Be prepared – anticipating crisis situations

One day a company director wakes up to find his world is in turmoil. In the next 48 hours he must face unions who have tried to break into company premises, the shareholders who want to implement a new strategy immediately and hostile media who are pointing the finger at him.

What is his message?

Without preparation, he is reacting on the spot, improvising and feel his way forward step by step.

He has a sound business plan, but under pressure he finds he can’t communicate it efficiently.

This is a stressful situation. And it is all the more stressful because very often the message is subject to strict legal constraints (shareholder rights, redundancy implications, consumer rights etc). These constraints can make public speaking a paralysing experience.

Add to these the emotional stress and even the spectre of physical intimidation, and you have a recipe for a confused message, or a director who either clams up or tries to satisfy everyone at once.

A crisis response can be carefully prepared, and it is imperative to construct a clear and unified message that is relevant to all actors, from partners to managers and employees and the press.

And a well prepared message means that each spokesperson will express it individually, not reciting parrot fashion from a prepared script.

The module lasts one day. In the morning, a crisis communication consultant outlines three main themes: the risks a crisis can provoke, the basic crisis communication guidelines and the reflexes needed to react in the best way. Case studies of situations that the participants might find themselves in are examined.

In the afternoon, two journalists take over to teach the participants learn how to structure a message based on journalistic techniques while focussing on the legitimacy of the speaker.