CRISIS COMMUNICATION

Share this...

~Communicating During the Crisis~


Get the facts.
Miscommunication heightens during a crisis and can be exaggerated by half-truths, distortions, or negative perceptions. Get to the heart of the real story and tell it.
Take the offensive when a serious matter occurs.
Be active, not reactive. Tell it all; tell it fast.
Deal with rumors swiftly.
Tell only the truth about what you know to be fact. Do not repeat others’ opinions, hearsay, or possibilities.
Centralize information.
Designate one spokesperson. A central spokesperson provides a singular "face" for the reporters. Viewers begin to become familiar with a central spokesperson, so this is one way to begin building credibility with the organization, if the person comes across as trustworthy. Centralized information also will minimize miscommunication.
Don’t get mad. Don’t get mad. Don’t get mad.
Keep your cool in an interview or news conference with reporters. Some of their questions may be hostile, and some questions and comments may seem to be a personal attack to you, but remember that they are trying to get information on a crisis-oriented story that may have widespread impact to their audiences. So don’t get mad when you are asked the "hard" questions.
Stay "on the record" in all interviews.
Do not go "off the record." Any comment worth saying should be said "on the record." If you go "off the record," be ready to read it in print the next day. Is this unethical for reporters to report "off the record" comments? Sure, but anything can, may, and will be done to advance a story. You should not be lured into going "off the record" under any circumstance.
No "no comments."
Try to have an answer for reporters’ questions. But if you don’t have an answer, don’t be afraid to say, "I don’t know, but I’ll find out." Saying "no comment" instead, appears to television news viewers and newspaper readers that you have something to hide.
In any crisis situation, follow every order, direction or suggestion from emergency officials.
Write everything down.
Maintain a crisis communication inventory of what was said by whom and at what time. This way, you will have a record of the event and how it was communicated. You can evaluate your responses so you will be better prepared if another crisis happens in the future.