5 elements to include in a crisis statement.
When a crisis happens, there are certain things that are given:
- The crisis will happen at the most inconvenient time;
- It will gain traction quicker than you believed possible;
- It will shock and worry internal and external stakeholders;
- It will need an immediate response.
Very often the first step in responding to a crisis is to issue a statement. Here are the5 elements which should always be included in a crisis statement:
- Acknowledge
Acknowledge what has happened. Be as factual as you can. Issue as much information as you can. Do not speculate.
- Empathise
Empathise with those caught up in the crisis which, most likely, is not of their making.
- Values
Re-iterate the values of your company, e.g. “we respect the individuality of all employees” / “we put our customers’ safety first at all times”.
- Approach
Outline the approach that you propose to take which will mitigate the crisis and begin to restore ‘normality’.
- Commitment
Give a commitment to update regularly until the situation is resolved. Give a commitment relevant to the crisis e.g. we will work tirelessly to restore confidence / we will pursue all legal avenues open to us to recover these funds.
Note: These 5 steps were from a CMA webinar given by Helio Fred Garcia from the Logos Institute.