News Conference about Deaths at Florida Nursing Home

Eight people died in a nursing home from heat after Hurricane Irma. Local police, the medical director of a nearby hospital, and the city mayor held a news conference to describe the situation. Although the video references six people, two additional have died for a total of eight at Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. No one was present from the facility.

Florida Governor Rick Scott called the situation "unfathomable" and "inexcusable." The facility didn't lose power, but the air conditioning wasn't working. It's not clear why people weren't transferred to another facility, for example, the hospital across the street. Patients died of heart attacks, dehydration, and other issues related to the extreme heat.

Critics say that some business in Florida, such as gas stations, are required to have backup generators, but this is not the case for nursing homes. A criminal investigation has begun. The owner of the facility has a criminal past involving kickbacks; the case was settled for $15.4 million

At this point, the facility has been evacuated, and people are being accommodated at other locations.

Image source.

Discussion:

• Who should be held accountable in this situation?
• Assess the three statements in the news conference. How appropriate was each to the person's role?
• We're obviously missing someone from the rehabilitation facility. Would representation help or hurt their case?
• For the questions we hear in English, how well does the police chief respond? What strategies does he use to deflect questions he can't or won't answer?

iPhone X Face ID Doesn't Work During Presentation

During Apple's big presentation to unveil and show features of the iPhone X, the Face ID program didn't work.

The presenter, Craig Federighi, SVP Software Development, reacted briefly when the passcode screen came up. Then he said, "Let's try that again." He picked up another device, and the feature worked.

What happened? Verge reports that it probably wasn't a problem Face ID. Rather, the passcode screen came up as a precaution just as it would on earlier versions when you restart your phone or when you haven't used it for a few hours.

Still, it was tough moment for Federighi.

Things often go wrong during presentations but, as is the case for more serious company crises, how the situation is handled is sometimes remembered more than initial issue.

Image source.

Discussion:

• How well did Federighi handle the situation? What, if anything, could he have done differently?
• Apple has been quiet on the issue. Should the company explain what happened? If so, in what form, and what should they say?
• In this small moment, do we see authenticity from Federighi? What does he tell us about who he is as a person?

Equifax Statement About Security Breaches

A cyberattack on credit reporter Equifax revealed personal information about 143 million people. What makes this breach worrying is the type of information that was stolen: Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, driver's license numbers.

On the home page of its website, Equifax has a red post directing readers to a statement for more information. They are also offering identity protection for people affected.

But the company isn't making it easy. When I entered my information, I saw a message that I may be affected, and then I saw the message at right, saying, in order to enroll, I would need to revisit in 4 days for some reason.

The company fixed another criticism: if you signed up for their protection, there was some question about whether you were waiving rights to sue. The company clarified: "In response to consumer inquiries, we have made it clear that the arbitration clause and class action waiver included in the Equifax and TrustedID Premier terms of use does not apply to this cybersecurity incident."

Overall, the company is accepting responsibility. The Chairman and CEO Rick Smith explained the situation on a video.

Discussion:

• Assess Equifax's statement. What principles of bad news are followed, and how could it be improved.
• Now assess Rick Smith's video statement. Consider the question above as well as delivery skills.

Defense After Nurse Is Arrested

A nurse at a Utah hospital was arrested for disobeying an officer's request, and everyone seems to be apologizing. An officer asked Alex Wubbels to draw blood from a man who was unconscious, and she refused. Wubbels said, in order to draw blood, the patient would need to be under arrest, and she would need to see a warrant. She said she had authority from hospital administrators to maintain her position.

The police officer, Jeff L. Payne, became angry and said she would be arrested if she didn't comply. And then he followed through while Wubbels screamed for help. It seems that Officer Payne's anger may have impaired his judgment.

Statements from the Salt Lake City major and the chief of police offer apologies for the incident:

Mayor Jackie Biskupski:

"Like many of you, I watched the video of police officers interacting with University of Utah Medical Center nurse Alex Wubbles for the first time through the media late yesterday. What I saw is completely unacceptable to the values of my Administration and of the values of the Salt Lake City Police Department. I extend a personal apology to Ms. Wubbles for what she has been through for simply doing her job.

