Sonoma County Budget Woes Require Good Communication to Build Trust
By Gina Cuclis
An article in Friday's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, about the Sonoma County budget, inspired me to deviate from this blog's usual theme to discuss the relationship between communication and trust.
Budget Cuts, Employee Concessions
As the Press Democrat reports, Sonoma County administrators are seeking concessionsfrom county employees to help close the county's $61.6million budget gap. What raised the communication = trust issue for me were the statements by union leaders that they had not received information from county managers about how many jobs would be saved with concessions.
I know the newspaper likes to find controversy and focus on the drama of disagreement. So I realize the county administrator may not have that information yet and may intend to soon provide it. But I'm compelled to discuss the trust issue, because this situation provides an example for why a commitment to frequent communication during a crisis is important.
Lack of Communication Breeds Mistrust
PR pros and crisis communications experts know this. Lack of communication will make an already tense situation worse. Without frequent, honest and clear communication during a crisis, the stakeholders most impacted won't trust those in charge. If the situation involves groups or individuals with a history of being adversarial, the relationship will quickly deteriorate.
Respond to Questions Even If You Don't Know the Answer
It's common that during a crisis, management won't have all the information stakeholders want. There will be questions that can't be answered. However to maintain trust, all questions must receive a response. If the information to answer a question isn't currently available, whoever is speaking on behalf of management should say that. The spokesperson should also state that when the information is available, he/she will answer the question. An estimated timeframe for when the information will be available should also be provided.
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about communication and trust. If you have experience with communicating during a crisis, or other difficult situations, please share.
An article in Friday's Santa Rosa Press Democrat, about the Sonoma County budget, inspired me to deviate from this blog's usual theme to discuss the relationship between communication and trust.
Budget Cuts, Employee Concessions
As the Press Democrat reports, Sonoma County administrators are seeking concessionsfrom county employees to help close the county's $61.6million budget gap. What raised the communication = trust issue for me were the statements by union leaders that they had not received information from county managers about how many jobs would be saved with concessions.
I know the newspaper likes to find controversy and focus on the drama of disagreement. So I realize the county administrator may not have that information yet and may intend to soon provide it. But I'm compelled to discuss the trust issue, because this situation provides an example for why a commitment to frequent communication during a crisis is important.
Lack of Communication Breeds Mistrust
PR pros and crisis communications experts know this. Lack of communication will make an already tense situation worse. Without frequent, honest and clear communication during a crisis, the stakeholders most impacted won't trust those in charge. If the situation involves groups or individuals with a history of being adversarial, the relationship will quickly deteriorate.
Respond to Questions Even If You Don't Know the Answer
It's common that during a crisis, management won't have all the information stakeholders want. There will be questions that can't be answered. However to maintain trust, all questions must receive a response. If the information to answer a question isn't currently available, whoever is speaking on behalf of management should say that. The spokesperson should also state that when the information is available, he/she will answer the question. An estimated timeframe for when the information will be available should also be provided.
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about communication and trust. If you have experience with communicating during a crisis, or other difficult situations, please share.
Posted by Gina Cuclis at 5/28/2010 10:50 AM 
Categories: Political Communications, Local Government
Tags: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors crisis communications blog Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Categories: Political Communications, Local Government
Tags: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors crisis communications blog Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Gina, your points are well made. Speaking from the inside, my experience thus far is that the communication from the CAOs office is very much improved from previous renditions. Similarly, although they are limited in what they can say, those in the know about negotiations indicate things are moving ahead. As for the department I am in, HSD, we are being informed every step of the way but it's still a very difficult dilemma, with lots of uncertainties. There is a reservoir of trust among the rank and file, that will certainly ebb and flow.
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