Aviation incidents. Curtailed funding. Delivery missteps. Ransomware attacks. Service outages.
Between such unexpected events, new challenges like ever-evolving tariff policies and – oh, yes! – the small matter of successfully operating a business, companies never seem to get a day off.
In the chaotic world we live in, crisis events create an even bigger sense of everything everywhere all at once. That makes it challenging to know what to do and say, and when.
Putting an effective crisis communications plan in place is more important than ever. How a company addresses crisis response goes a long way in shaping media coverage and public opinion, determining whether the business can maintain a positive public image.
Bospar has deep experience in crisis communications. Our decades of work providing crisis management services, as well as our conversations with other business and public relations thought leaders, have taught us much about how best to prepare for and behave in a crisis.
Here are seven approaches that help when you need to shift into crisis management mode.
- Tackle problems one step at a time
Only about 1% of the population will ever run a marathon, but about 95% of the people who attempt marathons finish them, according to a speaker at a recent event a colleague attended.
Reaching the finish line is both a mind and body exercise. The winning mindset often involves looking at a marathon not as one long trek, but rather as a series of shorter runs. You start with five miles. Then five miles more. Once you solve for one thing, you move forward to the next.
It’s akin to the famous proverb: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
If you’ve ever read the book Bird by Bird, you are familiar with this concept. In it, author Anne Lamott tells the childhood story of her brother, who was in a panic over his school project on birds. Understanding how overwhelming a lengthy assignment about a wide variety of birds appeared to his young boy, their father suggested that his son tackle the paper “bird by bird.”
That’s wise advice, whether you’re a 10-year-old kid or a professional trying to solve a problem.
Look at the big picture, absolutely. But break crisis communications down into piece parts –creating a media statement, crafting executive quotes, writing press releases, scheduling a press briefing, preparing likely reporter questions and your media response. Assign each task to the appropriate person or group, and determine the cadence of the content and each activity.
2. Consider what you can learn from history
When companies are managing crises, it’s not uncommon for them to feel alone in the world.
Leaders and teams may imagine no one else has ever faced the challenges they are.
But the reality is that history often repeats itself. Perhaps not exactly, but patterns do recur.
The lesson? Studying crisis case studies from your own and other industries can be enlightening.
Dig into crisis communications and crisis management examples, ideally before things go sideways; examine what went right and wrong; and assess what you can adopt and learn from.
- Did they issue a public apology? What approach did they take, and how did it work out?
- What exactly did they say in their public statement?
- How did that inform the media coverage? Were any words or phrases problematic?
- After the initial statement, was there a company update on the situation?
- In the end, how did the event impact public perception of the company – both with the business’s customers, peers, prospects and among the general public?
3. Do a live read to fine-tune your delivery
SNL alum Amy Poehler and her Good Hang podcast guests often talk about how the Saturday Night Live cast and writers gather each week for a table read. This pre-show ritual helps them figure out what works and what doesn’t. The producers use the results to determine the lineup.
Crisis communications is no laughing matter. But company CEOs and other media-facing business leaders can benefit from a table read – aka mock media interviews – as well.
This practice helps business leaders fine-tune what they say and how they say it. Presenting well and saying the right things the right way is never more important than during a crisis moment.
4. Make sure you have people who show up
Ever heard of Stranger Things? This riveting Netflix show, which will release its fifth season next month, centers on a group of school-age kids in Indiana fighting monsters and bad guys.
A woman at a dinner party once told me, “You do realize it’s a children’s show, don’t you?”
Maybe. Still, I love it.
The kids all care about each other and the world, and they’re funny and dynamic. Whenever another challenge presents itself, they collaborate to formulate a plan and jump into action.
Except for Ted Wheeler. That guy won’t even get up from his La-Z-Boy to answer the phone.
The point? Make sure you have a team that will show up to help, no matter the situation.
5. Calm fears and strike the right balance
When crisis hits, people get scared. Talk to them to let them know what is and is not happening.
That’s why pilots commonly inform passengers of possible upcoming turbulence. Managing expectations and explaining what’s going on and what’s to come can calm people’s fears.
Providing regular updates on the situation and what you’re doing about it is also critical.
Contending with a crisis is clearly no laughing matter. But, in cases in which the crisis is minor and not safety- or ethics-related, there may be an opportunity to add a bit of fun. After all, we’re all human, and everybody makes mistakes. Consider if this is an opportunity to spark joy.
Imagine you’re a sock company, for example, and you accidentally sent out mismatched pairs to thousands of customers. The first thing you would want to do is issue an apology and offer replacements or refunds. But you could also consider framing the situation playfully, saying: “Looks like our socks wanted to express their individuality. Replacement pairs are on the way!”
6. Help me, help you
Recognize the line “Help me, help you”?
It’s from the 1996 Tom Cruise movie Jerry Maguire.
In it, the title character, a sports agent, beseeches his client Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to help him reach the outcome that they’re both striving for.
When a crisis hits, or other developments arise, people on your team may be tempted to comment about them on social media. Communicate with your people on your strategy for addressing the situation. Acknowledge that you can’t control what they post, but that it may prevent you from being able to help them and reach the outcomes you’re all working toward.
7. Don’t go it alone
In today’s world, businesses already have enough challenges. You don’t want to light another fire by saying or sharing the wrong thing – especially when you are facing a crisis situation.
Make sure the messages you put out into the world allay fear, build trust and move your business forward. Understand that you don’t have to go it alone. Find a partner with deep experience in crisis communications. Work with them to create a crisis management strategy. In today’s uncertain world, proven public relations and crisis communications partners can go a long way to get you noticed in the good times and help you emerge stronger fro
