Why Truth In Messaging Matters So Much: 5 Lessons for Health Care Communicators To Remember

“Can you picture Brian Williams in one of those Southwest Airlines ‘Want to Get Away?’ commercials?” posits David M. Mastovich, MBA, President and CEO of MASSolutions, an integrated marketing firm based in Pittsburgh.

Mastovich, of course, is referring to the disgraced NBC Nightly News Anchor, suspended for six months after misrepresenting events that occurred while he was covering the Iraq War in 2003. And more to the point, Mastovich—in a new SHCM article—is referring to the epic, gleeful shaming the Internet indulged in when the story broke.

As just one example among dozens, if not hundreds, here’s my favorite tweet from the #BrianWilliamsMemories meme:

#BrianWilliamsMemories "I said Martin, do you dream?, he said yes. I said, 'well, tell the folks about your dreams" pic.twitter.com/SnjbvOm1Pn

— TheObamaDiary.com (@TheObamaDiary) February 5, 2015

It goes without saying that you don’t want to find yourself in a similar position someday—which is why scrupulous attention to truth in our messaging is so important. “As our parents and kindergarten teachers taught us, telling the truth is a good thing. But it’s also the practical approach,” Mastovich says.

For example, authenticity sells. As Mastovich puts it: “Staying true to yourself or your company’s core beliefs builds your identity and instills trust. Others can relate to you, your organization, and your services.”

David Mastovich

Additionally, it’s important to remember that the truth will always come out. “With media and public relations, telling the truth is essential. You can pick your favorite media gaffe that resulted from a public figure being less than truthful. The media will find and report contradictions and in the Internet age, the story can potentially reach the masses within minutes,” Mastovich says.

Read the full article to get all of Mastovich’s messaging truths to remember. Take them to heart, and it may just keep you or your organization from living through a communicator’s hashtag nightmare. Truth in Messaging—Or Else: 5 Lessons from Brian Williams, Walmart, and GNC

Best regards,
Matt Humphrey
President