There is currently an Internal Affairs investigation examining the actions, and the Civilian Review Board is conducting a parallel investigation. I have reiterated to Chief Brown that I expect the highest level of professionalism and integrity from his team. I have also instructed Chief Brown to conduct a thorough review of all policies and trainings to ensure respect for all individuals, in all situations. Following the incident Salt Lake City Police Department command met with hospital administration. We immediately changed policies that may have been a factor in this encounter, and the officer's duties have been modified.

I take these incidences very seriously. Since I took office, I have been working with Salt Lake City Police Department to increase our use of de-escalation techniques and we have had great success, and this incident is a troubling set back to those efforts. No medical professional in Salt Lake City should be hindered from performing their duties, and certainly not be fearful of the police officers they so often partner with to save lives."

Chief Mike Brown:

"I was alarmed by what I saw in the video with our officer and Ms. Wubbles. I am sad at the rift this has caused between law-enforcement and the nurses we work so closely with. I want to be clear, we take this very seriously. Immediate steps were taken and within 12 hours, body cam footage was reviewed and an internal affairs investigation started. We've looked at the actions that took place, the policies that could have prevented it, and the training that must be done. Within 24 hours of this incident, Salt Lake City Police Department took steps to ensure this will never happen again. We met with hospital CEO and COO, Nursing Management Team, their legal representation team, and University of Utah Chief Brophy. 

Most notable of all these conversations were that we apologized for the incident and promised to find a solution. Additionally, our policy management team continues to work closely with the hospital staff on improved policies and training. 

To date, we have suspended the officer from the blood draw program. We have already replaced our blood draw policy with a new policy. All remaining officers on the blood draw program have reviewed, and are operating under the new policy and protocol.

It is my sincere desire to get back to a very cooperative, respectful, and friendly relationship with our "brothers and sisters in white" we work so closely with. Salt Lake City Police Officers have a very soft spot in our hearts for all medical professionals. We know that if we are ever hurt in the line of duty, it is their caring hands that will perhaps save our lives one day. 

I believe we can learn from mistakes and from building strong relationships with everyone we work with and serve. By doing that we become a stronger police department." 

In addition, Mayor Jackie Biskupski apologized during a news conference and announced an internal investigation. Biskupski also said they met with hospital administrators and changed some policies. Police Chief Mike Brown also apologized  and said they would put steps in place to make sure this type of incident doesn't happen again.  

Discussion:

• How effective are the apologies from the mayor and police chief? What works well, and what could be improved?
• How well did they answer questions? What were their best responses?
• In what ways did the nurse demonstrate courage? What risks did she take to stand by her position?
• How did she also demonstrate integrity?

Pastor Responds to Criticism

Joel Osteen, senior pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, has a large following, but he has taken a hit since Hurricane Harvey. Critics say Osteen should have offered his mega-church, which seats 16,8000, to people needing housing after the storm. Instead, Osteen tweeted his prayers, and people say it wasn't enough.

Church officials said the building experienced "severe flooding," but pictures told a different story. In TV interviews, Osteen defended the church's practices. He said, "The main thing is, the city didn't ask us."

 In an article on PR Daily, Brad Phillips raised the issue of authenticity:

If you're cynical about televangelists, Osteen's tone in the Today show interview probably struck you as smarmy and self-satisfied. If you're one of the millions of people who watch his sermons and read his books, you probably viewed him as sincere.

Phillips also questioned why the church didn't have plans in place and, specifically, why the leaders didn't coordinate with Houston city officials ahead of time. 

The social media response has not been kind: memes abound.

Discussion:

• What's your view of the church's actions during and after the hurricane?
• How well did Osteen respond to criticism? What are his main arguments? Which are strongest, and which fall short?
• Given Phillips' question about Osteen's authenticity, how do you view his interview on the Today show?
• What's your view of the social media response and memes: cruel, justified, or something else?
• How do your own religious beliefs or practices influence your assessment of the situation and of Osteen, particularly? 

