Naughty or Nice? How are we communicating in 2022?

These people are all on Santa’s Nice List so far…

I love end of year lists. The best movies. The best books. The best albums. 

I devour them every December.

I also love communication – and since no one was writing a ‘Best of’ list of communicators at the end of the year, I decided to create my own.

And thus began my annual list of the communicators (or communication moments) that belonged on Santa’s Naughty and Nice list. 

Given how much time I spent on it the last two Decembers collating and editing the list, I thought it would be smart this year to narrow down my list midway through the year.

So, how many communication moments are on my list so far?

Well, today, I have 82 – and we’re only halfway through the year!

But here’s the thing – I’m seeing a lot of the same issues that I’ve been writing about for years.

Leaders saying stupid things. 

Leaders and businesses communicating in a way that is heartless or careless. 

And just plain clueless.

Fortunately, the good behaviors are still on display, too.

There are still leaders who communicate clearly and succinctly, and who bring empathy and curiosity into their approach.

What am I talking about?

Well, let’s look at how 2022 is going…

My favorite communication moment (so far) is the address Volodymyr Zelensky gave before Russia invaded Ukraine in February. 

Zelensky’s speech earned him support from around the globe

During that speech, he addressed the people of Russia – while speaking Russian – and made a passionate plea for peace.

That passion – and the commitment he’s shown his people – has demonstrated what a leader can look like.

It may not have convinced Putin to change his mind, but it won Zelensky and Ukraine support from around the globe.

Also getting high marks is the new US Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

She showed us all what being ‘calm under pressure’ looks like when she sat before the Senate Judiciary Committee as a Supreme Court nominee.

I don’t know how she managed to keep a straight face during this ridiculousness

Under intense scrutiny, she kept her composure and was articulate (despite having to endure the ridiculousness of Ted Cruz’s questions).

Another person who impressed me this year is Kristen Cavallo, the CEO of the Martin Agency. 

She came on my radar when she responded to comments made by the CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong.

Armstrong boasted about the creation of Coinbase’s Super Bowl ad, neglecting to credit Cavallo’s company’s role - while simultaneously disparaging the advertising industry.

Cavallo called him out – with receipts – standing up not just for her company, but for advertising professionals everywhere.

Another one of my faves is Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr.

He impressed me when he gave a passionate speech about gun violence in a press conference following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. 

Steve Kerr making a passionate plea for action

Kerr comes across as a well-spoken, intelligent, empathetic leader – and this year he coached his Warriors to another NBA championship (his fourth championship as coach).

But not everyone is so inspiring…

As Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson gave us memorable quotes like “I didn’t realise it was a party” during the Partygate scandal. Many column inches were dedicated to defining the difference between a party and a work event.

Johnson also chose an interesting rationale for encouraging people to return to work in offices, complaining that he often found himself “distracted by cheese” while working from home. 

Johnson has given us many reasons to roll our eyes and question his integrity this year – and he has now been forced to resign.

The opposite of care and empathy was shown earlier this year by another UK politician, Jacob Rees Mogg.

As part of his push to get civil servants back into the office, he visited a government department and left what was viewed as passive-aggressive notes on the empty desks. 

Not only was this approach condescending, it was also an odd use of taxpayer money from the Minister for Government Efficiency.

And lest you think sexism is a problem we’ve resolved, this year also gave us the Aviva shareholder meeting where CEO Amanda Blanc was told she should be “wearing trousers” and that she was “not the man for the job.”

Points to Aviva Chairman George Culmer who called out the comments at the meeting.

Blanc later addressed the comments on LinkedIn, sadly noting how familiar it was to her after 30 years in the insurance business.

“The more senior the role I have taken, the more overt the unacceptable behaviour,” she wrote.

Speaking of women, this year we’ve seen more companies make a mess of International Women’s Day – a day that is intended to celebrate women, but (again) was full of virtue signaling and cringeworthy posts.

The New Zealand All Blacks had to apologize after receiving backlash for their tone deaf post that praised players’ wives for supporting them, and included a photo of a player who had assaulted his partner. 

Given the New Zealand women’s rugby team (the Black Ferns) are the reigning world champs, it felt like a miss to exclude them – not to mention the other female rugby players and fans. 

And then there was Indian e-commerce company Flipkart suggesting to “celebrate women” by purchasing kitchen accessories, and Roccamore telling us to “Respect High Heels” by featuring pictures of male execs wearing high heels to illustrate the lack of women in the board room.

And these aren’t the only communication moments that fall into the “What were you thinking?” category.

What was Pabst Blue Ribbon thinking when it suggested people who weren’t drinking alcohol in January could “try eating ass” instead?

Why did a Toronto Office choose to welcome people back to the office by posting banners that said “Bet Your Dog’s Missing You”?

And why was The View co-host Joy Behar’s response to the invasion of Ukraine to worry about her summer trip to Italy?!

The list goes on…

I’ve narrowed my 82 moments down to 33, but if the second half of 2022 is anything like the first, I’m going to have my work cut out for me to narrow this down even further in December!

PS - If you’re wondering where the Harry Styles coverage is, check out this article I wrote.

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Beth Collier loves writing, pop culture, and making lists.

She also loves helping companies, leaders, and teams improve their communication (and creativity and leadership) through consulting, coaching, and workshops.

Her clients benefit from Beth’s global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm – and an endless supply of pop culture references.

To find out how Beth can help you become a more confident, creative, and compelling leader – or improve communication in your company – visit www.beth-collier.com or drop her a line at beth@beth-collier.com