Service
Crisis communication
Building a reputation takes twenty years; destroying it takes five minutes. If you consider that carefully, you'll approach situations differently.
Context
Proactive and reactive: two sides of the same discipline
Crisis communication is an essential element in managing any organisation, large or small, public or private. It's a specialist field concerned with how organisations interact with their stakeholders — customers, employees, investors and the general public — during and after an event that can damage their reputation or their operations.
We are specialists in developing crisis, reputation and business continuity plans, both proactively and reactively.
Both modes are fundamental to effective management. Good planning reduces the impact of a crisis; effective reactive communication maintains stakeholder trust and guides the organisation towards recovery.
- Proactive crisis communication
This is about preparation and planning ahead for potential problems. The organisation seeks to anticipate risks before they occur and develops communication and response plans: identifying scenarios, forming a management team, defining clear messages and preparing materials.
- Reactive crisis communication
This happens when a crisis arrives without warning. The organisation responds to an unforeseen event, working to limit damage and restore trust: fast and accurate communication, response to public concerns, and adaptation of the message as the crisis develops.
Proactive mode
An 8-point plan to get ahead
Managing communication during a crisis is essential to maintaining stakeholder trust and navigating periods of uncertainty. Planning ahead serves both for unexpected crises and for managing your reputation online and offline.
Anticipation
Preparation is key. We identify potential crisis situations and develop preventive communication plans for each. This includes identifying key stakeholders, defining clear messages and preparing communication materials.
Team
We form a crisis management team capable of responding quickly. It should be made up of experienced people from different areas of the organisation: public relations, customer service, security and risk management.
Communication channels
We establish reliable channels to use in the event of a crisis. These may include press releases, social media, email and press conferences.
Messages
During a crisis it's important to communicate with transparency and honesty. We prepare clear messages that acknowledge the situation, express concern and describe the actions the organisation is taking to resolve it.
Monitoring and adaptation
We watch closely how the public and the media respond to our crisis communication. If necessary, we adapt the messages and the strategy in light of the feedback received.
Media management
We manage media relations proactively and respond promptly to their requests for information. The media are an important channel for communicating with the public during a crisis.
Training
We make sure every member of the team is properly trained in crisis management. This includes specific crisis communication training and regular drills to test the plans.
Post-crisis
After the crisis we examine how the organisation handled the situation. What worked? What could be improved? We use that information to strengthen future crisis management plans.
Reactive mode
Nine steps for responding once the crisis has already happened
Reactive communication during a crisis is a crucial skill that requires a considered, methodical approach. This is the strategy we apply:
01Initial assessment
When a crisis occurs, the first thing is to understand the situation fully. That means gathering as much information as possible, identifying the causes and evaluating the potential impact on the organisation.
02Activating the crisis management team
Once we understand the scope, we mobilise the crisis management team. That team begins implementing the predefined communication plan, adapting it if necessary to the specifics of the situation.
03Internal communication
Before addressing the public, we make sure every member of the team knows the situation and understands the plan of action. That ensures everyone delivers a consistent message.
04Publishing an initial statement
As soon as possible, we publish a statement that acknowledges the crisis. That message should express concern, recognise the situation and confirm that the organisation is working to resolve it.
05Establishing communication channels
We use every channel available to reach our audience: social media, press, email and the organisation's website.
06Monitoring the situation
While we work to manage the crisis, we continuously monitor the situation and public response. That lets us adapt the communication strategy when necessary.
07Regular updates
We provide regular updates on the situation, even when there are no significant developments. That reassures the audience that we are actively working to resolve it.
08Media management
We respond promptly to media requests and make sure we provide accurate, up-to-date information.
09Post-crisis analysis
Once the crisis is resolved, we take the time to analyse how it was handled. That helps us identify areas for improvement in our crisis communication strategy.
Our approach
Four principles we don't negotiate
Our approach to crisis communication is based on a combination of proactivity, transparency, accountability and innovation.
- Proactivity
We firmly believe in the importance of being proactive. We work with you to develop crisis management plans before crises occur. That allows us to act quickly when one arrives, rather than reacting chaotically.
- Transparency
During a crisis, transparency is fundamental. We commit to providing clear, consistent and timely communication to all stakeholders. That not only helps maintain trust, it also stops misinformation from spreading.
- Accountability
We recognise that crises often require taking responsibility. When an organisation makes a mistake, our strategy is to acknowledge it, apologise and set out the steps that will be taken to correct it and prevent its repetition.
- Innovation
Crisis communication is a constantly evolving field. We commit to staying current with the latest trends and techniques, incorporating new media and digital platforms into our strategies.
Our objective is always to safeguard the client's reputation, minimising the negative impact of any crisis and working to rebuild trust once it's resolved. This concerns not only external communication but internal management too: we make sure the people in the organisation are informed, supported and involved in the process. That way, every crisis becomes an opportunity for learning and growth.
Want to turn the idea of a plan into a real, workable one?
We analyse your risk scenarios and hand you an operational crisis protocol, with named owners, messages and channels defined.