One last item to tick off the list for last year before I get fully up to speed in 2011:  who were the best communicators in 2010 – and why?  I’m inspired by a list of the best and worst put out by Decker Communications.  Their list includes many that I agree with, but because it also includes some partisan political choices (really, there were no good Democratic communicators in 2010? Not one?), I’m not going to address it specifically.  Instead, I’m going to talk about what makes a great public communicator and what lessons we can learn from those 2010 examples.  So here goes:  my top 5 communications lessons from 2010.

(1) Anger is a powerful, attractive emotion – but use it with caution. 

The political season brought many good and bad communicators to the fore, but a consistent winner was the Angry Anti-Washington politician.  It worked as long as the candidate was smart, focused, and not simply about anger (Scott Brown).  When the candidate was dumb, unfocused, or crazy, it didn’t work (Christine O’Donnell).  Voters are not stupid, and elections are both won and lost, something that the winners usually forget.  For example, Scott Brown won the by-election in Massachusetts not only because he was an effective communicator, but also because his opponent, Martha Coakley, was ineffective, and managed to insult not only Massachusetts voters, but also Red Sox fans, something you don’t do in the Bay State. 

(2) To manage a tricky situation, you need to show you care by showing how you feel.  

The BP oil spill in the Gulf provided a wonderful object lesson in how to do it, and how not to do it.  The infamous Tony Hayward, who wanted his life back, got it, but not in the way he wanted, because he appeared to be responding (ineptly) moment to moment with indifference or distance.  By contrast, Admiral Thad Allen provided a no-nonsense, steady persona that seemed real and recognizable.  We could understand his emotions, and we respected them, where Hayward’s seemed disengaged and more than a little baffling. 

(3) To hold the public’s interest for long, you need a strong narrative. 

By far the best story in 2010 was the rescue of the Chilean miners.  The President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, put together an extraordinary communications experience for the rest of the world.  We collectively held our breaths for the 35 days, uncertain of the outcome, and then celebrated with the entire country when the rescue finally came.  Pinera made it all happen, and he committed to a full media presence before he knew that the result would be a happy one. 

(4) When you’re in the hot seat, nothing less than complete transparency will do. 

It’s astonishing to me that organizations and individuals still try to hoodwink the public in this era of full disclosure.  For every company trying to get away with something, there is a whistle blower.  For every individual trying to hide something, there is a chauffeur, or maid, or ex-love that will dish the dirt.  For every organization trying to conceal a sordid deal, there’s YouTube.  Tiger Woods found this out, as did countless companies trying to hide mistreatment, malfeasance, or misadventure. 

(5) If you’re not ready for prime time, get out of the way and let someone else do the job.  

It might have been possible once for hardy amateurs to withstand public scrutiny, but the scrum is simply too vicious today for people who aren’t ready or who don’t have the ability to think fast enough on their feet to survive a press grilling.  Most of us aren’t as good as we think we are, but some of us are just not up to the 21st century game, and we should have the sense to let someone else do it.  Of course, Tony Hayward is the poster child for PR incompetence at the highest level, but so is Harry Reid and (to hand out equal treatment to both parties) Bobby Jindal.