Crisis Management

Welcome back! If you have noticed throughout my posts, the general theme throughout has been communication. More so, communication and leadership strategies. This week’s topic of crisis communication plays a significant role for communication leaders, especially when it comes to strategy. Like many other things, strategy and planning are crucial when it comes to crisis management.  According to Bryan Strawser, “the goal of crisis management is to have a system in place to effectively address the coordinated response, resources, and internal and external communication requirements during and after the negative situation”. Have you ever heard the phrase “failure to plan is planning to fail”? Organizations who take a proactive approach to crisis management fare much better than their counterparts who wait until a crisis ensues before they think about management and response.  

Crisis, regardless of size, are inevitable, especially with the presence of social media. A negative review or a rogue employee’s rant can spread like wildfire and become viral within minutes. Organizations need to be ready with a strategic plan in place to combat a brand crisis. Organizations seeking a proactive approach can find crisis plan templates online which offer guidance and structure. These templates should serve as tools to help organizations develop their own crisis communication plan. However, what good is a plan without a team in place to put it in motion? An organization’s communication team can also serve as the crisis response team though clear roles must be identified ahead of time to thwart any confusion. Shama Hyder, CEO of Zen Media, suggests in her article written in Forbes, designating a spokesperson and identifying pre-approved language for easy adaptability are efforts that will help prevent long term brand damage.

Transparency is key when dealing with any crisis. Without it, organizations run the risk of confusion which will only exacerbate the situation. A coordinated response by identified employees allows for a smooth communication delivery because each team member knows which action to take. Some examples of roles within the response team include crisis communicator, media manager, and crisis consultant. When a consistent message is delivered among various platforms it lessens the chance of sending mixed messages or false information. Consistency is key for controlling the narrative during any crisis.

Further, keeping consumers informed is always challenging and even more so during a crisis, however, with effective internal and external communication organizations can demonstrate a united front in their appearance. Internal communication is just as important as external communication which is often overlooked during times of crisis. Organizations must remember to provide clear and accurate information to their employees while also offering guidance about what to do, or in many cases not to do. Though as Neil Chapman noted during his interview with CIPR TV, everyone in the company is a spokesperson and should speak on the behalf of the company. Thus, emphasizing why effective internal communication plays a vital role in crisis management. Moreover, external communication all about brand management and keeping the organization’s reputation from being tarnished. As stated above, negative implications can spread very quickly on social media platforms and effective external communication can undoubtedly counter any misinformation.  In her article Hyder states, “as ridiculous as a fake or misinformed social post about your brand might be, you’ve got to be ready to respond as quickly as possible to prevent it from spreading further”.  Some examples of how to effectively communication externally include responding thoughtfully rather than reacting emotionally. Even though time is of the essence when responding to a crisis, organizations must thing rationally and give a logical response even if it means waiting for a well though out message to be crafted. It is best to deliver a well-crafted message that is indicative of the organization’s mission and values over an emotionally charged response. Thus, another reason emphasizing internal communication and how the two are linked. Like Charli Day reminded us about that time when a McDonald’s employee made comments about the president using their corporate social media account. The company had some damage control to do, though I believe it could have been avoidable with better internal communications.

Regardless of what type of crisis ensues, communication is key. Keeping stakeholders and consumers updated is crucial for brand management. In this case, no news is most certainly not good news. When it comes to crisis management, not sharing information makes the organization look ill-prepared and, in some cases, guilty.  In his article, Strawser suggests organizations “use pre-selected communication channels to inform stakeholders such as key clients, corporate sponsors, etc. about the crisis and its potential impact”.  Using the designated channels, organizations can control the flow of information and can mitigate circumstances that arise around misinformation.  Much like identifying roles among the communication team, identifying specific social channels creates structure, giving a sense of control which allows for a successful outcome.  

Finally, the bottom line is this: organizations should take an active approach to crisis management rather than a passive one. When a company is prepared, they can take the actions necessary to effectively manage their brand reputation.  The goal of successful crisis management is long-term success. Showing a unified front while providing a timely well-crafted message builds trust among stakeholders and consumers. Transparency negates chances of fake information and lessens the effects of the crisis. Transparency also builds trust and conveys a way forward post crisis. Additionally, communicating in a way that is easy to understand is best. Organizations need to keep the flow of information short and simple, placing great emphasis on accuracy as it is crucial for crisis management.

Thanks for reading! Be on the lookout for next week’s post regarding measuring success in strategic communication.  Please feel free to share my blog through engagement on your own social media platform. As always, you can find my blog by clicking on the link below or by copying and paste the URL in your address bar: communicate2lead.blogspot.com

"The art of communication is the language of leadership" - James Humes