20 better ways to say ‘no comment’
These guidelines, intended for lawyers, offer prudent options for communicators, especially those dealing with a crisis.
A terse “no comment” can send a bad message, but what are your alternatives?
A reader recently sent me a document called “101 Ways To Not Comment Without Using The Words ‘No Comment.'” It’s full of witticisms, some more useful than others.
He had received the handout at a legal conference more than a decade ago and couldn’t remember its source. (I contacted the organization that hosted the conference; its communications director was also unable to identify the provenance of the document.) My own web searches have also proved fruitless.
To respect the unknown author’s intellectual property, I selected my favorite 20 ways to say “no comment” indirectly, though I will not post the full list. (If you know the author of this document, please let us know in the comments section.)
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