Corona and Other Brands Capitalize on Eclipse

With the total eclipse coming Monday afternoon and glasses hard to come by, Corona is offering a solution. In a 35-second video, the company instructs us how to make a viewer from a beer box. Apparently, solar corona is the beer's namesake, so the connection isn't entirely random. Ad agency Cramer-Krasselt created the campaign.

NASA Goddard posted a video to show how to make a viewer out of a cereal box, and a generic box is used as an example. But other companies have been using the eclipse to promote their brands.

A CNBC article identifies "17 clever ways brands are cashing in on the eclipse." Volvo, for example, designed a custom moon roof for viewing the eclipse from the road, but reports warn about traffic and accidents if people aren't careful while driving. Other companies are selling drinks, mattresses, train rides, houses, and a variety of food: half-moon cookies, donuts, pizza, and more.

Discussion:

• What are potential downsides of a brand associating with the eclipse and using the event to promote products?
• What is the most outrageous promotion you have seen related to the eclipse?

VP Pence Makes the Commencement Rounds

More than 100 students walked out of Vice President Pence's commencement address at Notre Dame, but he got a better reception at the Naval Academy.

In his Notre Dame speech, Pence applauded the university for its commitment to free speech:

"While this institution has maintained an atmosphere of civility and open debate, far too many campuses across America have become characterized by speech codes, safe zones, tone policing, administration-sanctioned political correctness - all of which amounts to nothing less than suppression of the freedom of speech. These all-too-common practices are destructive of learning and the pursuit of knowledge, and they are wholly outside the America tradition."

 A statement by the students read, "Mike Pence's policies target the most vulnerable groups in our society."

 At the U.S. Naval Academy, Pence spoke about character, particularly, "humility, orientation to authority, and self-control. Here's what he said about humility:

Remember that character is destiny. Be men and women of integrity. People follow people they trust.  

I truly believe that among the most important qualities of leadership-whether it's in the armed forces or any other endeavor-are humility, orientation to authority, and self-control. And I encourage you to cultivate these qualities as leaders in increasing measure every day from this day forward.

With humility, consider others to be more important than yourselves. Be servant leaders.  Approach every challenge as a learner and a listener first. In multiple counselors there is wisdom, and the best decisions by the best leaders come from counsel and collaboration.

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your view of the students' walking out on VP Pence's speech? Read their rationale. Does it influence your opinion?
• Assess his speech at the Naval Academy. What are the high and low points from your perspective? How would you assess his delivery skills? How might your political opinions influence your assessment of his speech?

President Trump's Coast Guard Speech

President Trump gave the commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy. The theme was perseverance, and he gave the new graduates good advice:

Now, I want to take this opportunity to give you some advice. Over the course of your life, you will find that things are not always fair. You will find that things happen to you that you do not deserve and that are not always warranted, but you have to put your head down and fight, fight, fight. Never, ever, ever give up. Things will work out just fine.

Apparently, he then went off script:

Look at the way I've been treated lately. Especially by the media. No politician in history - and I say this with great surety - has been treated worse or more unfairly. You can't let them get you down. You can't let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. I guess that's why, thank you, I guess that's why we won.

The speech came after a difficult week for the president: he fired FBI Director James Comey, who questioned the president's integrity in return.

Of course, reports about President Trump's speech vary according to political alignment. Conservative outlets such as Rush Limbaugh and Fox News applaud his calling out the media. Limbaugh wrote, "Media Livid," and Fox's headline was "Trump Takes on Media." Compare those headlines with CNN's: "Trump's Pity Party at Coast Guard Academy Was Shameful."

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Discussion:

• What's your view of the speech? Do you agree more with the conservative media outlets or the more liberal CNN? How does your opinion align with your own political views?
• Take the other side of the argument. In what ways was the comment appropriate or inappropriate?
• How would you assess President Trump's speech overall? Consider delivery skills discussed in Chapter 11.

United Announces New Policies

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz has found some strength and a way out of the situation that angered so many around the world. The company admits that dragging a man off of a flight two weeks ago wasn't the best way to make room for four United employees.

