Data Visualizations with Pop-Up Text

An NBC data visualization packs in a lot of data at-a-glance. With a simple table format and color, the graphic shows inflation for items over time. The chart is a good example of an alternative to the boring line and column or bar chart.

Later in the article, NBC does include two line charts, which work fine for more simple data—trends of single variables over time. But inflation is complicated, driven by key sectors, which this graphic illustrates.

The pop-up (hover over) text makes it easy to zoom into the data and add interactivity to graphics. Pop-up text functionality has been available in PowerPoint and Excel for years, and it’s easy to use. This feature add layers to data visualizations and can be effective for slide decks that people read on their own or for presenters to highlight important data points.

Recall Notice

Every so often, I post a recall notice—an example of a bad-news message. These warnings often follow a template, and we see how the company handles the communication in both a government announcement and for its customers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted an official announcement from Natierra about high levels of lead in its organic freeze-dried blueberries. As expected, the statement includes which packages are affected, what effects the lead could have, how to get a refund, and what the company is doing to correct the situation. The ending reassures company stakeholders:

First and foremost, we remain focused on the health and welfare of our employees, customers, and partners. We are committed to taking the appropriate steps to ensure our network and services continue to operate seamlessly for our customers.

Contrasting this message with one posted on Natierra’s website, we see some similar language, but the website message is a bit more conversational and customer focused. The ending varies only with an introductory phrase, including “you”:

To continue to be the brand you trust and enjoy, we remain focused on the health and welfare of our employees, customers, and partners. We are committed to taking the appropriate steps to ensure our network and services continue to operate seamlessly for our customers.

Customers can expand headings under “FAQ—VOLUNTARY RECALL QUESTIONS” that provide the same information as in the FDA statement but in a friendlier format.

In both statements, we see the company taking responsibility and acting with integrity: being accountable for the problem and demonstrating transparency in the communication.

Using Alt Text for Its Intended Purpose

An alternative-text feature allows blind readers and those with low vision to hear descriptions of what they can’t see online. The point is to improve digital accessibility. NASA uses the feature with an “ALT” link that opens an “Image Description.”

This Harvard Digital Accessibility guide provides tips for writing good alt text:

• Add alt text all non-decorative images.

• Keep it short and descriptive, like a tweet.

• Don’t include “image of” or “photo of.”

• Leave alt text blank if the image is purely decorative

• It's not necessary to add text in the Title field.

I would amend this list by suggesting that writers limit the number of “purely decorative” images in favor of meaningful ones.

Twitter users and others are frustrated by alt text that doesn’t meet these criteria and, worse, is used for purposes other than increasing accessibility. Unfortunately, people are using this feature for source information, additional captions, or jokes. Of course, this does nothing to help users who need assistance navigating web content—the intended purpose of alt text.

TikTok Announces Security Officer Change

Following pressure from U.S. lawmakers to increase security, TikTok announced a new Global Chief Security Officer, although the company denies a connection between data concerns and the decision. The company statement is unusual in that it’s written by the outgoing officer, Roland Cloutier. It’s not until the penultimate paragraph of the statement, in a section labeled, “A Message from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and ByteDance VP of Technology Dingkun Hong,” that Kim Albarella is announced as the interim head.

Cloutier will stay on in a “strategic advisory role,” and Albarella’s position is interim, but still, similar leader change announcements tend to have the main voice as the CEO or board chair with quotes from outgoing leaders. This approach could reflect TikTok’s organizational structure—being owned by ByteDance, a Chinese multinational company, which is causing particular alarm about data security.

The announcement is a public post from an internal message to employees, in which case, having Cloutier author the statement may make sense. Still, we read very little about Albarella, and I wonder why that is. Overall, the message focuses much more on past accomplishments than future plans, and Cloutier writes nothing about her at all.

Image source.

Starbucks Message About Store Safety

Responding to employee concerns about crime, drug use, and other challenging incidents in several stores, Starbucks announced 16 store closings. The company promised to redeploy partners in those locations and reassured all workers that safety is a priority.

As usual, Starbucks posted a message on its public blog. The title, “Message to Starbucks partners: Safety in our stores,” starts with empathy, acknowledging that employees’ concerns have been heard. Two senior VPs of operations wrote, “We read every incident report you file—it’s a lot.”

