Guidelines for Handling Crisis, Trust Building

Pre-crisis

• Researching and collecting information about crisis risks specific to the organization.
• Creating a crisis management plan that includes making decisions ahead of time about who will handle specific aspects of a crisis if and when it occurs.
• Conducting exercises to test the plan at least annually.
• Preparing press release templates for the organization’s public relations team in the event of a crisis.
• The chain of command that all employees will follow in the dissemination of information to all publics during a crisis situation.

A rapid response crisis communications team should be organized during the pre-crisis stage  and all individuals who will help with the actual crisis communication response should be trained. At this stage the communication professional focuses on detecting and identifying possible risks that could result in a crisis.

In-crisis

Crisis communication tactics during the crisis stage may include the following: the identification of the incident as a crisis by the organization’s crisis management team; the collection and processing of pertinent information to the crisis management team for decision making; and also the dissemination of crisis messages to both internal and external publics of the organization.

Post-crisis

• Reviewing and dissecting the successes and failures of the crisis management team in order to make any necessary changes to the organization, its employees, practices, or procedures.
• Providing follow-up crisis messages as necessary.

Timothy Coombs proposes that post-crisis communication should include the following five steps:

• Deliver all information promised to stakeholders as soon as that information is known.
• Keep stakeholders updated on the progression of recovery efforts including any corrective measures being taken and the progress of investigations.
• Analyze the crisis management effort for lessons and integrate those lessons in to the organization’s crisis management system.
• Scan the Internet channels for online memorials.
• Consult with victims and their families to determine the organization’s role in any anniversary events or memorials.

In general, Timothy Coombs raises some practices regarding to crisis response strategy based on SCCT that crisis managers should consider carefully.

• All victims or potential victims should receive instructing information, including recall information. This is one-half of the base response to a crisis.
• All victims should be provided an expression of sympathy, any information about corrective actions and trauma counseling when needed. This can be called the “care response.” This is the second half of the base response to a crisis.
• For crises with minimal attributions of crisis responsibility and no intensifying factors, instructing information and care response is sufficient.
• For crises with minimal attributions of crisis responsibility and an intensifying factor, add excuse and/or justification strategies to the instructing information and care response.
• For crises with low attributions of crisis responsibility and no intensifying factors, add excuse and/or justification strategies to the instructing information and care response.
• For crises with low attributions of crisis responsibility and an intensifying factor, add compensation and/or apology strategies to the instructing information and care response.
• For crises with strong attributions of crisis responsibility, add compensation and/or apology strategies to the instructing information and care response.
• The compensation strategy is used anytime victims suffer serious harm.
• The reminder and ingratiation strategies can be used to supplement any response.
• Denial and attack the accuser strategies are best used only for rumor and challenge crises.

Strategies to improve trust-based communications during crises

The following tips from Potter (2020), Mazzei and Ravazzani (2011), James and Woten (2005), and Spence, Lachlan, and Griffin’s (2007) work to help you improve trust-based communication during times of crisis in your organization.

• Create and share a clear message. Communicate all changes in expectations clearly. Develop and distribute a document among employees and volunteers that clearly explains what changes they should make in their work due to the crisis.
• Shoot for accuracy and transparency. Share your sources for gathering information on the crisis. Only share facts related to the crisis.
• Make communication consistent. If you are sending out multiple messaging documents, or having multiple employees send out messaging documents, ensure everyone is referring to and using language clearly stated in the original message document.
• Ensure employees and volunteers feel secure. If their jobs or roles are not at stake, clearly and quickly communicate this. Thank employees and volunteers for their efforts, and note the importance of their work in challenging times.
• Ensure clients feel secure. Ensure clients understand the quality of your service will not decrease due to the crisis. However, also explain it will be different. Inform clients about what measures your organization is taking to address the crisis. Thank them for their business and support.
• Encourage collaboration. Seek advice and helpful resources from your organizational partners. Observe how they handle communication related to the crisis. Offer to assist, within reason, with their crisis communication plan if needed.
• Make yourself available to answer questions and listen to concerns among employees and volunteers. Set aside time in your calendar for volunteers and employees to listen to their concerns and address them, within reason.
• Foster a sense of community. At group meetings, ask employees and volunteers to share updates about their lives. Lead teambuilding activities or ice-breakers. Remind your team that you are all in this together.