By now everyone reading this blog has either seen or read about Tiger Woods’ press conference where for the first time he publicly apologized for his actions during and leading up to Thanksgiving weekend. If you haven’t watch you can view Tiger’s public statement here.

I’ve touched on crisis PR in the past (even on the Tiger Woods issue) and I’ll say it again for the small business and entrepreneur readers of this blog. If and when you ever find yourself in a crisis situation, the best thing to do is come clean, admit your mistakes, apologize, and talk about the steps you’ll take to make amends. Most important, though, is that you must truly show a sincere compassion for those you’ve hurt. I’d rate Tiger’s “performance” during his public apology as a C+ since I wasn’t convinced that his statement came from the heart. Why do I think this way? Because too much of it sounded scripted. It also would have helped had he stood there answering questions – of which he did not.

Use this counsel if you ever find yourself in a crisis PR situation. Your customers, too, will want to know you’re doing more than just reading from a script. They’ll want to see pain and emotion in you before they will be able to empathize and possibly even rally around you.

Here is a roundup of what other bloggers have said over the past few days:

Gail Sideman, who questions Tiger’s leadership team and their decisions.

Peter Shankman, on why Tiger has nothing to worry about.

Jon Newman, who says Tiger’s mannerisms, or lack thereof, spoke loud and clear.

No One Else Like Tiger

Pay close attention to Peter Shankman’s post. In it he talks about the power Tiger has over his audience, other golfers, sponsors and, of course, the media. Tiger hasn’t handled his crisis the way other people, companies or organizations SHOULD handle a crisis. Sadly, that’s because he can, and most likely will, get away with it.

Tiger can command to call the shots – even after all that has transpired. In fact, market research firm NPD most recently said just 5 percent of consumers said they would cut back or stop purchasing altogether products that he endorses. Again, virtually no other person, company nor organization would “enjoy” numbers like this.

The message? Don’t use Tiger’s crisis PR as your personal playbook because, quite simply, you aren’t Tiger.

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