The company has published "Changes We're Making" in an email to loyalty members, in videos, on its website, in a report, and in an interview with NBC News. The website statement begins as follows:

We are making changes to ensure that we always put customers first

By United Airlines

April 27, 2017

Earlier this month, we disappointed our customers and ourselves when a passenger was forcibly removed from one of our planes. We can never say we are sorry enough for what occurred, but we also know meaningful actions will speak louder than words.

We committed to take action as a result of this incident, and today marks the first step in changing how we fly, serve and respect our customers.

 In the email with the subject line, "Actions Speak Louder than Words," United summarized its most significant policy changes:

We will increase incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000 and will be eliminating the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new "no-questions-asked" $1,500 reimbursement policy. We will also be rolling out a new app for our employees that will enable them to provide on-the-spot goodwill gestures in the form of miles, travel credit and other amenities when your experience with us misses the mark. 

The $10,000 offer for re-booking is particularly clever: it's a generous amount, and it's unlikely the airline will have to pay that much.

Meanwhile, the airline settled with Dr. Dao for an undisclosed amount. Good idea to end the nightmare. The last thing United needs is more publicity about the case.

Discussion:

• How are they doing? Analyze the audience, communication objectives, content, and writing and presentation styles. Also consider the timing and policy changes.
• Read the full report. Which principles of report writing are allowed, and what could be improved?
• To what extent will these communications and policy changes affect United's image?

Heated Wells Fargo Shareholders Meeting

The annual Wells Fargo shareholders meeting was disrupted by angry shareholders wanting to understand how 2 million accounts were created without customers' knowledge and without the knowledge of senior leaders of the organization. One attendee shouted, "You did it that way and you allowed it to continue for years." Another yelled, "We elected you guys to protect us, to be our watchdogs, and you were not." Security removed three protestors.

Despite the protests, all 15 board members were re-elected, although some narrowly. The board's three newcomers, including the new CEO, Tim Sloan, won more support.

Sloan started the meeting with a promise to change:

"There is no doubt that the last seven months have been one of the most difficult periods in our company's 165-year history. I can assure you that we are facing these problems head-on and that Wells Fargo is emerging a much stronger company."

Board turnover will happen over time. Some directors are nearing the mandatory retirement age, and others may still be forced out. But for Brandon Rees, the deputy director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.'s investment office, the change isn't coming quickly enough. The group holds 1.6 million shares of Wells Fargo, and Rees voted against all of the current board members:

"Fresh blood is needed to ensure that the board has sufficient independence. The narrow vote puts incredible pressure on some directors to reconsider their membership. I hope that by this time next year, we have a new slate."

In March, Gretchen Morgenson wrote a New York Times piece about the increasing number of online shareholders meetings. Partly for convenience, partly to skirt accountability and confrontations like this, more and more companies are holding web-based meetings. The director of an asset management group was quoted in her article:

"These are not management's meetings; they are the meetings of the owners of the company." Online-only events give company officials "tremendous power over controlling, censoring and really limiting the engagement of share owners with the board and management."

Image source.

Discussion:

• Are you surprised at the board vote? Why or why not?
• What's your view of the shareholders who spoke out? Were they inappropriately disruptive or just finding their voice?
• What do you think of online shareholder meetings. When might they be appropriate or not?

United CEO Speaks Out

After an insufficient apology, United CEO Oscar Munoz has changed his tune. In an interview with ABC News, Munoz said, "This first thing I think is important to say is to apologize to Dr. Dau, his family, the passengers on that flight, our customers, our employees. That is not who our family at United is. You saw us at a bad moment."

Munoz also changed his view of the passenger. In a letter to employees, he seemed to blame the passenger, but in the interview, he said Dr. Dau wasn't at fault at all, although he did pause before saying so.

When asked why he didn't communicate "that shame" (he said he was "ashamed"), Munoz said he wanted to get the "facts and circumstances first." He also said his words didn't reflect what they were really feeling.

He explained that the incentive model needs to be re-evaluated because it clearly works better before people have boarded. For the future, Munoz said they will never bring a law enforcement official on a flight to remove a paying passenger again.

