Last updated on Apr 8, 2024
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- Crisis Communications
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Protect your reputation
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Reduce uncertainty
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Influence perceptions and behaviors
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Restore normalcy
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Here’s what else to consider
Crisis communication is the practice of managing the flow of information and messages during a situation that threatens the reputation, operations, or survival of an organization or its stakeholders. It is a vital skill for any leader, communicator, or professional who may face a crisis in their work or personal life. In this article, we will explore the main goals of crisis communication and how they can help you navigate a crisis effectively and ethically.
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- Amy Marquis Communications Director | Content Strategy | Content Creation | Media Relations and Crisis Management |… 4
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1 Protect your reputation
One of the main goals of crisis communication is to protect your reputation and credibility as an organization or individual. A crisis can damage your image, trust, and loyalty among your audiences, such as customers, employees, investors, media, regulators, or the public. To prevent or minimize the harm, you need to communicate clearly, honestly, and consistently about the nature, causes, and impacts of the crisis, as well as the actions you are taking to resolve it. You also need to show empathy, compassion, and accountability for your stakeholders and their concerns.
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First of all, I would like to change the order of activities i.e. the goals of crisis communication are in this order:1. Reduce uncertainty2. Influence perceptions and behaviours3. Counter negativity and spread positivity (new addition by me)4. (due to above three you) Protect your reputation5. Restore normalcy6. Claim what went well and admit what needs improvement (new addition by me)
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- Amy Marquis Communications Director | Content Strategy | Content Creation | Media Relations and Crisis Management | Cross-functional Leadership
The most important component of crisis communications is timeliness. If you don’t respond quickly enough, you will miss your opportunity to repair the damage. Have a crisis plan in place so you can react quickly with confidence.
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- Nichole Brackett Walters, JP, PCM® LinkedIn Top Digital Marketing Voice | Marketing Strategist | Consultant | Coach | Mentor | Educator | Entrepreneur - Reaching for the stars…one step at a time!
The main goal of crisis communication to manage the narrative in a crisis so as to protect reputation and brand image by minimizing potential damage to the brand and its public perception as well as maintain or restore the organization's credibility, trust, and positive reputation during and after a crisis.At the end of the day the focus is to minimize the negative impact of a crisis and position the organization for long-term success.
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2 Reduce uncertainty
Another goal of crisis communication is to reduce uncertainty and confusion among your stakeholders and the public. A crisis can create a lot of questions, doubts, and fears about what is happening, why it is happening, and what will happen next. To address these issues, you need to provide accurate, timely, and relevant information that answers the most important and urgent questions. You also need to acknowledge the gaps and limitations in your knowledge and avoid speculation or misinformation. By reducing uncertainty, you can help your stakeholders cope with the crisis and maintain their confidence and trust in you.
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- Amy Marquis Communications Director | Content Strategy | Content Creation | Media Relations and Crisis Management | Cross-functional Leadership
If you don’t provide clarity, your audience will fill in the gaps with imagination. Make sure you’re in command of the conversation by providing relevant details and a timeframe for when you’ll follow up with more.
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- Pedro Prochno Public Relations Executive, Communicator (ex-Uber, Meta and iFood)
As I've mentioned above, all topics listed here are goals of crisis communications, but reducing uncertainty is the key one, in my opinion, as it directly impact and influence all others. Humans are "afraid" of the uncertain, the unknown, and this will reflect on the perception we have from someone or a company - therefore, it's reputation.On your crisis communication, be clear, address the issues and TOM topics of your stakeholders and audience. Show that you care and that you are acting to solve the problem.
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3 Influence perceptions and behaviors
A third goal of crisis communication is to influence perceptions and behaviors of your stakeholders and the public. A crisis can affect how people think and feel about you, your organization, or your industry, as well as how they act or react to the situation. To shape these outcomes, you need to communicate strategically, persuasively, and ethically. You also need to consider the needs, expectations, and emotions of your different audiences and tailor your messages accordingly. By influencing perceptions and behaviors, you can enhance your reputation, mitigate the negative impacts, and promote positive actions.
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- Pedro Prochno Public Relations Executive, Communicator (ex-Uber, Meta and iFood)
The simple act of communicating will already influence perceptions and behaviors. Doing it the right way is what will drive those perceptions and behaviors towards a good space, not a bad one. Act with responsibility, communicate with transparency and show that you care.
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4 Restore normalcy
A final goal of crisis communication is to restore normalcy and stability for your organization and your stakeholders. A crisis can disrupt your operations, activities, or plans, as well as affect your morale, culture, or values. To overcome these challenges, you need to communicate effectively, continuously, and transparently throughout the crisis lifecycle, from preparation to recovery. You also need to communicate your vision, goals, and values for the future and how you will achieve them. By restoring normalcy, you can demonstrate your resilience, adaptability, and leadership in a crisis.
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- Eduardo Correa Gestor Sênior de Comunicação
I believe that restoring normalcy is not the ultimate goal, but something that should be pursued in parallel with efforts to protect the reputation. It is very difficult to work on the perception of different audiences if you don’t have concrete actions to contain the problem and clear information about what will be done to prevent it from happening again. In many cases, I see companies positioning themselves on social media and in the press without having actually acted on the problem. The speech is not sustainable, as it will easily be compared with information from people who are experiencing reality up close and know that the problem persists.
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5 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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As a crisis communicator it is not your job to rewrite history- it is to clearly communicate a situation and mitigate further damage. Trying to spin things like they didn't happen or it was a misunderstanding will catch up with you and not in a fun way.
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- Renée T. Walker Brand and Marketing Accelerator · TEDx Speaker · Fractional CMO · Crisis Communications Expert • Author · Contributor · Avid Golfer
The main goals of crisis communication are to 1) protect the reputation of an organization, 2) minimize the negative impact of the crisis on the brand, stakeholders and operations, 3) effectively manage the court of public opinion without impeding the legal strategy, and 4) provide timely and accurate information to stakeholders, employees and the general public, as appropriate. Ultimately, maintaining trust and credibility through authentic, factual, transparent and ethical communications protects and preserves an organization’s reputation and mitigates the negative impact on its brand and bottom line.
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Crisis Communications is also part of stakeholder management.Different stakeholders need to be fed differently (quality, quantity, tone, depth - all may vary).E.g. Green Peace (as a special interest group i.e. SIG) - need not be interested in communication from you in case of an IT Failure, may be less interested in communication from you in case of a Pandemic, but is the most interested in you, your business, your past-present-future, your successes and your failures - if its a fire or chemical/ oil spillage that may create smokes, harm environment, and birds and animals. Your crisis communications plan should be able to take care of all different types of SIGs including trade unions, trade bodies, other infleuncers.
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