Make no mistake about it, a crisis can strike any organisation of any size at any time.
In the blink of an eye, you may find yourself grappling with public health concerns, financial issues, an accident or disaster, worker misconduct or even serious customer complaints.
In situations like these, you may need to communicate with employees, partners, customers and the media quickly and accurately. How effectively you manage this can have a significant impact on how you emerge from the crisis.
To minimise damage to your reputation and credibility, follow these 12 rules for communicating in a crisis:
Be prepared. Have a crisis management plan and a crisis communications team in place before disaster strikes. Not having a plan can lead to panic and that panic could kill your company or destroy your brand.
Keep a crisis contact list. Save a list of important crisis contacts, and their telephone numbers, to your phone. This may include the CEO, the head of PR and the head of legal.
Act quickly. If you have to spend money fixing a situation, do it immediately. If you leave it too long, it will look like you’re only acting under pressure and not out of choice.
Gather the facts. Quickly collect and record pertinent information and prepare a crisis fact sheet. Assess the nature and the scope of the crisis, including any damage or potential damage. Disseminate this fact sheet to your crisis management team as soon as possible.
Communicate quickly. The longer people guess about what’s going on, the worse your company will look. Choose an appropriate spokesperson and then create communication materials for management, employees, government agencies, vendors, consumers and the media.
Be honest. This may sound obvious, but never mislead or lie to people. Always tell the truth.
Apologise. If you messed up, admit it, say sorry and explain how you’re going to fix the situation. Then, move heaven and earth to deliver on your promise.
Demonstrate compassion. Be sincere. Don’t just say that you care, show that you care. Lip service will only be met with public cynicism.
Respond to the media. Avoid saying ‘no comment’ to the media. If you don’t have an answer, say so and then find one as quickly as possible. Remember, when you stonewall the media, the bad press only gets worse.
Monitor media coverage. Keep an eye on how the media is responding to your messages. If you see signs of escalation, you may need to adjust your approach.
Complete a post-crisis summary report. Include what caused the crisis, the reach and tone of the media coverage, possible improvements in the response process and potential changes to company policy and procedures.
Rebuild trust. Once the short-term issues have been managed, you’ll need to work hard to rebuild trust and goodwill with your stakeholders.
So, those are my 12 rules for communicating in a crisis. Follow them and you'll have a better chance of surviving a disaster.
Do you have a crisis communication tip that you’d like to share? If so, pop it in the comment box below.
About Victoria Hall
Victoria believes that great communication has the power to change the world. She's passionate about helping organisations to lift their profiles, inspire action and achieve remarkable results by crafting and delivering their stories and messages in a clear, compelling and persuasive way. If you've got a question about how to produce high-quality communication plans or content, you can contact Victoria here or connect with her on LinkedIn.
Comments