THE FOUR FOUNDATIONS OF SUCCESSFUL CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

By Judy Hoffman*

When you are talking to an unhappy customer/client/colleague, discussing an unpleasant subject in front of your employees, answering tough questions at a town meeting, or being interviewed by the media after an accident at your facility, you are dealing with a crisis. A crisis is defined as a turning point – a time when your relationship with a person or a group of people could either suddenly spiral downward or dramatically improve. A lot depends on your communications skills.

We all know by now that an executive’s ability to communicate well correlates strongly with his or her success, whether measured in terms of dollars and cents or quality of personal relationships. In my experience teaching media training workshops for senior executives and managers of many different companies across the country, I have found that the level of these skills varies widely. However, those executives who base their communications on the four legs of Credibility, Competence, Caring, and Confidence are the ones who are able to convince, persuade, encourage and motivate others successfully. Let’s look more closely at each of these four C’s.

CREDIBILITY: I’m sorry I even have to mention this one. I wish it could just be a given that those at the highest levels within an organization would be honest with their employees, their customers, and others for whom they should care deeply. Unfortunately, we have all witnessed shocking examples of CEO’s and other high executives who have exhibited serious ethical lapses. There were those who told employees in mass meetings that their life savings were safe when invested in company stock while the executives were privately dumping their stocks. High-level politicians and religious leaders lied when they maintained that they did not have illicit relationships. People knowingly bent accounting practices to the point of breaking and others illegally shredded documents that would prove wrongdoing.

Underlying all of your communications should be this basic fact: people must be able to believe what you tell them. You build your credibility day by day in your normal interactions with your customers and your employees, your family and your neighbors. You tell the truth. You don’t cheat. You don’t shave prices or strokes in your golf game. You answer questions honestly, even if the answers aren’t pleasant.

Then, when the crisis hits, people have a basic sense that you will be straight with them. They can depend on what you tell them. They may not LIKE what you have to say, but they don’t have to wonder if it’s the truth.

COMPETENCE: If you hope to persuade someone to accept what you are telling them, you must have their respect. A good deal of that respect comes from whether they think they can trust you, as described above. But a large part of their respect stems from whether they perceive you as competent. Do you have the technical knowledge, the intuition, the problem-solving abilities, and the common sense to solve this problem or deal with this incident? Will you be able to achieve the best possible outcome for the largest number of people?

No communications consultant can magically impart these attributes to an individual at the moment a crisis erupts. Some of these skills are in-born and others are developed through formal or continuing education programs. What a communications consultant or corporate trainer can do is to increase the skill with which executives present themselves.

CARING: Empathy is a powerful, and often overlooked, communications skill. When you are dealing with a crisis– whether talking with employees after there has been a tragic accident on your site or the plant is closing or you have to tell customers about a dramatic price increase – emotion will run high. Some people will express their anger openly. Others will be quiet, but still very upset.

In either case, a good leader realizes that he or she must empathize, must show caring and concern for the affected individuals. It cannot be a superficial “We’re sorry – that’s the way it goes in this business” kind of attitude. It has to be genuine. People must be able to see that you understand how upset and frightened or grief-stricken they are. You need to give them a chance to express their emotions and validate them Otherwise, these emotions will build until the pressure explodes – possibly in some destructive way.

CONFIDENCE: Good communicators speak with self-assurance. Nothing will be gained and much can be lost if the leader looks unsure and rattled, inept or unbelievable. The speakers who are truly confident when they step before their audience (the unhappy employee, the stockholders annual meeting, the angry citizens, a TV reporter, or their own Board of Directors) are those who have practiced what they are going to say and how they’re going to deliver their message. I’ve seen many executives who thought they could handle their difficult situations without any pre-planning or practice. (They were, after all, “the big cheese.”) The result? They got themselves and their organizations in deeper trouble.

When the topic is important, pay it significant attention. Write down your main thoughts. Word them carefully. Call upon your peers or a sample of your intended audience to listen to your thoughts and provide you with feedback. Go over the main points many times, both in your mind and out loud, until they are indelibly printed on your brain. This way you won’t have to stand before the podium or go toe-to-toe with an angry person and be reading from a script. (NOTHING destroys perceptions of credibility, competence, or caring quicker than having to continuously look down at a piece of paper rather than looking someone in the eye!) Think of the tough questions you are apt to get; then formulate and practice your best answers.

Communication skills are vital to your success in any endeavor. Employees, shareholders, customers, neighbors, and the public look to an organization’s leaders – especially in a time of crisis. They support leaders who appear strong and capable, ready to do the right thing to help bring their part of the world back into a semblance of order. It behooves those who are or who wish to be leaders to hone their communications skills. Read books. Attend classes. Join a Toastmasters Club. Contract with a communications consultant or media trainer. Put yourself to the test with some role-plays. Videotape yourself and get someone who will provide honest feedback. The time and energy you invest in these activities will be extremely valuable to you, both personally and professionally. Then when (not IF) you are called upon to communicate in a crisis, you’ll have the skills you need.

*Judy Hoffman is a community and media relations consultant who spent 17 years "in the trenches" as the Public Affairs Manager and media spokesperson for a chemical manufacturing company.  In her crisis communications practice, she has helped clients in many industries, but specializes in working with companies in the chemical industry and others who handle hazardous materials that promote concern/fear among neighbors.  Her specialty topics are dealing with the media and dealing with angry people.  Her publications can be purchased at her Web site, www.judyhoffman.com.