2015-07-04
477
1. Bad things won't happen if you don't think about them.
2. Planning for disasters is usually a thankless task.
3. Responding quickly, fully, and truthfully is the only way you can keep the faith of the publics you serve.
4. Good news always travels faster than bad news.
5. If a spokesperson looks angry, resentful, and evasive in his speech people can understand that because a crisis is a real disaster for a company.
6. You can't anticipate every possible disaster.
7. You are less likely to be misquoted if your speech is brief and to the point.
8. If you walk or gesture quickly, you look assured or truthful.
9. One of the surest and most deserved ways to build credibility and respect is to display grace under pressure.
10. Never praise some specific action of the person who has criticized you.
Crisis Communications
Perhaps bad things won't happen if you don't think about them. Most organizational leaders, like most humans in their personal lives, avoid planning for disasters. Because it's usually a thankless task, we often don't take action until after a crisis has hit us, someone we know, or someone who is like us or in an industry like ours. Yet now more than ever, every organization needs a plan. Responding quickly, fully, and truthfully is the only way you can keep the faith of the publics you serve, inside and outside your organization.
And human nature remains the same in one way: bad news always travels faster than good news. What can you do to protect your or your organization's reputation in the face of a future crisis - inaccurate, incomplete, or biased government or otherwise official or media announcement; or an attack from someone, especially a credible, well-liked, powerful or well-known figure?
Open to Public View
Perceptions color reality. If you look angry, resentful, and evasive, even when you are telling the truth, people usually trust their eyes first. Make your appearance congruent with your words, and make your message vivid, truthful, compelling, and succinct.
