision-making and risk management.
Notes and limits of interpretation
Source versus analysis
This principle does not mean communication is unimportant. A good decision may also be misunderstood and need explanation; but the explanation should clarify performance, not replace it.
Relations to other concepts
- The No-Spin Era & Transparency
- Deliver the Bad News Yourself & Admit Mistakes Fast
- Credibility & Trust
- Message & Objective First
Review questions
- What communication problem does this principle solve?
- Is the message consistent with the reality of the organisation’s performance?
- What exactly should the audience know, understand or do?
- What evidence exists to evaluate the result?