The message provides eight ways the company will ramp up safety protections for store employees. Training, policies, alarm systems, counselors, health benefits, etc. demonstrate accountability and compassion.

Of course, this communication comes on the heels of increased union activity in Starbucks stores. Still, the company does seem to be "doing the right thing” for its employees, and the message is clear, well organized, and audience focused. One example of audience focus is mentioning the possibility of closing stores but not announcing the specific closures, which affect some employees but not all, as this message is intended.

Twitter Is Silent About Outage

Timing for a Twitter outage is unfortunate today, as the company is suing Elon Musk, trying to prevent him from backing out of his $44 billion purchase bid. During the 40 minutes when users worldwide reported access issues, Twitter’s own status page claimed “all systems operational,” according to Verge.

More than an hour after the app was back online, the company was still quiet quiet on the issue. “Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment,” according to Reuters, and I see nothing on the blog or the communications or main company Twitter accounts. Even Elon Musk’s account is silent.

Seems as though the company leaders should say something—or maybe I’m missing it?

Image source.

New Uber Document Leaks

Internal Uber documents from 2013 - 2017 prove what many have thought about the company under the leadership of founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. More than 124,000 illustrate how Uber, according to a Guardian article, “louted laws, duped police, exploited violence against drivers and secretly lobbied governments during its aggressive global expansion.” Company executives admitted to acting like “pirates.” One wrote, “We’re just f—ing illegal.”

In Building Leadership Character, I profiled Kalanick’s leadership as a example of failing humility. As a dimension of character, humility is being “rightsized”—believing you’re neither below nor above others. Bragging about skirting the law is an obvious illustration of a lack of humility.

A spokesperson for Kalanick responded to what is called the “Uber files.” The message itself demonstrates failing humility, including an inability to learn from mistakes. (Of course Kalanick may face legal in addition to image challenges.) Instead of taking responsibility, the spokesperson questions the authenticity of the documents and tries to distance Kalanick from them:

In pressing its false agenda that Mr Kalanick directed illegal or improper conduct, the ICIJ [International Consortium of Investigative Journalists] claims to have documents that Mr Kalanick was on or even authored, some of which are almost a decade old.

As a crisis communication strategy, distancing is often effective. Uber employs the same strategy in its statement, for example, “When we say Uber is a different company today, we mean it literally: 90 percent of current Uber employees joined after Dara became CEO.” The company admits mistakes and uses that fact as the impetus for change: “It’s also exactly why Uber hired a new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, who was tasked with transforming every aspect of how Uber operates.”

Business communication students can analyze both responses as crisis and persuasive communications. Which is more effective in restoring image?

Image source.

Meta Bad-News Email to Staff

Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox is direct in telling employees that “serious times” are ahead. The press reports contents of a “memo,” which appears to be a formal email or perhaps post on an intranet.

Organized by six “investment priorities,” the memo starts neutrally: “Every six months, we take stock of our product portfolio and investment plans across the company to assess how we are doing and chart the way forward.” But the tone and recommendations clearly represent tough decisions ahead that affect staff.

With no specific plans for layoffs, warnings come at the end of the memo:

I have to underscore that we are in serious times here and the headwinds are fierce. We need to execute flawlessly in an environment of slower growth, where teams should not expect vast influxes of new engineers and budgets. We must prioritize more ruthlessly, be thoughtful about measuring and understanding what drives impact, invest in developer efficiency and velocity inside the company, and operate leaner, meaner, better exciting teams.

Business communication students will notice lots of jargon, for example, “These are the areas where we see the biggest opportunities for angle-changes in the value we can deliver for people, or businesses, or for our own business, by investing disproportionately relative to our current baseline.” Out with the old; in with the new?

The memo echos a recent meeting CEO Mark Zuckerberg held with staff. Demonstrating vulnerability, he said that Meta is facing the “worst downturns that we’ve seen in recent history” and that hiring will slow. He also gave staff permission to leave:

I think some of you might decide that this place isn’t for you, and that self-selection is OK with me, [and]“Realistically, there are probably a bunch of people at the company who shouldn’t be here.

