And I thought Crisis communication was based on gut feel.

I am back again with my stories. I must tell you that it has been quite tough settling in and keeping up with the numerous tasks and assignments on the #MEMBA12 program. Lately, I have even considered deferring the program to a later time, but we keep pushing.  

I find Management Communication quite interesting for a number of reasons but the most significant is the way it puts a procedure or models to things we do everyday based on gut feel.

Take for instance, the topic on Crisis Communication. We encounter various forms of crisis in our day-to-day business activities. When we do, people that are reactionary respond based on gut feel, the patient ones wait to consult and some do nothing.

I have learnt the importance of being intentional about how one communicates during a crisis. There are different stages in a crisis and you need to consider this in deciding how to communicate. The stages are grouped into three (Pre-crisis, During the crisis and Post crisis).

Before the crisis, it is important that one plans and considers likely and unlikely crisis scenarios that may occur. Businesses need to have a crisis management team, ready to swing into action should any unwanted situation arise. It is also important that businesses establish relationships with external contacts, e.g. Customers, Regulators, Shareholders, Employees etc. This will keep the team in tune with what is happening in the business environment. It will also help to envisage or pre-empt possible crisis and put in measures to prevent such crisis.

During Crisis communication, it is important that the response time is swift, and the message is accurate and honest. One should endeavour to make the communication through all available media platforms. The communication should also be made by a person of authority in the business.

There are three C’s of success, which can be applied during a crisis. First is Control, the business needs to show they are in control by taking the appropriate action and also explain their action to the relevant audience.

Second C is Concern which implies that the business needs to demonstrate empathy in their communication. The third C being Credibility, requires that you have the rights facts and present the facts correctly. This helps you to build trust with the audience. It is important you maintain connection with the audience when communicating during crisis.

When communicating during a crisis, you should avoid the “No comment” response. You can indicate whether you are aware of the situation or not aware of the situation. You can also commit to finding out details of the situation and taking necessary actions to resolve or remediate.

At the end of the crisis, it is important to do a review of how the crisis was managed. A check should be done on the effectiveness of the communication plan. Feedback should be obtained on what went well and what could be improved on. This feedback can be reviewed and summarized to develop a guide on how best the company can prevent future occurrence or how the company can react if there is a recurrence.