Cuomo speaks not just to the head, but also the heart. But his reproaches are more akin to those of a parent trying to protect you than the kind you see coming from Donald Trump, who harshly dismisses journalists he doesn’t like, for instance. And he gets angry with New Yorkers who disregard social distancing in public places, like city parks, and threatens to take more drastic action to control adherence to restrictions if he has to. He shares bad news, such as the growing number of Covid-19 cases and deaths. He is up-front about the exponential growth of the coronavirus outbreak, the fact that New York is the epicenter of the crisis in the United States and the reality that the hospital system could collapse. This is absolutely untrue! And it endangers our most vulnerable people.” His institutional slogan, present on all slides, is “Stay home.

At news conferences, Cuomo uses PowerPoint presentations sharing clear, direct and very concise messages such as, “Younger people are not that contagious. He always looks for practical examples and human stories to help him reach people. His communications are personal, sharing concerns about the well-being of his mother and that his sister had called him in a panic, wanting a Covid-19 test at a time when there were almost none in New York. But he communicates that information with the public by speaking like they do. Cuomo is rigorous in his use of data, using it to inform his decisions in managing the coronavirus crisis. Below, we explore 10 keys to his success in doing so: A longtime Democratic public servant who worked in the Clinton administration and has served as governor since 2011, Cuomo over the past month has demonstrated his command of using communications to win the public’s attention and respect. In New York, the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, Governor Andrew Cuomo has emerged as a charismatic leader steering the state in its battle against the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Cuomo slideshow