OM DENNE EPISODE
Do your human, empathetic PR statements keep getting "killed" by the legal team? In this episode of the Powerful Communication Podcast, Colin Kelly discusses how to bridge the gap between communications and legal departments to avoid looking cold and corporate.
We explore the fundamental tension between legal risk—the lawyer's domain—and reputational survival, which is the priority of the PR professional. You will learn practical strategies to turn legal colleagues into allies before a crisis hits, including how to challenge the perceived hierarchy between the two roles.
Key topics covered include:
- Separating Empathy from Liability: How to use "emotional bookends" to express regret and well-being while leaving factual and operational details to the legal experts.
- Pre-Approved Vocabulary: Why agreeing on a set of terms in advance can streamline your response during a crisis.
- Risk Mitigation: How to position yourself as a partner in protecting the company's future, rather than an adversary to the legal team.
- Avoiding Public Backlash: Why "no further comment" is a mistake and how to get your statement right the first time to prevent a secondary crisis.
Whether you work in PR, Comms, or HR, this episode provides a roadmap for setting legal boundaries while maintaining the flexibility to be human, warm, and real.
