GM bankruptcy: Carmaker tries an optimistic posture

Immediate and varied communications — plus leaks in advance — help ameliorate a troubling situation

On Monday, General Motors filed for bankruptcy. By noon that day, its communications team had tapped virtually every available channel to calm the public, its employees, its vendors, and its shareholders.

What helped – and this was no accident — was that the “breaking news” aspect had long been diluted through leaks and speculation, as well as a what-else-could-they-do public sentiment.

GM filed for Chapter 11 protection as a way to settle its mounting debts and restructure with an augmented focus on fuel efficiency and alternative-fuel technologies. It will pare its brands, focusing on Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC, and it plans to close 14 plants nationwide.

Not an easy list of items to communicate — especially to an array of constituencies with different concerns and priorities.