Discussion:

• How did Munoz do in the interview? What principles of crisis communication did he demonstrate, and where did he fall short?
• What else should Munoz have said?
• Analyze Munoz's delivery skills. How would you advise him to approach future interviews?
• Southwest and other airlines are taking full advantage of the situation. What are the potential downsides of ads like the one here?

Children Crash a Professor's BBC Interview

Professor Robert Kelly certainly didn't expect this type of fame. More than 15 million people have seen the professor of political science in a BBC interview interrupted by his children.

The video is hilarious and shows an embarrassed, yet quietly laughing Kelly as his two children come into his office, eventually rescued by his wife.

Of course, everyone seems to have an opinion on Kelly's parenting skills from this short encounter. Maybe Kelly was right to question BBC's posting of the video. When asked for permission to post it on Twitter, Kelly said, "What would that mean, please? Re-broadcasting it on BBC TV, or just here on Twitter? Is this kinda thing that goes ‘viral' and gets weird?"

According to The Telegraph, "The academic's mother, Ellen Kelly from Cleveland, Ohio, said the incident may have occurred after the children thought they were Skyping their grandparents."

Discussion:

• How did Kelly handle the interruption? Should he have done something different?
• Are people right to criticize his parenting skills? Why or why not?
• How did the BBC reporter respond? Also, should he have done something different?
• Kelly's Twitter page now has 21.5k followers, but he's not saying a word. Should he?

Signet CEO Responded to Criticism, But Is Silent Now

Signet Jewelers, the largest U.S. jewelry retailer and owner of Zales and Kay, is facing criticism from investors, employees, and customers. The stock fell 25% at the beginning of 2016-a notable decline in a rallying market.

Complaints about missing and swapped jewels and sexual harassment of employees are the latest to cause trouble for the company. But CEO Mark Light disputes these claims in an interview with CNBC.

He defends the company by saying, "We are all about trust." Reporters asked Light about customer credit and the "unusual amount of financing," which raises the question of what happens if customers default on their loans. To counter these concerns, Signet points to the company's 30-year history and their knowledge of customers. Light sees financing as a competitive advantage and says they are happy with their credit book.

Light does talk about continuous improvement and says they will "look at protocols going forward," but he also says, "We don't believe we have a serious problem."

This quarter, Signet earnings are up, but the controversy remains. The Motley Food reports, "CEO Mark Light continues to maintain his silence."

Discussion:

• What's your view of the situation? Is criticism about the company too harsh, is Mark Light in the dark, or what?
• How well goes Light address concerns about the company in this interview? What could he do differently to rebuild the brand? What should he do now?

Analyzing Trump's Tone in Speeches

How would you describe Trump's tone in his speeches?  A New York Times article explains how sentiment analysis was used to compare his speeches over time and to other State of the Union addresses: 

"That's according to a sentiment analysis of past speeches, which categorizes words according to several dimensions. Mr. Trump's campaign speeches used a high proportion of words associated with "anger" - like fight, illegal or bad - and a relatively low proportion of words with positive associations - like build, freedom or peace."

 

Sentiment analysis aside, his tone changes are pretty obvious. The best way I can describe his State of the Union address is "measured." He also gestured less and read more from the teleprompter-perhaps acting more presidential than we have seen him in less formal settings.

The Washington Post compiled the address "in 3 minutes." Of course, the compilation and the "winners and losers" identified by the author/editor are based on his own thinking about Trump/s plans and communications. 

Discussion:

• How would you describe President Trump's tone in his State of the Union address? What, if anything, surprised you about the speech?
• The president certainly is adjusting to the audience and purpose of his speeches. Compare audiences for his campaign speeches and his official speeches as president. What are his objectives for each?
• With which of The Washington Post's conclusions do you agree and disagree? The author also refers to the speech as "strong." What do you think he means by this, and do you agree or disagree?

