Become the source or risk your reputation
Today’s public expects immediate answers. They want to hear about a crisis, type a few words into Google, and have the full story pop up. If they don’t get that, they’re headed to Twitter and Facebook to see what information is available, or maybe jumping to a few conclusions of their own to share with the web.
Many organizations fall into trouble because they simply haven’t kept up with this demand. Instead of positioning themselves as THE expert source of information in crises, they bury their heads in the sand and wish for favorable media coverage. Here’s a great quote from a source you may not expect to be talking about media skills – a Construction Business Owner article by Jeana Durst, in which she interviews former construction industry consultant Janine Shea:
Shea observed that most contractors do not like publicity, and many don’t have skills in this area. But this excuse will not suffice during a crisis. “The day of being a silent contractor is gone,” she says. You must be savvy enough to position your company in the best possible light in today’s media-driven society in which news of an earthquake reaches the twitterverse before the aftershocks. Because the communication within the first few hours of a crisis is the most important, only contractors with a strategic plan can navigate these choppy waters.
Simply put, you’ve got to be ready to communicate. Actually, you have to be more than ready. In order to build your organization’s reputation and enhance its crisis management ability, you’ve got to become a communications machine, talking, and most importantly listening, to stakeholders, both internal and external, then adapting to their needs.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/