Three golden rules for how to effectively engage with media in a crisis

When a crisis hits a company, proactivity is the key. If handled well, a crisis can serve as an opportunity to show the world that your company is responsible and human rather than disorganised and uncaring. In today’s networked world, the necessity for open, honest and ongoing communication is paramount to maintaining a strong profile amongst customers and stakeholders and consequently a strong and stable business performance.

In the financial services industry, where information security, trust and credibility are more important than ever, chances are you will need some form of crisis communication. The response of a company’s spokespeople during a crisis can either make or break a company’s reputation, and as we’ve seen with Alan Joyce’s Qantas journey, how well a company’s CEO comes across in the media strongly reflects a company’s perception in the public eye.

For companies in the areas of the healthcare, hi-tech, banking or aerospace industries, it’s less about if you will have a crisis and more about when.

So here are three key tenets for facing the media when a crisis occurs:

1. Be prepared. Have a predefined crisis communication plan in place that clearly outlines guiding principles for messaging, communication protocols and designated spokespeople.
2. Be responsive. In a crisis, time is of the essence so acknowledging the problem immediately and disclosing the issue and potential risks to customers or stakeholders can be the difference between mitigating extensive brand reputation damage and ruining it! Constant and transparent communication is the key.
3. Care and capability. Don’t be indifferent. The public must perceive that the organisation’s leadership team is capable of solving the problem, and most importantly, wants to solve it for the greater good of its stakeholders. This presents a key challenge for spokesperson/spokespeople to exude competence in the media spotlight. The best way for spokespeople to gain credibility is to concede, rather than defend, which means acknowledging the problem and demonstrating confidence and commitment to solving the problem quickly.