Communication Failures at the Oscars

The RIGHT envelope, please! The Academy Awards suffered embarrassment at this year's event when the wrong winner was announced as Best Picture. Several communication failures caused the problem:

• The first and most critical error was PwC's responsibility: the wrong envelope was given to announcers Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.
• Beatty opened the card and saw "Emma Stone, La La Land." He hesitated and passed the card to Dunaway.
• Dunaway confidently announced the winner: "La La Land!" She didn't question it either.
• The La La Land folks came on stage and gave three acceptance speeches. They were stopped, but it took too long and could have saved further embarrassment.
• La La Land Producer Marc Platt said, "This is not a joke. They read the wrong thing." But this puts the blame entirely on the announcers, when the original error is the wrong envelope. Of course, Platt didn't know what happened, and he was trying to be gracious about the fiasco.
• PwC wrote a short statement, promising an "investigation," which is probably overstated: "We sincerely apologize to 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land,' Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected," the company said. "We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred."

Discussion:

• What could have been done differently during each step of this mistake?
• Should PwC say something different? The company has had the Oscars account for 83 years. Should the organization fire them? Why or why not?

Analysis of Trump's Inauguration Speech

Both sides of the aisle seem to agree that President Trump's inaugural address was short and "militant," but analysts disagree on the effect.

NPR's analysts comment on the speech line by line, with some taking issue with his points; for example, he discusses inequities, yet, as one reporter explains, "It's worth noting that despite Trump's anti-establishment message and his frequent promises during the campaign to "drain the swamp," Trump's Cabinet picks so far have included several billionaires and Washington and Wall Street insiders, including billionaire Betsy DeVos, former Goldman Sachs executive Steve Mnuchin, former Exxon Mobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, and countless current and former elected officials."

Fox News host Bill O'Reilly lauds the president's speech, particularly his jabs at the Obama Administration. He also notes that the president criticized President George W. Bush's Iraq and Afghan wars:

"George W. Bush was seated just a few feet away from President Trump. So it's clear that Donald Trump has no sensitivity to the politics of the past, no matter who was in office. His message was directed to his supporters, to the folks, who are fed up with a political process they believe is not helping them."

O'Reilly called it "more like a campaign speech than a presidential address."

Image source.

Discussion:

• What's your view of the speech? How do your political views influence your opinion?
• Analyze the language choices in Trump's speech. He uses several rhetorical devices.

VW's Winterkorn Responds to Questions

Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen's former CEO, responded to what the The New York Times calls "polite grilling" by the German government about the emissions scandal.

Winterkorn has a tough time defending himself when the company already admitted using software to cheat emissions tests. Several executives were indicted, including many who reported directly to him. As the Times reports, "Volkswagen's plea agreement with the Justice Department in Washington last week left no doubt that the fraud was the work of dozens, if not hundreds, of employees, rather than the result of a handful of rogue engineers as the company had first claimed."

But Winterkorn said he didn't know about the "defeat device" and "never did I have the impression that anyone was afraid to speak an open word with me." The Times article further questions the likelihood that Winterkorn knew nothing:

There is some reason to doubt Mr. Winterkorn's assertion. Mr. Gottweis, a Volkswagen executive who specialized in solving technical emergencies around the world, warned in a memo in May 2014 that American regulators were likely to investigate "whether Volkswagen implemented a test detection system in the engine control unit software (so-called defeat device)."

The memo was included in a stack of weekend reading given to Mr. Winterkorn at the time, but Volkswagen has said it was not clear if Mr. Winterkorn had read it. Mr. Gottweis reported directly to Mr. Winterkorn, however, and it is deemed unlikely that a warning from an executive known internally as "the fireman" would have been ignored.

Image source. 

Discussion:

• Do you believe Winterkorn's stance? Why or why not?
• How does Winterkorn benefit from continuing to deny knowledge of the defeat device? If he is lying, what are the potential consequences to him personally and professionally of admitting the truth?
• Some see this testimony as a missed opportunity for Volkswagen. Can you explain this point of view?

A Tough Interview

A New York Times article compliments CNN reporter Jake Tapper for an "uncompromising" interview with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. After criticism of most TV anchors, including a soft-ball interview by Matt Lauer of Trump in September, the article is an action call to others covering the election and presidency. 

