Communicating in a Crisis
The emissions scandal continuing to engulf the German carmaker Volkswagen shows that no company, however large or well established, is immune to a crisis.
How a business or organization responds and communicates when things go wrong can mean the difference between limiting damage to reputation and causing more harm destroying years of brand building. The body language of Martin Winterkorn, former CEO, is an example of how not to appear in front of the world’s media when your company is in meltdown.
After rigging its vehicles to cheat on pollution tests, VW has seen its sales plummet and its reputation in tatters. The decision by the US Justice Department to sue VW will no doubt only exacerbate the situation.
History is littered with corporate crises and yet firms all too often fail to plan ahead. So how should you best prepare for the worst?
At Claire Doole Communications, we run courses on how to communicate in a crisis. Below are 5 of our top tips:
1. Prepare a communications plan before a crisis. We find that companies are often well prepared operationally for emergencies, but they don’t know what to do when the crisis affects reputation. They lack a robust crisis communications plan before a disaster strikes. A crisis communication plan should cover preparation, response, resolution and recovery.
2. Identify potential crises. Some crises may be internal such as job losses, legal cases, accounting scandals. Others may be external, such as a natural disaster or criticism by key stakeholders. It is important to recognize the type of crisis you are facing as this will help to pinpoint the groups of people you will need to communicate with.
3. Put people in place. Assemble a team, which includes senior management and communications staff who have been media trained. Once a crisis breaks the chief executive should first take ownership of the crisis and speak to the media before handing over to the crisis team.
4. Get information. Communicate from an informed position and separate fact from rumour. Become the source of reliable information and keep the information flowing.
5. Commit to learn lessons. You can recover from crises and emerge stronger, if you demonstrate that you have learnt your lesson. Communications in recovery mode need to be based on substance not spin. Remember actions speak louder than words.
Claire Doole Communications runs crisis communications courses for companies and organizations. For more information see www.doolecommunications.com.
