Every workplace needs a great crisis communication strategy that will enable seamless communication during a crisis. Messages used in communication during a crisis are meant to provide the necessary employee knowledge needed to make the right decisions during emergencies and crises. Some of the most common situations that require communication include data breaches, product recalls, workplace injuries, and other situations.
To communicate crisis, internal communications, leadership and PR teams use communication tools to share important company information and updates during the crisis. When companies think about the new challenges of dealing with the crisis in digital workplaces, executives and communication experts charged with risk management worry about spotting unpredictable situations and carefully preparing their workplace.
Pillars of communication during a crisis
There are some rules crisis communicators need to know and follow when speaking to their target audience. These pillars help eliminate the challenges that organizations face when dealing with crises and inform their strategy to customers and employees.
Keep it simple
It is important to keep your communication simple during a crisis. Communication should be easy to consume and digest for everyone. During a crisis, simplicity is very important during communication. Clarity should also be prioritised. It is essential to ensure that your message has an objective and make it as relevant as possible and tailored to your target audience.
Keep it credible
Do your crisis communication team keep their communication credible? Does your PR agency do the same? Do your target audience trust you? This is where it is essential to ensure that your delivery matches your company message. You should ensure you present the evidence to support your messages properly.
Show empathy
It is important to show empathy during a crisis. The best way you can do this to people affected by the crisis is by listening to those affected and encouraging them.
Show competency
During a crisis, highlighting the competency of your organization is very important. Make sure you have the knowledge, skills, resources and people to follow through and do things properly. Remind your people that you are capable and ready to handle unprecedented situations.
Keep it share-worthy
You need to keep your crisis communications shareworthy and visual. Word of mouth will spread your message easily and reach a wider target audience. Encourage your people to share the message externally and internally where relevant.
How to set up an effective communication strategy during a crisis
Even though a lot of employers are aware of the benefits of communication during a crisis, very few of them have a clear strategy and plan about what to do in case of a crisis.
Create a communication plan
Just like any other strategy at the workplace, crisis communication will need a good plan. Without a good plan, communicators are less likely to follow your company rules and they may not be able to align your employees with the strategy. The communication plan should identify the possible situations in which communication is needed. Work with your PR team to create a successful strategy.
