Fixing communications miscues of 2009

There isn't much point in rehashing the great communications miscues of 2009. But it might be worthwhile looking at how they can be fixed in 2010.

1. Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and his platform (or lack of one): After just a year on the job both Iggy's brand and reputation are in deep trouble. The immediate challenge for the leader and his party is to make themselves heard and seen during the two-month limbo of Parliament.

But the shutdown of Parliament also presents an opportunity for Iggy to let Canadians get to know him and what his party stands for. The Liberals' upcoming policy conference in Montreal presents an opportunity to start showing Canadians the Liberal party's vision for the 21st century. Simply attacking the Tories and repeating the mantra of past Grit achievements won't cut it anymore. Rightly executed the Montreal policy conference could be what the Aylmer conference was to Jean Chretien and his party in 1991.

It also wouldn't hurt to lighten up a bit, go on Rick Mercer and maybe hit some small towns or even some shopping malls in the 905 belt. There isn't much future being known as the Harvard don who lives in Yorkville.

One advantage Iggy can count on is the personality of his opponent. Stephen Harper seems to have difficulty missing the chance of being an SOB. Just as the Tories were able to cast Paul Martin (justifiably or not) as Mr. Dithers in 2006, it should not be hard to cast the Rt. Hon. Stephen as Mr. Meanie or even the Dictator.

It is now or never.

2. Tiger Woods: It is a bad sign when someone like John Daly thinks you should reinvent yourself. But never mind. If George W. Bush can go from being a drunk to President and Ted Kennedy can redeem himself to become the conscience of a nation, there is hope for Tiger.

Just about anyone can pull off a makeover if they are methodical and determined enough. Tiger already has a charitable foundation doing goodworks. All he has to do is crank up the image of himself doing good works.

To complete the makeover, Tiger should go on Oprah and spend a half hour being contrite about what a shit he has been. That should do it.

3. Stephen Harper: Somewhere in the pile of report cards from the Rt. Honourable's high school days at Etobicoke Richview Collegiate in suburban Toronto, there is probably a notation that says "Stephen should try to be more of a people person." Sure, Harper made a lot of progress this past year with his piano and song debut at the National Arts Centre. People actually started to like him. But then it was business as usual with the Afghan detainees scandal and Stephen defaulting to the nastier side of his character.

Part of the problem may be that Harper hasn't quite made up his mind whether he wants to be a backroom boy -- where one can be a professional SOB -- or a modern retail politician, where one has to not only get along with people but actually like them. Time to decide.

No time to delay fixing H1N1 miscues

By now it should be apparent to everyone in Canada there have been problems with the way governments have been communicating with the public during the current H1N1 crisis.

The flue pandemic may be far from over. But already there are widespread predictions of some sort of judicial inquiry when the pandemic is finally over to sort out who screwed up what at which level of government.

Such an inquiry would be a good idea when the time comes. But that doesn't mean Ottawa and the provinces should wait for an inquiry instead of doing some quick fixing.

After all, this could be a two-part pandemic. In 2003, public officials had to announce that SARS was back just a few weeks after pronouncing that crisis over.

And certainly this pandemic will not be our last health crisis.

In fairness, changes have already started. Ottawa's admission last week that it made a mistake in relying on just one supplier instead of two for vaccine was a good start. Contrition and candor never hurt when it is necessary to get a program back on track.

Ottawa seems to have made Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief medical officer of health, the lead spokesperson in this crisis instead of Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. This is a good move. The honourable minister needs to do some more apprenticeship time.

Ottawa is also doing more prominent advertising featuring Dr. Butler-Jones and telling Canadians where they can find out more information about H1N1.

All these things should have been done earlier. But better late than never.

All levels of government should do something about confusion. Blasting information at people without any kind of organization or strategy doesn't automatically mean transparency.

As Dr. John Maxted, an associate director at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, noted recently, Public Health Agency of Canada may have been overzealous in trying to be transparent. There was often confusion in the way the agency was rushing information to the public only to see it change, he said.

There also have been inconsistencies in information doled out by different levels of government involved.

This would suggest a problem of which most public relations professionals are well aware. The professional communicators are being handed a communications plan and told to implement it instead of being involved in strategic planning.

There needs to be a common and strategic narrative with two or three key messages that will stand up from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and for several weeks. Confusing people or not caring about their comprehension is as bad as secrecy.

Let's hope there is time before the next public health crisis for all levels of governments and health bureaucrats to learn from the mistakes of this one.

As always, I welcome your views.