We’re not here to judge anyone – people and businesses alike can miss the mark. Anyone can forget that the kids’ guinea pigs need to go inside at night to avoid freezing to death, and there are too many anniversaries to keep track of.
But don’t save the text until you’re faced with a children’s birthday party without a present – or until the company is confronted with the public’s disapproval: Preparation pays off in crisis communication.
1. Think about preparedness
Have you ever wondered if there’s a potential shitstorm or two lurking around? Maybe you’ve had one in the back of your mind for a long time, or maybe you need a moment to anticipate it?
While you think about it: Did you “forget” to take out the trash this morning? Are all the kids’ soccer games on your calendar, and is someone actually in charge of Julie’s bachelorette party, and how can you remind others without becoming the main culprit?
Companies get preparedness in place by talking through responsibilities and potential crises.
You can think through potential crises yourself. You will often be left alone with the responsibility on the personal front, while you can ally yourself with the rest of the company’s management.
Do your homework with this in mind so you’re not paralyzed when the crisis knocks down your bedroom door – or if journalists are standing in the reception with cameras on.
2. Keep track of stakeholders
Every war is decided by alliances. You’re better off in a dispute with your girlfriend if your mother-in-law is on your side, or if your children are bribed in advance to have your back.
In crisis communication, it’s crucial to understand your stakeholders, both internal and external: Will they support you or score cheap points by criticizing you?
Maintaining the goodwill of your stakeholders is an ongoing effort. Hopefully, at home it comes naturally to you to be good to your loved ones – it should be the same in business.
3. Prepare the messages
For example, if you know (and I’m definitely not speaking from personal experience) that you can be less good at finding small items like headphones, your wallet or last month’s electricity bill, it might be a good idea to have an answer ready for that particular problem:
Slightly annoyed partner: “You can never find your stuff – I always have to help you find things.”
Message-conscious crisis solver: “At least I found you.”
It’s a little on the sweet side, but it’s relatively disarming. However, you won’t get off that easy if there’s more at stake in the company. If you don’t go for the confrontation and instead start by saying you’re looking into the problem, you’re not fanning the flames.
This leads to the next point:
4. Meet emotions with emotions (but include facts)
It’s a classic problem: You can be right without being right.
Your legal right to act as you have will not appease your audience – or restore balance in private. The bound task is to speak to the emotions, while also including the facts:
“I can understand your disappointment when I secretly watched an episode of our favorite show. But I was just so curious that I had to watch it. And now you can see that I just can’t keep any secrets from you – which is actually a good thing.”
Similarly, you need to recognize the feelings of the shitstormers: if a seafood restaurant has copied the name of your steak restaurant, the courts will see it as David versus Goliath – and it’s hard to change that perception, even if Goliath is right.
This doesn’t mean giving up your rights, but finding an amicable solution where neither you nor the people’s darling loses (too much) face. Humor, sensitivity and dialogue are great tools for this exercise.
5. Be ready to use drastic measures
Sometimes crisis communication can’t solve the crisis. In those cases, there’s little else to do but bare your throat, apologize and do something drastic to win back the target audience.
This may be why children suddenly get a pet – for most adults, it’s an acceptable price to pay for their favor.
However, think carefully about which “carrot” fits the scale of the crisis. You may end up overshooting and undershooting, and it will seem transparent if you always buy a new gift when there have been problems.
In business, it may require demotions or layoffs to regain credibility. Just ask a Danish film company that is currently in high seas with a gaping eel on deck.
Be careful with your knowledge
We can only recommend that you stay aware of emerging crises and avoid using the tools.
And I wouldn’t recommend advertising too much at home that you’ve read about the tools – or written a blog about it for that matter.
More PR & communication advice
5 tips for getting in the media
Media stakeholders: How do you activate them?
Fish & fight or evolving city: Heavy-handed branding doesn’t trump prejudice
