In Depth

Crisis Communication: How To Stay Cool on the Hot Seat

In the event of a crisis or a security breach, the media will come calling. Heres your playbook for making them allies, not antagonists.

By Bob Violino

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“It’s very important for corporations to have a collaborative or partnership process with the [local] media,” says Weber. “Don’t wait for an incident to happen.”

At EDS, “we have to have a certain amount of trust developed between the various members of the media and us,” says Morrow. “If something goes wrong, I need the media to help me get the word out to people and institutions. If we have an incident at one of our facilities, we need [the media] to get the word out because I certainly can’t do that.”

Don’t…

Treat the media as an enemy. This a common response—and a poor one, experts say. It’s natural to circle the wagons during a crisis and view the media as a threat. But oftentimes the more an organization shuts out the media, the more reporters and editors speculate on what happened or what’s still happening during a crisis.

Reporters will look for sources inside and outside the company, who might provide inaccurate or outdated information. “If I’m that media person and if I perceive that you’re hiding information, I’m going to be interested in trying to find why you’re hiding it,” says Weber. “Treating the media as an enemy is very negative. Even if things are not reported like you [want them to be], it doesn’t mean the relationship is broken at that point.”

E-Loan doesn’t see the media is an enemy, Koleczek says. “We take the opposite approach and actually believe that the media would be a good resource to communicate with our consumers,” she says. “We would welcome the media to share how we are handling the problem and to let consumers know what steps we are taking to rectify the situation.”

Let the media be the only source of news. Although news media strive to get accurate information to the public, it’s important that organizations not rely solely on media outlets to tell the story.

“Even though the media is telling their version, you as a corporation still need to communicate with your most important resources,” including employees, vendors and shareholders, says Weber. “Don’t rely on the media as a single source, even if it is accurate. All those [groups] want to hear from you.”

To help get the word out, Weber recommends using communications tools such as employee newsletters. In addition, officials can make personal appearances to groups such as a chamber of commerce or business association.

Forget your employees.

The people who work at the organization must be kept apprised, as much as is reasonable, during a crisis. Many organizations tend to keep employees in the dark during a difficult time, and that’s a mistake, Weber says.