I’ve recently been working on an ongoing crisis situation. Crises are hard to manage in a digital world where outrage, bad news and accusations can spread fast and leave your company’s reputation pulverized. Moreover, ongoing disasters are constantly impacting businesses and people.
What is the right thing to say to customers, employees, vendors and the public during an unprecedented event?
I wanted to offer some practical guidelines on how you should communicate with your audiences during a crisis so you don’t make matters worse.
10 Commandments of Crisis:
1. Lead with Kindness. Show humanity and compassion. Who was hurt? How did it impact their lives? Even in a lawsuit situation, kindness can go a long way in turning your reputation around.
2. Communicate often. Crises move fast. In the absence of information, human nature is to fill in the blanks and make up our own answers. Our brain is programmed to prepare us for fight or flight, causing audiences to assume the worst. Communicate what you know, when you know it and communicate often, even if to say, “we don’t have any new information, but continue to monitor the situation and will let you know when more decisions have been made.” If you can, let people ask their questions or voice their concerns, and feel free to say, “I don’t know” when you don’t know.
3. Have clear protocols. When facing a crisis, make sure everyone in your organization knows the rules and policies. Who can speak to the media? How should inquiries be handled? How do you contain social media? A well prepared crisis plan ahead of time will help you be ready.
4. Be honest. The worst thing you can do is speculate and be wrong, or give wrong information. Certainly never lie. Your executives’ and company’s credibility is at stake, which means the business is at stake. Be honest in all communications to maintain integrity.
5. Build Trust. Trust is the key to managing a crisis. If people don’t trust you, chaos reigns. Fear and uncertainty are powerful human emotions. When people are fearful, they will act in extraordinary ways to self-protect. They will try to gain some semblance of control when they feel out of control. Besides being honest, do whatever you can to be transparent and forthcoming. If you’ve had a facility break down, invite reporters in to see what you’ve done to repair the situation. Rally allies to help tell your story. Take whatever steps available to build or maintain brand trust.
6. Live Your Values. If you have touted to the public that you care, now’s the time to show it. Walk the talk. Companies like Patagonia are not just making climate change commitments, they’re building it into their business model. They will repair clothing, and they are owned by an environmental non-profit. Make real investments in what you care about.
7. Don’t Assume. One of the shocking things I keep seeing is the assumption that everyone in the world has access to the internet and can get what they need online. That is simply not true. Don’t assume your audiences have the same access you do. Think beyond your neighborhood. Offer alternative solutions if infrastructure is impacted. If you’ve set up a website where people can access information, that’s great, but also consider sending text alerts or snail mail if necessary. Lower-income workers who may lose their paychecks may also lose their Internet access as a result.
8. Offer Help. If you or your employees have been impacted by a disaster, offer help where you can. Get supplies to the community. One client of mine partnered with local telco companies to expand internet services to employees in remote areas, or set up satellite links. If you have trucks, offer to move goods. Do whatever you can to be a good corporate citizen.
9. Be consistent. It’s hard to be consistent when facts are constantly changing, but know your company values and culture. Refer back to those values in the absence of information. Let your “true north” as a company drive your decision-making when you have to make tough calls. Let your employees and customers see that the company is holding to its brand values.
10. Remember Community. In a crisis, fear can take over, and we can behave like it is each person for themselves. However, reminding your employees, customers, vendors and partners that you are a community and here to help each other raises hope and loyalty. Inject positivity, community and optimism whenever possible, without negating human sorrow or suffering.
Bring your communications people in on the crisis if you haven’t already. And if you need an extra hand, we’re here to offer guidance as well. I’ll continue to share crisis comms information as I see blunders or great examples.