Leaders to Learn From: How to Speak in Crisis

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has become one of the most prominent voices in the COVID-19 pandemic.  As Vulture TV critic Jen Chaney writes, “Andrew Cuomo’s Daily Press Briefing is the Most Important Show on TV.”

Cuomo has a tough job in his daily briefing: He must deliver terrible news about the virus – and inspire and empower people to do everything they can to flatten the curve. The audience needs to feel empowered by his words.  And Cuomo needs to make this clear before he delivers the facts.  In other words, he needs to set the emotional context.

Before jumping to the facts, each briefing Cuomo masterfully explains how he wants the audience to feel when they hear those facts.  For example, in last Thursday’s briefing Cuomo set the context by invoking specific emotional terms – exactly the items his audience has on its mind:

“First, what I try to communicate in these briefings is the facts of the situation. And facts can be uplifting. They can be depressing at times, they can be confusing at times, but I think facts are empowering. In a situation like this, not knowing the facts is worse because that’s when you feel out of control or when you feel that you’re getting selective facts or you’re being deceived by the information you’re getting. That is actually the worst situation.”

He explains that the audience should view the facts through a lens of empowerment. If the audience feels empowered, they will be more likely to take action.  Cuomo disarms his audience by acknowledging emotion up front. This helps people hear his message and feel empowered.  Cuomo comes across as honest and a leader who ‘gets’ what his audience is feeling.

From the Green Room: When you need to deliver tough information, it is tempting to jump right into the facts. This is a mistake. It is critical to first set the emotional context, so that your audience knows how you want them to feel when they hear your information.  This allows them to hear the facts.