Silence is golden, unless it harms your brand’s reputation

Silence, as the old saying goes, is golden. It’s a proverb most of us are familiar with. It suggests that knowing when to say nothing at all can often be the most powerful tactic in tense situations.

From small businesses to large corporates, it’s a tactic deployed more often than you might imagine in this world of seemingly endless noise and chatter. 

On the surface, it can be seen as an obvious PR tactic for brands and senior managers. I’ve often quoted to clients the famous Mark Twain line: “It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” 

But in public relations, silence creates an information vacuum. And if you don’t manage the narrative by providing information and leadership, the consumer, the media and even your competitors will inevitably fill that void with speculation, rumours or even misinformation that may well impact your brand’s reputation, and be detrimental to your business and its future income.

Sometimes, when we have a problem that may impact a client, we stay quiet so we can sort it out without causing undue concern; other times we may feel that if there’s no progress to report, there’s no point telling them, as it may give a poor impression.

To be fair, that’s a human trait. We stay silent to avoid unnecessary conflict. But by doing so we often open a whole can of worms.

Radio silence

I was reminded of this paradox by two recent incidents – one that happened to me, one to a friend. The first involved a local plumber I’d asked to replace a shower in my bathroom. He came to measure up, said he’d get the appropriate parts, and pencilled in a date for installation. 

That was the last I heard. As the day got closer, I called to check all was OK. No response. The day passed with no communication. Several more calls went unanswered, and I started looking for other plumbers to take on the job.

Then, out of the blue, my missing plumber got in touch – he’d finally received the parts, which the supplier had struggled to source – and said he’d be round the next day to install the shower.

When I pointed out he’d maintained radio silence throughout, and had come within a hairsbreadth of losing the job, he expressed surprise at my concern. A simple call stating the parts were taking longer than expected would have placated me.

Information vacuum

If that sounds limited to businesses with no PR departments to advise them, don’t be fooled. A friend of mine, that same week, was flying from Heathrow to Prague aboard one of the biggest airlines in the world.

He and other passengers turned up for the evening flight and found it delayed.  Was it the weather or technical trouble? No explanation was given. The flight was eventually announced, then delayed again, and again, until three hours later it was cancelled and everyone was ejected from the terminal.

What shocked him was that the airline had barely communicated with passengers, nor offered any advice, throughout. “They just kept us in an information vacuum,” he said. 

As my friend, an experienced business traveller, pointed out, delays and cancellations happen – it was the complete absence of communication, the wall of silence, that has since coloured his view of the airline and its reputation.

One of the first things I was taught as a young PR account manager was to use something called incremental reporting – it is about keeping communication channels open at all times, reporting and updating often, even when the message is that there’s nothing to report.

I remember innocently asking whether constant communication would get on clients’ nerves. The answer has stuck with me ever since: “You will never get sacked for over-communication.”

Is silence golden, as the proverb says? Perhaps – but not when it creates an information vacuum that damages your business.