Is crisis comms becoming risk averse?

I have been watching recent emergencies and critical incidents as you would expect given the work I do. But it is starting to feel as though the words and messages used in the aftermath of an incident are being driven by risk aversion. There is more vague comment, wait and see and ‘please don’t speculate’ that is being said now. This may be because there are some significant inquiries underway that are considering crisis messaging as part of the discussion about the response. 

The need to get information out quickly will always have to be balanced against getting the facts right. Getting the facts right is not as simple as it may first appear when a crisis is developing and the situation may change quite considerably in just a short amount of time. Sadly the longer organisations wait to get information out the more rumour and speculation will circulate. Social media lights up with comment, views, rumour and this is a huge challenge to accuracy and sharing facts. 

For some this difficult situation leads to an approach of saying little, urging people not to speculate and waiting to provide more details in the future. There is a lack of understanding that you can say a lot even when a situation is developing. Importantly, start to explain what you are doing so people understand the response that is being put in place or the action that is being taken to address the problem. You can talk about the steps that will be taken, people that are involved and the planning that had taken place. It is not about saying this once but about continually sharing and updating. 

Changing times?

I hope that we are moving to a time when the one press conference approach is ended. In many situations this approach is adding to the problems of rumour and speculation because it happens to provide brief details and then follow up communication may be delayed with a view that everything that can be said has been said. Crisis plans need regular communication, continued updates, sharing of developments and an investment of time and effort to help people through what has happened.

The fear of saying something that is wrong is driving the one press conference approach and a view that saying only what is needed is the best approach. It is a risk aversion that can limit the effectiveness of the crisis communication response. All the planning and preparing ahead of a crisis should help manage the risks and should allow a few risks to be taken. It is in the taking of a few risks, with a clear understanding of what that means, that can bring the biggest benefits to a crisis communication response. Risk aversion can stifle our crisis communication effectiveness.

Amanda Coleman is a crisis communication expert and consultant, founder of Amanda Coleman Communication and the author of Crisis Communication Strategies. Read the original post.