Communicating in Times of Crisis

During times of crisis, clients find themselves in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. Usually, the CEO is huddled with a battery of advisors – lawyers, board members, financial experts. To help the issue “go away,” many of these advisors offer PR advice ranging from “say nothing” to “let’s get out there and play offense.” It’s rarely so simple.

Our job is to help these organizations assess the entire communications landscape…quickly. That means getting to the truth; gaining an understanding of the legal, business and political ramifications of the issue at hand; and identifying the constituencies that are critical to a client’s success. With this information in hand, it’s time to communicate in a clear and concise way, demonstrating leadership to the audiences that matter most. Success during times of crisis usually occurs in a very short time frame, so the better prepared a client can be, the better.

Crises handled well fade from memory. Handled poorly and the crisis seems to live on and on. Our advice? Communicate honestly and confidently. Do what you know is right. Be sensitive to the audiences that matter most. And stick with the game plan.

Using New Media Tools

For organizations large and small, new media tools can provide an easy and effective way to communicate directly with key audiences, especially when speed is critical. These tools also work exponentially more effectively when well integrated into a larger communications program. For instance, a news story can translate into a Facebook post and then spur a flurry of tweets and user-generated content.

New media tools are expanding avenues for interaction between organizations and the public, often blurring the boundaries between producers and consumers of content. The proliferation of content and new media outlets has made an already crowded media environment even more so, which can make it easy for a message to be drowned out.

We help clients use interactive new media tools to expand and build relationships – and to develop interesting content – from blog postings to videos to op-eds – that will grab the attention of priority audiences and spur them to share it with friends. We don’t believe in tweeting for the sake of it, but rather as part of a communications strategy that may very well include traditional PR tools, too.