Five steps to effectively communicate in a crisis
In a world filled with instant information and constant challenges, it’s never been more important than now to be prepared in the event of a crisis. Having your crisis management and crisis communication plans in place and understood by your stakeholders is absolutely essential.
But if your business isn’t prepared yet, and a crisis does occur, what can you do to make the communication process as effective as possible? Here’s five key actions to follow to managing your communication in a crisis, regardless of the size or type.
Be the first to respond
In the fast-paced world of digital communication, speed is crucial during a crisis. Your organisation needs to be the first to tell the story in the event of a crisis, or others will tell the story for you. As such, get your initial statement out as soon as possible. This statement is your golden key to ‘being the first to tell the story’ and it should acknowledge the incident, state that you're responding, and promise more information soon.
Tell your people first
Your employees can be your strongest allies or your most significant detractors during a crisis, which is why it’s imperative that you involve them from the very get-go. Prioritise your internal communication and ensure your teams hear about the crisis directly from your leadership team. More importantly, make sure that whatever is said internally aligns with your external messages. If the stories you’re telling are inconsistent, you’ll be found out very quickly!
Own it!
Taking responsibility is crucial. Do not try to pass the blame, even if the issue wasn't directly your fault (or you don’t think it was). Regardless of the cause, owning up to the crisis demonstrates accountability and helps maintain trust - both of which are imperative to your customers and employees. By avoiding blame-shifting, you can focus on resolving the issue, protecting your business’s reputation, and rebuilding trust in the long term.
Keep communicating, even when there's no news
Keep consistent with your communication, even if you don’t think there is much worth communicating. This helps in managing uncertainty and preventing misinformation, especially if your updates are regularly pointing people back to a designated source of truth (for example, a dedicated website). This approach also aids in minimising inaccuracies that may arise when tailoring messages for different communication channels, such as your social media channels. Plus keeping your stakeholders informed helps maintain trust and control the narrative.
Buckle in for the long haul
A crisis doesn't end when the immediate issue is resolved; in fact, part of managing a crisis properly is considering the long-term impacts on reputation, customer trust, and organisational success. Preparing for these long-term communication challenges is essential for safeguarding your organisation's future and you can do this through effective scenario planning and mapping.
Of course, the best way to respond to a crisis is to be prepared for one!
So every business, regardless of size, should put time into creating crisis management and crisis communication plans, and training your people in how to put these plans into action. Remember, it’s a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’, a crisis will occur - so be prepared and look into our Crisis Comms Bootcamps here.
