Each workplace crisis communication strategy's main objective is to allow seamless communication within an organisation during a crisis.
Messages used in crisis communication are intended to provide the knowledge necessary for employees to make the right choices during crisis and emergency. Some of the corporate situations in which crisis communication important include product issues, data violations, workplace accidents, insolvencies and other situations in the workplace.
For communicating leadership, internal communications and PR teams use communication tools for employees to share updates and important information about companies during the crisis.
While many companies are aware of the value of crisis communication, not all of them have a specific crisis communication strategy about what to do when a crisis occurs.
Let us have a look at some strategies used during the crisis:
- Have a communication plan: As with any other strategy in the workplace, crisis communication needs a well-set plan and goals. Crisis communicators are less likely to follow company rules without the proper plan and may not be able to align employees with the overall strategy. The crisis communication planning should also identify all possible situations where there is a need for crisis communication.
- Appoint your crisis communication team: It's extremely important to choose and appoint the right people that will be in your crisis communication team. Here, it is vital to note that while the CEO of the company is an important figure, the team will include people from other departments, such as executives, HR staff, logistics, corporate communications and PR divisions.
The person you appoint as the spokesperson should be qualified and knowledgeable in how to manage crisis and emergency, interact well with the employees, respond promptly and be always ready to address the specific questions of the employees.
- Train communicators to have good communication skills: Like many other organisational positions, adequate training and skill development are essential to help a crisis spokesman succeed in their job. In addition to the training provided to professionals in crisis management, these individuals must have strong communication skills. It is a must for proper crisis communication planning during a crisis in a company.
Therefore, proper communication is valuable for a spokesperson as they have a significant impact on how to gain employees attention, connect with employees, build trust in the workplace and make employees work towards the same goals.
In most situations, a spokesperson would have to communicate and connect to multiple audiences. The ability to accurately segment those audiences and adapt the approach and messages to them is therefore essential for effective crisis communication strategy.