Guidelines
The guidelines for the Crisis Communication are as follows:
- Incorporate repeated messages to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
- Ensure a human face to organisation’s approach to the crisis. This maintains our need to portray the compassionate side of the organisation. Key spokespeople including the CEO should be speaking to the media to offer a human front to the crisis.
- Ensure positive messages: all messages should as far as possible be kept positive, acknowledge negative consequences but emphasise that the organisation is doing their best to overcome them.
- Ensure spokespersons remain ubiquitous and accessible.
- Ensure that spokespersons show genuine concern for those affected by the crisis; spokespersons should not be perceived as it concerned solely about business implications.
- Avoid saying ‘no comments,' focus on why the organisation cannot answer the question at that particular time and if possible provide a date for an update.
- Avoid speculations and adhered to the facts.
- Ensure accuracy, sensitivity, urgency in dealing with the media.
- Ensure coordination and cooperation with the media.
- If death or an injury has occurred, do not release the name(s) of the missing/injured/ deceased until all next of kin have been notified.
- Avoid providing damage estimates/ discussing responsibility for the incident or discussing legal liability. The message should be ‘the police/relevant authorities’ are investigating. We are cooperating.
- Reassure audiences that the organisation is taking the incident seriously
Reference
Goh, M. H. (2015). A Manager's Guide to Implementing Your IT Crisis Communication Plan. Business Continuity Management Specialist Series. Singapore: GMH Pte Ltd.
Extracted from "Appendix 7: Crisis Communication Guidelines"
More Information About Crisis Communication Blended Learning
To know more about our blended learning program and when the next course is scheduled, feel free to contact our friendly course consultant colleagues via sales.ap@bcm-institute.org. They are the BL-CC-3 Blended Learning CC-300 Crisis Communication Implementer and the BL-CC-5 Blended Learning CC-5000 Crisis Communication Expert Implementer.