The toughest issue was about Michael G. Flynn, the son of Trump's pick for national security adviser, Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn. The younger Flynn has an active social media life and has been spreading rumors, such as the one about Hillary Clinton running a child sex ring out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria, where a man, believing the story, appeared and fired a shot. Michael G.'s relationship to the administration came into question when Trump's transition team pursued security clearance for him.

Tapper pushed Pence during the interview eight times, saying, "I want to move on to other issues, but I'm afraid I just didn't get an answer." Pence called Tapper's questions a "distraction" and talked about the public's satisfaction with the president-elect's decisive action.

Tapper tried again: "You're downplaying his role, but you must be aware of the transition team putting forth security clearance." Pence says he was helping with scheduling.

Tapper again: "Are you aware that a security clearance...?" Pence finally admitted something about "paperwork.

It's a frustrating interview to watch.

Discussion Starters:

• How well did Pence handle the questioning? Should he have handled it differently?
• The New York Times writer says this type of questioning should be the norm, not the exception. Do you agree?
• Has TV reporting changed over time? Have reporters gotten less aggressive, as some claim? If so, why do you think this is the case?

Comms About the Oakland Warehouse Fire

Oakland city officials and others are commenting on the "Ghost Ship" warehouse fire that killed at least 36 people who gathered for a concert party. A refrigerator may have caused the fire, but the building was under investigation for illegal living areas and potentially hazardous garbage on the property. A press release from the City of Oakland gives some history:

The last permitted use of the building was as a warehouse. On November 13, 2016, the City of Oakland received complaints of blight and unpermitted interior construction at the building. On November 17, 2016, a City building inspector visited the property and verified the blight complaint, but could not gain access to the building to confirm the other complaint regarding unpermitted construction. This is an ongoing investigation.

Members of the police department, sheriff's office, and others held a news conference on Sunday: 

Reporting has been painful, as more bodies have been found, most people in their 20s and 30s. We don't yet know whether the warehouse owners or Ghost Ship managers will be charged. One of the managers, Derick Ion Almena, said of the tragedy: "They're my children. They're my friends, they're my family, they're my loves, they're my future. What else do I have to say?" Later, he posted, "Confirmed. Everything I worked so hard for is gone. Blessed that my children and Micah were at a hotel safe and sound ... it's as if I have awoken from a dream filled with opulence and hope ... to be standing now in poverty of self worth."

A New York Times article blames rising housing prices in the Bay Area and in other cities in the United States:

The victims died because they were trapped in a tinderbox. Yet the economic backdrop of the tragedy is also important because it shows how rising rents and fears of eviction can push vulnerable people in a desperate search for housing to unsafe spaces.

For some artists, Ghost Ship offered a rarity: a place to work and sleep. 

Image source.

Discussion Starters:

• Almena was criticized for his first comment, which sounded cold. What else should he have said?
• Assess the news conference speakers. What advice would you give them for improving crisis communications and presentation delivery?

Diageo Bans PowerPoint

Diageo, an alcoholic beverages company, has banned PowerPoint presentations at some meetings. In an AdAge article, James Thompson, the company's North American chief marketing and innovation officer, describes his perspective:

"It stops conversation. It makes people feel secure they've communicated what they wanted to. But, in fact, it doesn't move anything on," he said. So he has instituted a PowerPoint ban in some meetings. "Just talk to me, please" is his plea. His goal is to ensure his marketing team is "not totally buttoned-up all the time," he said. "We just want people to be at their best, and that is usually when they are able to think and respond and build rather than sell."

The change is part of other efforts, for example, hiring, to revive the company culture. Thompson said, "I've got nothing against MBA programs," but he is recruiting people from different sources instead of "where people came into the organization in a very conventional way and worked their way up in a very conventional way."

Discussion Starters:

• Do you agree with Diageo's decision? What are potential consequences of the decision?
• What could be some alternatives to a ban on PowerPoint?
• If you banned PowerPoint at some meetings, which type of meetings would you include?
• Consider different types of PowerPoints discussed in the text book. How are some outputs better for some audiences?