Many organizations use press releases to announce events, performances,
mergers and acquisitions, promotions, and other positive business
developments. They can also be used effectively to announce bad
news. Jim, CEO of an auto parts manufacturer, used a press release to
announce a downturn in sales, for example.
“I met with all employees in person, of course. But using a press release
allowed us to control how the news was positioned to the public. I used
the Diplomatic No organizational structure and it worked well. Don’t get
me wrong: Bad news is bad news, but it could have been much worse if
our stockholders, vendors, and customers heard rumors before we’d made
the announcement.”
The introductory sentence in Jim’s press release was in the third person
and used the passive voice, usually a style to be avoided. But in this
case it resulted in a rational, calm tone that was necessary to avoid
rumors. It began:
38