These warnings are helpful to manage employees’ expectations and to get them on board for the type of belt-tightening company leaders want. Meta might lose people, but this is an attrition strategy that could work in the company’s favor—opening up positions for new people with skills Meta needs going forward.

Boris Johnson's Resignation Speech

British PM Boris Johnson’s resignation speech is a lesson in delivery skills. Johnson reads a script and yet sounds natural—he uses conversational language and comes across as authentic.

Johnson resisted calls for his resignation, both at this point and previously, when lawmakers believed other transgressions were cause for him to leave office, for example, holding parties that violated Covid guidelines. The “final straw" was when Johnson hired someone who faced sexual misconduct charges. Although Johnson denied knowing about the claims, he later admitted that he did know. Two high-ranking officials resigned, followed by several others.

The speech, 6.5 minutes long, begins with his decision and the “will of the Parliamentary Conservative Party” that a new leader should be instated. He then highlights successes during his tenure, including Brexit, Covid actions, and supporting the Ukrainian people during the war. Expressing regret, he concedes that “no one is indispensable.” At the same time, he acknowledges that some people will be “relieved” and, with colloquial language says, “Them’s the breaks.”

Ending with gratitude for the job, lawmakers, and the public, Johnson leaves on a positive note about the future of the United Kingdom. Despite issues of integrity throughout his time as PM, Johnson does the right, if not obvious, thing in the end.

TikTok Tries to Reassure Senators

Two letters illustrate persuasive communication for students to analyze. The first is a letter from nine republican U.S. senators following a BuzzFeed article, “Leaked Audio From 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China.”

The second is TikTok’s response. After a few introductory paragraphs (which say very little, in my opinion), CEO Shou Zi Chew tackles each question in sequence.

As we might expect, some responses are clearer than others. In a fairly obvious obfuscation, Chew doesn’t respond to sub-questions (a, b, c, etc.) individually. Question 9, about Beijing parent company ByteDance and a newly named subsidiary, is particularly confusing.

Despite company efforts, at least one senator believes TikTok should testify before Congress.

Image source.

More Documents Show McKinsey's Role in Promoting Drugs

McKinsey has already paid close to a $600 million settlement for its consulting work with Purdue Pharma that fueled the opioid crisis. Now, as part of that investigation, new evidence has emerged about its role with other companies.

For example, McKinsey worked with Endo, which ramped up sales as part of a “blitz” recommended by McKinsey. In some cases, McKinsey suggested focusing on more potent products and, as we saw with Purdue, targeting physicians and developing aggressive sales incentive programs.

Endo sold Opana, which became an injected street-drug and caused an HIV outbreak. Still, McKinsey suggested ways to increase sales. McKinsey also recommended ways to avoid taxes, which, although technically legal, President Obama called tax “abuse.”

McKinsey promoted itself as having “in-depth experience in narcotics.” In one document, McKinsey boasted, “We serve the majority of the leading players.” That persuasive language has come back to bite the company.

Examples from the McKinsey document trove are included in 11th edition of Business Communication and Character to illustrate persuasive communication, writing style, and a lack of integrity. Newly released documents illustrate internal debate; for example, one consultant wrote, “We may not have done anything wrong, but did we ask ourselves what the negative consequences of the work we were doing was, and how it could be minimized?”

McKinsey may have hoped that the large settlement and public email to staff at the time would have ended the company’s trouble. But more criticism and lawsuits may be looming.

Lizzo Apologizes for Ableist Slur

Singer and songwriter Lizzo apologized to fans and critics, many of them on TikTok, offended by the term “spaz” in her new song, “GRRRLS.” One tweet explained the controversy:

@lizzo please re-release “grrrls” without the ablist [sic] slur. That word is not kind to disabled people. Your music is global and you have a voice folks listen to. We are trusting and asking you to release it without the slur.

Others mentioned their surprise because the singer “champions women, plus size people and others whom society treats poorly, Lizzo preaches inclusivity and should do better.”

Lizzo responded with an apology that demonstrates accountability and authenticity. She admitted the mistake, announced a new version, and highlighted her own identity. The apology could have been improved by recognizing how the term is offensive and harmful. Regardless, fans seemed to appreciate the response and, overall, the apology was effective.

