Devoted to Corporate Attorneys, Corporate Lawyers, and Corporate Counsel

The Chairman of the Federal Reserve  makes one little ill-advised comment and what happens?  The stock market tanks.  Talk about a tough day at the office.

According to this AP article, Bernanke: Comments a 'Lapse of Judgment', Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke caused a stir when he "told a CNBC reporter that investors had misinterpreted his recent congressional remarks as an indication the Fed was nearly done raising rates."  The result--stocks took a nosedive.

Few corporate counsel are ever in a position to have such a profound effect on listeners.  Yet, we can all learn something from Bernanke's mistake.  We always have to be mindful of the effect we have on our listeners because everything we say will have an effect--good or bad.  Communication skills are therefore critical to success, even for those of us who can't cause stocks to tank by stating the obvious.