ABSTRACT
The on-the-record/off-the-record opposition originates from politics, although businesses have also used it for centuries. In the UK, the Chatham House Rule1 states: When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed. On the contrary, off-the-record briefings represent a central, indispensable and in-depth working communication strategy. As there is no off-the-record on tape, off-the-record briefings are not efficient in the presence of many. Lord Feldman had underestimated the power of numbers. The off-the-record mode protects all participants in a meeting, not only the host. Off the record, everyone has willingly participated in the crystallisation of a unified message, which in its simple, striking and ready to go form becomes news to both journalists and staff.
