Manage Crisis Communication

Crisis Communication Process

Employees should not overlook any of the external parties and major clients. Step out, meet them and discuss the problem with them. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If needed, seek their help. Do not ignore the media. Answer their questions. Avoiding media makes the situation worse. Employees should not ignore any of the external parties and important clients. Come out, meet them and discuss the problem with them. There is nothing to be ashamed of. If needed, seek their help. The answer to the media’s questions and do not ignore them to avoid making the situation worse.

Do not Criticise Individuals

Show care and concern for them. Share their feelings and encourage them not to lose hope. Put yourself in their shoes and motivate them to give their best. Respect them and avoid playing blame games.

Effective Communication Must Be Encouraged in the Workplace During Emergency Situations

Employees should have an easy access to superior's cabins to discuss critical issues with them and to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.

Information Must Flow Across All Departments In Its Desired Form

One should not rely on mere guess works or assumptions during a crisis. Crisis communication specialists must learn to make quick decisions. Remember that one needs to respond quickly and effectively to unstable situations. Think out of the box and devise alternate plans for the smooth functioning of the organisation. Make sure the information is kept confidential. It is considered highly unprofessional and unethical when employees share information and data with external parties. It will ruin the reputation of the organisation and severe action will be taken against them. On a regular basis, the superiors should evaluate the performance of their employees. To know what they are up to, ask them for feedback and reports. Conduct surprise audits to track the performance of employees.

Organisations hire Crisis Communication specialists to overcome tough times as well as to maintain their reputation and position in the market.

Develop Pre-crisis Communication Requirement

Public relations is the first and one of the most important element of crisis management. Crisis Communication is used to reduce tension, demonstrate a corporate commitment to correct the problem and take control of the information flow. Crisis communication involves communicating with a variety of interested parties.

Good communication is the heart of any Crisis Communication Plan and should:

• Create guidelines for a designated spokesperson covering working with the media and stakeholders.
• Prepare templates for communication within various scenarios.
• Review media statements and propose answers to protect against privilege waivers and potential admissions that can be used in litigation by the Legal Team.

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 "Manage Crisis Communication"

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.