Airbnb Announces Party Ban

Airbnb’s message banning parties could be considered good news or bad, depending on your perspective. The company’s decision follows a temporary ban during the pandemic, when public gathering spots shut down and parties in rental homes increased. At the time, the rationale was to prevent COVID-19 spread and to reduce the negative impact on neighborhood, a common complaint about Airbnb even before the pandemic.

The decision is easier now—a continuation of the ban rather than a new announcement. As the company wrote in the statement, “It’s been working.” The rationale is clear, and the message is well organized with “Key Takeaways” at the beginning and message titles as headings. Points address concerns of three likely audiences: hosts, neighbors, and guests.

Whether you consider the news good or bad, the statement is an example of a persuasive message. The goal is to stop parties and to win favor of neighbors and municipalities frustrated with noise and other negative effects of short-term rentals, for example, diminished housing inventory and higher home prices. In this regard, the company is demonstrating accountability, although, of course, some would like Airbnb to do more.

BBB's Balanced Executive Change Announcement

On the day that Bed Bath & Beyond posted dismal first-quarter results, the company announced two leadership departures. Like most of these types of news releases, the statement includes quotes from the board chair complimenting the outgoing leaders.

But in this case, the statement starts with a clear acknowledgment of issues and plans to change:

“Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) today announced significant changes to the Company's senior leadership to focus on reversing recent results, addressing supply chain and inventory, and strengthening its balance sheet. Sue Gove, an Independent Director on the Company's Board of Directors and Chair of the Board's Strategy Committee, has been named Interim Chief Executive Officer, replacing Mark Tritton, who has left his role as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the Board.”

Interim CEO Sue Gove also reinforced the company’s turnaround strategy: "We must deliver improved results. Our shareholders, Associates, customers, and partners all expect more.”

The quote highlighting Tritton’s accomplishments, and those of the merchandising VP, who is also leaving, comes later, under the heading, “Executive Changes.”

Comparing Bed Bath’s statement to similar messages, organization and accountability are probably the most obvious differences. The message sequencing illustrates the company’s primary purpose of reassuring shareholders—prioritizing financial performance over outgoing leader relationships. Although this strategy is sound, the stock fell 20.6% so far today to 5.18, a dramatic fall from its 2013 high of more than 80.

Companies Navigate Comms After Roe v. Wade

After the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, women’s constitutional right to have an abortion, companies are faced with thorny decisions about whether and how to communicate. Leaders have become more vocal on social issues, for example, gay marriage and Black Lives Matter, but this situation may be more complicated.

Several companies have expanded their health care coverage to include travel for medical procedures, but they avoid the word “abortion.” For example, Disney sent an email to staff:

“We have processes in place so that an employee who may be unable to access care in one location has affordable coverage for receiving similar levels of care in another location,” including, “family planning (including pregnancy-related decisions).”

Other companies were more direct. Back in April, after the Texas ruling that limited abortions, Yelp’s chief diversity officer said, “We want to be able to recruit and retain employees wherever they might be living,” She raised the issue of equity—access for employees who may not have the funds to travel. She also said, “The ability to control your reproductive health, and whether or when you want to extend your family, is absolutely fundamental to being able to be successful in the workplace,”

Starbucks, facing unionization efforts and staffing issues, sent three letters to partners during the past few months and posted them publicly. Each uses the word “abortion” and acknowledges different views on the subject and that some may feel “disheartened or in shock.”

How companies approach these communications reflects their business, employee base, location, and culture. We might expect Starbucks, whose founder and current interim CEO Howard Schultz has consistently been vocal on controversial issues. Starbucks leaders demonstrated courage, vulnerability, compassion, and integrity—standing up for what they believe is right, despite strong feelings on the other side.

Business Communication and Character Lessons from Jan. 6 Hearings

Not every faculty member will want to talk about the United States House Select Committee hearings about the January 6, 2021, attack on the capitol. At the time, some public school teachers were instructed not to “wade into” the events. But for faculty who are willing to take a degree of risk, the hearings serve as excellent illustrations of business communication principles and leadership character dimensions. Following are a few examples.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

Media Choice: The committee chooses different media for different purposes. Students can evaluate why they might have chosen text, interviews, scripts, live or recorded witness testimony, video, etc. and how effective each is for the purpose.

