Comments on: Media Training: Bill Clinton Shows Businesses Why They Must Address Their Critics http://www.theflipsidecommunications.com/2012/09/media-training-bill-clinton-shows-businesses-why-they-must-address-their-critics/ The Flip Side Communications Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:04:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Duncan Matheson http://www.theflipsidecommunications.com/2012/09/media-training-bill-clinton-shows-businesses-why-they-must-address-their-critics/comment-page-1/#comment-4318 Duncan Matheson Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:45:51 +0000 http://www.theflipsidecommunications.com/?p=3063#comment-4318 A very good blog that makes some excellent points, however I do quibble with the suggestion that it is always the best policy to address criticisms. In Bill Clinton’s case in this instance, absolutely, and he did it masterfully. But in most cases it is best to weigh the pros and cons of addressing criticism rather than automatically addressing it. And there definitely are cons, the biggest of which are that you will be drawing more attention to it, and that it will drive you off your key messages.

So you ask yourself – is the criticism such that if I don’t address it, it will remain a distraction – an elephant in the room? And if I address it, will that help it go away as a negative? Is it worth taking focus off my other messages to deal with it?

My point is that there is no absolute here. It is a matter of, in each case, weighing the pros and cons and then deciding. But in this case, Clinton’s instincts were bang on, and he nailed it.

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