Crafting Different Types of Crisis Statements

Quick reference

• 00:05 Now we need to craft different types of crisis statements.
• 00:08 The tricky part is having to issue a press release soon after the crisis has
• 00:13 happened, because you don't actually have much information.
• 00:18 We're going to start off by releasing a Holding Statement.
• 00:21 The important thing for the crisis management spokesperson, is to first
• 00:26 release a holding statement which will contain just two or three key messages.
• 00:30 We're gonna say what happened to the best of your knowledge, but
• 00:34 only stick to the to the confirm facts.
• 00:37 This is not really a good time to speculate.
• 00:39 We are going to also state what has been done and
• 00:42 there by will reassure both the stakeholders and
• 00:46 the public we're doing all we can, in order to satisfy their needs for safety.
• 00:51 We're basically showing that safety is our priority.
• 00:55 Are we going to inform them?
• 00:56 What measures have been taken to limit any damage?
• 00:59 And we just conclude by saying that we will release
• 01:03 additional information as soon as the facts become available.
• 01:07 Normally, you can say when you're going to provide more information.
• 01:10 For example, this evening there'll be a further statement, tomorrow, or
• 01:15 by the end of this week.
• 01:17 When do we release the holding statement?
• 01:20 In normal circumstances, the advice is to take your time and
• 01:23 your priority is to write a top notch release.
• 01:27 Now a holding statement has gotta be released way more promptly,
• 01:31 ideally within one hour from when the crisis happened.
• 01:34 And the priority here is to avoid further damage and speculation.
• 01:39 Whilst in normal press releases timing refers to
• 01:43 ensuring that the press release is related to current news and events.
• 01:46 In press releases for
• 01:48 crisis management, the timing actually refers to the importance
• 01:52 of issuing a press release as close as possible to the time when it happened.
• 01:58 That is when the crisis happened.
• 02:00 Why is this so important?
• 02:03 Issuing a press release promptly is going to serve a number of purposes.
• 02:07 Firstly, it's gonna have a positive impact on the image of the company.
• 02:11 It will show that we're reliable and we're a credible source of information.
• 02:15 When issuing an official statement promptly,
• 02:18 decreases the chances of rumors spreading.
• 02:21 And as we've seen, these rumors can cause significant damage to the company.
• 02:25 You're actually indirectly acknowledging
• 02:28 that the public has the right to know what happened
• 02:31 Instead of keeping them in the dark.
• 02:33 And finally, it will also buy time until more information is available.
• 02:38 A reactive statement is also good.
• 02:40 When more information has emerged from the investigation,
• 02:43 you should release a reactive statement.
• 02:46 There are two possible outcomes here.
• 02:48 Now these are outcomes pertaining to the investigation.
• 02:51 The first outcome is that the crisis was caused by a third party or
• 02:55 external circumstances, like a natural disaster.
• 02:59 In this case, your company's not responsible.
• 03:02 You need to apologize for the inconvenience and
• 03:05 state how a third party or the situation is being dealt with.
• 03:09 And the second outcome, this is somewhat embarrassing for the company,
• 03:14 because it emerged from the investigation that perhaps misconduct or
• 03:19 malpractice or scandal caused it.
• 03:21 In this case it's crucial to regain public trust and
• 03:24 regain customer loyalty as early as possible.
• 03:28 That's easier said than done how do we do that?
• 03:30 The content of the reactive statement is important here.
• 03:34 Even though your first instinct might be to try and
• 03:37 cover up for the scandal, it's not going to serve the company well, and
• 03:42 in the long run it will do more harm than good to use a cover up.
• 03:46 People would rather hear the ugly truth than the pretty lie.
• 03:51 When issuing a press release here, be honest and offer sincere apology.
• 03:56 An apology is really made up of three components.
• 03:59 We state that we are sorry and then we take responsibility for what happened, and
• 04:04 then we propose what we're going to do to repair the situation.
• 04:08 You'll be surprised to find that the public can be quite forgiving and
• 04:12 quite understanding if we're willing to be honest.

Lesson notes are only available for subscribers.