For every organisation, big or small, it is important to develop a good crisis communication plan. Effective communication is a crucial component of running a business and even more so during a crisis. Normally a crisis communication is a part of your general business continuity plan, but you can of course create one without it. The reasons for this are plenty, if for example, a fire breaks out or an employee has an accident, or there’s a discovery of a toxic substance in your product, your employees go on a strike, or there’s a terrorist attack , or.. Let’s stop here while we’re still optimistic about the future..:-)
How your organisation reacts in such events, and how you communicate (internally as well as externally) will be essential for how the event will further develop and the way both the public and your employees will perceive you in the future. A well handled crisis can bolster a company’s reputation, while a poorly handled one can destroy it.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
(Warren Buffett)
So even though some events are unpredictable and inevitable, their outcome can be controlled and minimized by means of good crisis communication in combination with a well implemented continuity plan.
Do’s and dont’s of crisis communication
→ Know who to contact
Choose one spokesperson that preferably had media training and knows what to say and how (that person should be appointed before the crisis occurs). In order to be consistent, only use this person to communicate, but of course have a backup person ready just in case (Murphy is always lurking around the corner after all..). In an ideal world this person is as suited and well-trained as the normal spokesperson or at least someone from their team who’s watched them work and know how they operate.
→ Be proactive!
Prepare your communication with external parties such as your customers, suppliers, media before there’s even a crisis to speak of! Create some templates that you can easily fill in just to make sure you don’t forget any important points.
Address their expectations and anticipate what they want to know. For example, ask yourself what journalists will ask and have your answers ready and keep them short. By anticipating and communicating, you can keep control of the message and avoid misinformation and speculation.
→ Communicate internally
Don’t forget your own employees and make sure you communicate with them as well. They’re probably just as (if not more) insecure as your suppliers! They might worry about what this crisis will do to their jobs or how they will be perceived by family and friends. Which brings me neatly to another important point, make sure you inform your employees about what kind of information they can tell their family and friends. Make sure you stay in control of the outflow of information. Your reputation depends on it!
→ Correct misinformation
In times of crisis there will be a lot of speculation and false information going around. Make it clear in your statement what the situation is and correct misinformation.
→ Don’t forget social Media
Lastly, keep social media and your website in mind. They take a very important place in (crisis) communication and communication flows much more freely via social media than via regular channels. This goes both ways, it’s a good way to spread your message during a crisis to both internal and external stakeholders (keeping in mind the general crisis communication guidelines of course) but it’s also a good tool to keep an ear to the ground to the needs of your customers.