(THREAD) If the White House Coronavirus Task Force is going to be holding daily briefings for the foreseeable future, it's time for a conversation about how every single element of the briefings is being mismanaged. This thread discusses everything that needs to change—right now. 
MODEL SOCIAL DISTANCING. Today Trump came out and approvingly noted that members of the press corps were practicing social distancing by keeping 6 feet away from one another—even as a gaggle of people crowded behind him on the press room dais. *Model what you want America to do*.
DITCH THE PRESIDENT. Trump clearly sees great value in being on television daily—even when he has nothing to add to the coronavirus conversation, largely ignores the script he's been given, and isn't trusted by a majority of Americans. *Leave the briefings to the professionals*.
DITCH ALL POLITICIANS. Pence does a better job than Trump at the briefings, but is still beholden to his boss—and political considerations—so there's always a distance between how he frames things and how experts do. *Stop bringing politicians into an event the experts must run*.
STICK TO THE SCRIPT. Today Trump implied—falsely—that the young are only a danger to others if they have "symptoms," however "mild." Then Dr. Birx said—correctly—that one can be 100% asymptomatic for many days: all while infecting people. *Get everyone on stage on the same page*.
STICK TO THE PRINCIPALS. Clearly, much of what's happening on the briefing stage is *theater*—with officials being arranged like props behind POTUS and VPOTUS. *Don't bring someone to the briefing unless you need them to speak or answer questions—they're surely needed elsewhere*.
MONOLOGUE LESS AND ANSWER MORE. One sign a briefing is intended to set a political narrative is when the data offered is a day behind Twitter and/or largely self-congratulatory. *Besides offering emergency info or directives, the best use of the briefings is to answer questions*.
NO ONE CAN READ YOUR POSTERS. If you have a graphic you want America to see, a press corps with high-tech capabilities right in front of you, and a captive TV audience sitting at home, maybe make any graphic available pre-briefing, so media can put it on-screen? *Use technology*.
REPEAT KEY MESSAGES. Certain messages must be given *every time* there's a briefing, as many Americans may only catch one or two of these. So maybe take 30 seconds in each briefing to repeat a litany of key warnings and advice? *Use succinct, repetitive messaging for key points*.
REPEAT WEBSITE ADDRESSES. At every briefing, officials wave about handouts that are relevant "in the room"—as they've been handed out to reporters—but can't be seen by people at home *or* found easily online. *Always tell people where info can be found as you are presenting it*.
OFFER MANDATORY AND ELECTIVE GUIDELINES. Americans need to hear what everyone *must* do—but also what those who *can* do, *should*. For instance, at briefings we should be told that if we *can* stay home, we should. *Don't just give baseline advice, give topline recommendations*.
DON'T SELF-PRAISE. The past is the past; anyone on stage at an emergency daily briefing being seen by everyone in America should be focused on the present or the future *exclusively*. You are wasting time and breath when you self-praise. *All statements should be forward-facing*.
IDENTIFY YOURSELVES. You know who you are, and reporters know who you are, but most Americans *don't*. As possible, feed journalists the names of briefing participants *in advance*, so media can put your name and title on-screen. *We can't trust you if we don't know who you are*.
NEVER EVER LIE OR EXAGGERATE. At *every single briefing*, someone on stage—usually a politician, sometimes a political appointee, in a few cases an expert—has fudged *something* in order to not be impolitic. *This is a national emergency, so every last word you say must be true*.
GIVE WORST-CASE SCENARIOS. In a televised briefing, you can mediate the potential panic caused by worst-case scenarios via your tone, timbre, and volume—as well as your body language. *Use these briefings to give Americans a sober picture of the stakes without panicking anyone*.
MINIMIZE SPEAKERS. Select in advance the *smallest* number of people you need to answer questions; you want America to get to know members of the Coronavirus Task Force and come to trust them. *More people doesn't equate to more trust or authority—give us only the folks we need*.
CONCLUSION/ While I'm a professor of Communication Arts & Sciences as well as an attorney, I recognize others may offer different advice for how to handle emergency communications. But I think these 15 items are a pretty good starting point. The White House *must* get this right.