Delivery Style: Committee representatives and witnesses demonstrate a variety of delivery styles. Some are more natural/conversational or scripted than others. What is the impact of William Barr’s use of a profanity (“b—s—”)?

Claims and Evidence: The committee uses a variety of evidence to prove their claims about former President Trump’s role in trying to overturn the election. For example, the fourth hearing describes voting data in Georgia and Arizona. Students could evaluate, for any of the seven claims, which evidence was strongest and weakest. We also see examples of balancing emotional appeal (for example, Ruby Freeman’s and Shaye Moss’s testimony in the fourth hearing), logical arguments (for example, the testimony in the second hearing about laws and constitutional restrictions on former Vice President Pence’s ability to refuse to certify votes), and credibility (for example, the committee shows a link for viewers to see witness bios online). See a summary of evidence here.

Organization: The committee is trying to prove that former President Trump had a seven-part plan (listed below) to overturn the election. The points are written using message titles (or talking headings) and serve as the committee’s claims. At the beginning of each hearing, committee leaders preview the claim and evidence.

Q&A: Although some of the questions are clearly scripted, students can analyze types of questions asked and how witnesses respond. They may find notable differences between recorded and live testimony.

Email Privacy: Once again, we learn the lesson that emails, text messages, and voicemails may be made public during legal investigations; any communication is discoverable.

CHARACTER

Vulnerability: Several witnesses demonstrate vulnerability; they risk emotional exposure in addition to the targeting and harassment they already experienced.

Humility: We see former President Trump’s lack of humility in his unwillingness to accept failure or defeat.

Compassion: Committee members are compassionate when interacting with witnesses, although we see minimal emotion.

Integrity: The committee contrasts integrity of witnesses with that of former President Trump.

Courage: By participating on the committee, Republican members risk backlash from colleagues and constituents; witnesses demonstrate courage by contradicting former President Trump’s claims and, in some cases, his demands.

Accountability: Witnesses stand by their decisions, for example, in refusing to overturn election results.

Authenticity: Some witnesses and committee members come across as more “genuine” than others.

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Here are the committee’s main claims:

Trump attempted to convince Americans that significant levels of fraud had stolen the election from him despite knowing that he had, in fact, lost the 2020 election:

1. Trump had knowledge that he lost the 2020 election, but spread misinformation to the American public and made false statements claiming significant voter fraud led to his defeat;

2. Trump planned to remove and replace the Attorney General and Justice Department officials in an effort to force the DOJ to support false allegations of election fraud;

3. Trump pressured Vice President Pence to refuse certified electoral votes in the official count on January 6th, in violation of the U.S. Constitution;

4. Trump pressured state lawmakers and election officials to alter election results in his favor;

5. Trump’s legal team and associates directed Republicans in seven states to produce and send fake "alternate" electoral slates to Congress and the National Archives;

6. Trump summoned and assembled a destructive mob in Washington and sent them to march on the U.S. Capitol; and

7. Trump ignored multiple requests to speak out in real-time against the mob violence, refused to instruct his supporters to disband and failed to take any immediate actions to halt attacks on the Capitol.

"The" Ohio State Trademark

After a three-year legal process, Ohio State University was awarded the use of “The” as a trademark on its products. The Buckeyes football team, announcers, and others have emphasized “thee” at the beginning of the university name, and now it’s official. This means that only OSU can use “the” “on branded products associated with and sold through athletics and collegiate channels, such as T-shirts, baseball caps and hats.”

The university’s head of media relations said, “THE has been a rallying cry in the Ohio State community for many years, and Buckeye fans who purchase official Ohio State gear support student scholarships, libraries, and other university initiatives.” Indeed, athletic products bring in more than $12 million in annual revenue.

In a 2014 Saturday Night Live parody, players announce their crimes. When it’s Marvin Ingram’s turn, he says his crime and emphasizes “THEE” Ohio State University.

You can read about the history of “the” in the university’s name if you’re interested.

