Organizations confronted by a crisis often make things worse for themselves by doing a poor job of communicating about it. By following five simple rules, organizations can make sure their crisis messaging, rather than throwing gas on the fire, promotes clarity and restores confidence, internally and externally.
Related: MHA’s Best Crisis Communications Resources
Summary
- Poor crisis communication can turn a manageable event into a larger reputational problem.
- Common mistakes include saying too little, saying too much, responding slowly, contradicting earlier messages, and failing to monitor social media.
- Five practical rules can help organizations communicate with more clarity, consistency, and confidence during an emergency.
The New Reality of Crisis Communications
When companies hit by a crisis treat crisis communications as an afterthought, they often find themselves with not one crisis but two. The second develops when their slipshod messaging spirals into a public relations pileup.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a company get struck by a reasonably manageable crisis go on to create a hurricane for themselves by their casual approach to the communications side of the event.
Crisis communications has never been easy. It’s probably harder now than it’s ever been.
The factors complicating crisis messaging might be familiar, but that doesn’t make them any easier to handle.
Social media gives a platform for just about anyone inside or outside the organization to comment on any crisis the company might be facing, potentially anonymously.
All those platforms are humming 24 hours a day.
Their algorithms reward gossip, outrage, panic, and conspiracy theories.
The proliferation of cameras means crises are more likely to be caught on video and go viral.
Communication these days happens at nearly the speed of thought.
The legacy media are still out there with their cameras and digital recorders, and they also want to know what’s going on, if the organization and event are big enough.
And to top it all off, an increasingly turbulent world means that the likelihood that a given organization will face a crisis is probably on the rise.
Put it all together, and it means managing the communications side of a crisis is as important and as challenging as managing the crisis itself.
The Most Common Crisis Communications Mistakes
Most crisis communications failures stem from a handful of common mistakes.
Sometimes organizations don’t say enough and the resulting information vacuum is filled by other people’s messaging.
At other times, they say too much, confusing people or needlessly revealing proprietary information.
On occasion, companies speak insensitively about matters affecting people in the community, causing offense and hard feelings.
We’ve also seen companies take too long to address the event, say things that aren’t true, unintentionally or otherwise, contradict earlier messaging, or fail to distribute their communications effectively.
Another common mistake is failing to monitor social media, which can lead to organizations being burned by misinformation brushfires and not even realizing it until the damage is done.
The Cost of Poor Crisis Communications
The costs of these kinds of mistakes are not trivial. They can cause confusion among employees or allow panic and misinformation to spread. They can unduly alarm other stakeholders, whether they are neighbors, customers, suppliers, or regulators.
Problems of this type can have significant quantitative and qualitative impacts on an organization, sometimes exceeding those of the original crisis.
Five Rules for Effective Crisis Communications
The good news is that organizations can turn their crisis communications from a minefield into a potential source of strength by following a handful of straightforward principles.
Here are five of the most important.
Rule 1: Write Your Holding Statements Ahead of Time
Organizations should draft holding scripts for likely emergencies and get them approved well ahead of any event. These scripts ensure that the company can communicate quickly and effectively with stakeholders inside and outside the organization. Having a well-crafted, preapproved script in hand and filling in the details takes a fraction as much time as writing a statement in the heat of the moment and then running the approvals gauntlet. Pre-written scripts are also much more likely to strike the proper tone.
Rule 2: Tell the Truth
Your crisis communications should be honest and truthful. There is no better way to shoot yourself in the foot than by lying about an emergency. The most common motivation for being deliberately untruthful in communicating about an emergency is to avoid near-term embarrassment. But the eventual costs have a way of outweighing the benefits. This rule doesn’t mean you have to say everything you know. Transparency is good. Rambling, speculating, and revealing proprietary information are not.
Rule 3: Keep It Simple
Crisis communications should be written in plain, straightforward language. Focus on explaining what happened, who is affected, what the organization is doing, and what people should do next. Simple messages are easier to understand, easier to remember, and less likely to be misunderstood. Such messages also convey authority and inspire confidence.
Rule 4: Speak with One Voice
Appoint a single spokesperson to be the face and voice of the company with the media. This person should be someone who is well trained in public and media relations and specifically in crisis communications. Having a single person as the point of contact for the media will ensure a consistent message gets out to all channels. Your company may have multiple communication teams working internally to address different needs, like employees and customers, but you should have only one corporate spokesperson during a crisis.
Rule 5: Provide the Information Everyone Needs to Know
In communicating to the media and others about the crisis, share the information people most want to know. Share the five W’s of the event: the who, what, when, where, and why, as well as the how. If you tailor your communications to providing this information, you’ll help the media do their job quickly and efficiently. Not every answer will be available immediately, but organizations should provide as much verified information as they can and continue updating stakeholders as new facts emerge. This approach pays dividends by reducing overwrought speculation and earning more even-handed coverage.
Organizations that follow these principles in their crisis communications stand a much better chance of protecting their reputation, maintaining stakeholder confidence, and keeping a difficult situation from becoming even worse.
From Chaos to Clarity
Despite our best efforts, sometimes bad things happen to good companies. In these moments, organizations can make things worse for themselves by responding in a secretive, chaotic manner, or they can contain the damage through an intelligent, honest, and disciplined response by following the rules above.
By preparing holding statements in advance, communicating honestly, keeping messages simple, speaking with one voice, and consistently providing the information stakeholders need, organizations can protect their reputation, maintain trust, and help bring order to an inherently chaotic situation.
MHA Consulting helps organizations develop crisis communications strategies, create communications plans and templates, train spokespersons, and prepare leadership teams to communicate effectively under pressure. Contact MHA to learn how we can help your organization strengthen its crisis communications capabilities before the next emergency occurs.
Further Reading
- MHA’s Best Crisis Communications Resources
- Crisis Communications: Managing the Message
- Thriving in the Hot Seat: Crisis Communication Do’s and Don’ts
- It Shouldn’t Be a Scavenger Hunt: Accessing Critical Recovery Information in Crisis
- Don’t Give Up the Ship: Demonstrating the Benefits of Rigorous Crisis Management Training
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important rules for effective crisis communications?
Five of the most important rules are to prepare holding statements in advance, always tell the truth, keep messages simple, speak with one voice through a designated spokesperson, and provide stakeholders with timely, accurate information about what happened, who is affected, and what the organization is doing in response.
Why is crisis communication so important during an emergency?
Poor crisis communications can make a difficult situation much worse. Delayed, confusing, inconsistent, or inaccurate messaging can create panic, spread misinformation, damage stakeholder confidence, and prolong the impact of the crisis. Clear, timely communications help maintain trust and support an effective response.
What are the most common mistakes organizations make in crisis communications?
Common mistakes include waiting too long to communicate, saying too little or too much, providing inaccurate information, allowing multiple conflicting messages to emerge, speaking insensitively about those affected, and failing to monitor social media for rumors and misinformation.
What is a holding statement in crisis communications?
A holding statement or script is a preapproved communication prepared before an emergency occurs. It allows an organization to respond quickly while additional facts are being gathered. A good holding statement acknowledges the situation, expresses appropriate concern, and commits to providing updates as more information becomes available.
How can my organization improve its crisis communications capabilities?
Organizations can strengthen their crisis communications by developing a communications plan, preparing holding statements for likely scenarios, designating and training spokespersons, establishing approval processes, monitoring traditional and social media, and regularly exercising their crisis communications procedures as part of their overall crisis management program.
