Some General Rules

From a publicity angle, a strike is like a conversation between the Union and the Company with the membership and the general public as the audience. The Publicity Committee holds up the Union end of the conversation. That means figuring out when and how to answer and when to keep silent.

There is a trick to it: always put yourself in your audience's shoes. What do they want and need to know at each point in the conversation? What do they already know? Explain what you think they will need to have explained.

Do not assume that the audience has followed every word of the conversation — not even the membership. This is even truer of the general public who are drifting in and out, catching only snatches of the conversation at best.

So: Keep it basic. Be clear. And be direct.

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