Merkel, Queen Elizabeth II show how to communicate

Not too long ago I received an envious message from a friend in Washington: “Angela Merkel’s speech, that 60 per cent of us will get the virus, made her an instant hero here.” In the early days of the crisis, the chancellor addressed Germans directly — as she had never done before, apart from annual New Year’s greetings — to explain how the government would protect them in the face of what she described as the gravest challenge the country had faced since World War II. Simply and soberly, not only in that address but in repeated podcasts and press conferences, she has delivered hard facts, explained concepts such as flattening the curve and expounded on details as mundane as hand-washing and toilet-paper supply. In her own address to the British people on Sunday night, Queen Eilzabeth’s first words were an acknowledgment of the disruption, grief and financial difficulties the nation was facing. Like the chancellor, and in stark contrast to the US president, she made no false assurances nor mollifying claims as to potential remedies and exit strategies.

When citizens have the facts, they can make informed decisions about how to mitigate risks, both individually and collectively. When leaders obfuscate, deny and deceive, they turn a potentially manageable risk into an incalculable danger, sowing anxiety and passivity.

The queen and Prince Philip began self-isolating on March 19. At the outset of the shutdown, as panicked buyers began hoarding, Chancellor Merkel visited a local supermarket and was photographed with a modestly filled grocery cart that included exactly one package of toilet paper (and bottles of wine). She went into quarantine after being vaccinated by a doctor who shortly thereafter tested positive. When, after three negative tests, she returned to the Chancellery, she spoke openly about how difficult those two weeks had been.

President Trump bestows praise and gratitude chiefly upon himself and — occasionally — the corporate titans he surrounds himself with at his daily briefings. He undermines senior medical advisors to their faces, scapegoats critics and flagrantly disavows hygiene practices such as use of a mask. Transparency, empathy for those affected and avoidance of blame are standard crisis communication practices designed to ensure credibility and trust. When citizens are asked to submit to serious incursions upon their liberty, trust is perhaps the single strongest enabler of compliance.

What the chancellor and the queen possess and convey that the president lacks is dignity. Why does dignity matter? For the same reason that facts count and empathy and example enable: Dignity is infectious, it catalyses a response. If leaders comport themselves with discipline and communicate with respect, they empower citizens to act. That has subjective benefits for those who are uncertain and afraid, as well as objective consequences for crisis management. Coping with the pandemic requires all of us to act in the interest of society as a whole.

If individuals follow their own self-interest, they will retard or even reverse recovery. But the common good is not always readily apparent. It takes determined guidance to elucidate the end and the means. Fortunate are the societies that can look to such leaders at this time.