Musk's Meeting with Twitter Employees

A summary of Elon Musk’s meeting with Twitter staff gives us a window into a typical “all-hands meeting.” Employees who ask questions demonstrate courage—and humility.

Of course, in this case, employees are most concerned about their jobs if/when Musk’s acquisition of the company is final. A Wall Street Journal article describes his stance:

Regarding layoffs, Mr. Musk said anyone who is a significant contributor shouldn’t have anything to worry about, according to people who viewed the meeting. “Right now, costs exceed revenue,” he said, according to the people. “That’s not a great situation.”

Likewise, this isn’t a great response for worried staff. How do they know whether they are “a significant contributor”? Doesn’t everyone believe that they are? As one person tweeted, “still not sure if I need to start packing my bags.” The company might lose good people in the meantime—people who don’t want to stick around to see what happens.

As expected, Musk was asked how he views freedom of speech. Musk distinguished between freedom of speech and “freedom of reach,” giving the example of “walk[ing] into the middle of Times Square and deny[ing] the Holocaust" but not allowing that to be promoted. "So I think people should be allowed to say pretty outrageous things that are within the bounds of the law, but then that doesn’t get amplified. It doesn’t get, you know, a ton of reach."

A lot of uncertainty remains for Twitter employees. It’s difficult to know how sincere the meeting was. As this employee cartoon suggests, employees expected that the meeting, although billed as confidential, would be leaked. Still, the format was probably useful for employees to hear directly from Musk, which is the point of these meetings, whether in person or virtual.

Comms About Disney Leadership Changes

When companies announce leadership changes, they typically include quotes from outgoing executives, but a Disney press release mentions the head of TV only in passing. The focus of the release is on Dana Walden’s promotion to Chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content. The 817-word statement mentions Tim Rice near the end of the first paragraph:

She will have oversight of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and Onyx Collective. Walden previously served as Chairman, Entertainment, Walt Disney Television and succeeds Peter Rice, who is leaving the Company. Her appointment is effective immediately, and she will report directly to Chapek.

News reports explains that Rice was fired for differences over creative decisions, compensation, etc. The company statement could have acknowledged a bit more and demonstrated integrity and accountability for the decision; otherwise, the press carries the message.

In Walden’s email to employees, she mentions Rice in the 14th of 16 paragraphs:

In reflecting on my own professional journey, I am very fortunate to have worked alongside Peter Rice for a long time. We have been friends for almost three decades and he was my boss for eight years. He is a gifted executive, and I learned a lot from him. I know you all join me in wishing him the best in whatever he chooses to do next.

Of course, this is the right thing to do—and important for employees who may have loyalties to Rice. I respect that she didn’t sugarcoat his departure (and at least Disney isn’t claiming the weasley “mutual agreement” reason for leaving).

As always, leaders communicate by what they say and what they omit. This situation also illustrates a question for business communication students: is this bad news, good news, or a persuasive message? I would argue that it’s all three, depending on your perspective.

Fined for Writer's Block

I’m fascinated by a business in Tokyo, Manuscript Writing Cafe, that charges people if they miss the writing goal they set for their time working.

In addition to the $22 fee, book authors, corporate managers, and others (surprisingly, the article doesn’t mention students or academics) benefit from gathering with others to write. Co-owner Takuya Kawai says the strategy works: “Looking at each other, they find themselves under the same amount of stress—and so, together, they end up working hard.” Customers choose from varying levels of intervention from being left alone to constant observation.

Parts of this strategy match advice offered in Chapter 4 of Business Communication and Character for curing writer’s block, for example, choosing the right environment and scheduling a block of time. The cafe also might encourage free-writing and tackling the easiest parts first, particularly if goals are measured by number of words rather than quality.

Customers of the cafe (and business communication students) could consider why they experience writer’s block. For example, are they trying to make it perfect the first time? Are they impatient with the naturally slow pace of the writing process? Or do they avoid writing because they don’t like it? Many of us carry years of baggage, for example, feeling as though we’re “bad writers,” which would stymie anyone’s process. For this and other reasons, the cafe might help us overcome resistance by just writing—getting projects done. How can students use these principles in their academic work?