How do you determine the right tone and messaging for crisis communications and can you provide an example from your experience?

Determining the right tone and messaging for crisis communications means an assessment of the crisis's severity and context. In managing a product recall crisis for a consumer goods client, we adopted an empathetic and transparent tone, acknowledging the issue, apologizing for inconveniences, and outlining corrective actions. Through a combination of channels, including press releases, social media, and direct customer communication, we delivered a sense of urgency and responsibility. The messaging evolved based on real-time monitoring of public sentiment and media coverage, allowing us to incorporate positive updates and demonstrate resolution efforts. For me, this experience reinforced the importance of aligning the tone and messaging with the unique characteristics of each crisis.

How your company or brand communicates during or following a crisis is of the utmost importance. Your followers, employees, fans, and fellow community members look to you as a trusted brand -- and you don't want to diminish the trust. Crisis communications need to be handled professionally -- but calmly. While you don't ever want to downplay the situation at hand, it's important to use your communications to explain what steps have been taken following the crisis, to eliminate this from happening in the future, if possible. How you handle these communications can make or break your followers' trust and respect in your company, and it's important to communicate with enough transparency to demonstrate knowledge of what occurred, and provide enough details that the public needs to know they can continue to trust your brand. I have one example that occurred early on in my career: One of our client's locations experienced a gas explosion. Of course members of the community and employees at this location immediately went to social media asking 'what was that noise?' and that 'it sounded like something exploded!' As the brand's PR contact, our first step was to ensure all employees were accounted for and were safe. Our next step was to communicate to our contacts and community what had occurred including time and location, that nobody was harmed, and that we were doing additional research to determine the cause, to make sure it will not happen again. Timeliness is also crucial when it comes to crisis communications. Even if you don't have all of the details to share, it's critical to communicate quickly following the crisis. Again, this demonstrates transparency which often equates to trust. Oftentimes brands or companies try to hide the crisis - which is the worst you can do. More often that not, the hidden crisis will come to light.

“In the complex landscape of crisis communications, finding the right tone is crucial. It's a delicate balance between empathy and assurance, much like carefully navigating through most challenging situations. Precision matters – every word carries weight – so choose them carefully. We should approach crisis messaging with a keen understanding of the gravity of the situation, ensuring our communication reflects an unwavering commitment to those we serve, the customer. Many years ago, I was working with a client in the food service industry. To bolster sales, they put on a very well-priced burger deal. The burger received high-praise and the promotion went viral for the region. The business owners had not considered the popularity of the promotion and did not have adequate staff and resources to keep up with the demand. They wanted to stop the promotion. I suggested keeping the promotion but use truth and a bit of fun to inform their clients of the situation. They started releasing posts through their social media channels that explained the huge demand for their burger deal and that staff were overwhelmed. They explained there would probably be a wait for their order. They also suggested doing take-out or off-peak hours to come try the popular meal, as well as explained that there was a park next door to enjoy some family time and cool shops to check out to enjoy while waiting. The posts averted a disaster, clients were happy, and they had an opportunity to cross-promote other local businesses. I guess the staff made record tips during that time.”

As a communications professional, I evaluate the situation’s complexity, impact, organization stakeholders, and messaging platforms to determine the tone and communications strategy for the situation. First, I gather as many facts as possible. Then, I work with the appropriate POCs to design a timely, informative, clear, truthful, and empathic message to the public. An example of how we handle crises at Episcopal Community Services is our COVID-19 response. It was a challenging time, especially for the vulnerable populations we serve, so our messaging was resourceful, empathic, and informative. To protect brand equity and support corporate social responsibility, senior-level communication professionals must understand how to respond to crises.

The key is to communicate with empathy, transparency, and a commitment to resolving the issue. It's crucial to tailor your message to address the concerns and emotions of your audience while providing clear, factual information about the situation and the steps being taken to address it. For example, during a data breach affecting customer information, the right approach would be to promptly acknowledge the breach, express genuine concern for the affected individuals, and clearly communicate the measures being taken to secure the data and prevent future incidents. The tone should be serious yet reassuring, emphasizing the company's responsibility and ongoing efforts to protect customer privacy. Additionally, offering support and resources to those impacted, such as free credit monitoring services, can demonstrate the company's commitment to resolving the issue and rebuilding trust.

In crisis communications, my strategy relies on being forthright, empathetic, and proactive. For instance, when our software crashed temporarily disrupting services, I ensured that we addressed the issue head-on. Speaking in plain, approachable language, we admitted the problem, apologized sincerely, and outlined the steps we were taking for quick resolution. Direct communication of this sort helped ease concerns, creating an environment of trust, patience and understanding among our users during a challenging moment.

When handling a crisis, it's crucial to strike the right tone. To do this, be open and honest about what happened, why it happened, what you're doing about it, and what you expect from your audience. At the same time, show that you understand and care about how your audience feels and what they need. Use simple language, acknowledge the impact, apologize sincerely, offer solutions, and encourage feedback. For instance, during a data breach, we were open about what went wrong, apologized, and outlined steps to fix it, which helped rebuild trust.