The correct “Hope Now Hotline” number is 1-888-995-HOPE

It has happened before.

Senior officials should not be tasked with providing telephone numbers. That is my professional and personal opinion because it happened to me once.

Last week when President Bush unveiled the new mortgage plan that will freeze the rates for many Americans about to get in trouble, the phone number for the Help line was wrong.

He was a couple digits off, it is actually 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) instead of 800. Calls to the wrong number Bush gave out were met with a busy signal. A search on the Internet showed it belongs to the Freedom Christian Academy which offers religious-based curriculum for home schooling and is located in Ponder, Texas northwest of Dallas.

But I’m giving Bush a pass on this one. This slip-up is most likely the fault of a staffer, who is probably feeling pretty embarrassed about it right about now.

I expect a lot out of any president, but I don’t expect the President to have to personally check out every phone number handed to him by his staff.

However, it doesn't matter if he was given the right number or not, or if it was just a mistake. The important issue here is for public affairs officers to realize that went it comes to numbers for the general public to call in, many steps can be taken.

For example, after the experience I had in 2004 and as part of my lessons learned/best pratices I ensure that:

a) in the written speech, the numbers are appear in a different, larger and bold font size or style than the rest of the information.

b) the speaker is aware that he will be providing a number and it is critical to say it slowly and to say it twice.

c) the number is practiced by the speaker a few minutes before the speech starts.

d) the media is provided the number within the advisory that usually sent before the press conference.

d) and, to consider the possibility of having a deputy senior official or subject matter expert provide that detail in short speech given right after the senior official, in this case, the President departs.

Share your comments and recommendations on how public communications practioners can avoid having a senior official provide telephone numbers on national television and what techniques help them not to make that mistake.