TJ WALKER - THE HABIT INFLUENCER - Personal Development | LIVE STREAM

6 Apr 2012 · 2 min

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1:34

A short live-stream segment by T.J. Walker discussing a controversial Facebook post by Danny Gilbert (an assistant to DNC chair Deborah Wasserman Schultz) that used a derogatory term on a 2006 photo. Walker focuses on the media and political fallout, praises the quick apology as effective damage control, and emphasizes lessons for public behavior on social media and crisis response.

Chapters

From New York, here's T.J. walker. In the news, the Democratic National Committee head, Deborah Wasserman Schultz has an assistant, Danny Gilbert, who had a controversial Facebook posting, a picture of her from 2006 with the term Jew bag on it. Now this is offensive to a lot of people. It certainly seems derogatory. The irony, of course, is this woman is the official liaison to the Jewish community. From Deborah Wasserman Schultz, this made it to the Drudge Report. And it puts the Democratic Party in a position of having to defend, which is never good. How was the damage control? They did get out quickly. The woman in question, Danny Gilbert, put out a statement apologizing, saying, I wish, no offense, I'm very sorry if it hurt anyone's feelings. Didn't try to defend. Very important for something like this, you don't try to defend. You say you're sorry, you apologize for offending people. And that can diffuse the issue and keep the issue from growing day after day. One little blunder like this typically doesn't destroy a career. If it's a one day story, if you don't handle it quickly, if you don't apologize, it can grow and fester. So the real lesson here is don't put stupid things on Facebook. People will find it just because you took it down, it can live on. Number two, when you're caught, apologize quickly and that will defuse the controversy. I'm T.J. walker for media Training Worldwide.