#6: Crisis-proof communication during the crisis.

Look away, repudiate, sit it out, trivialise… what seems to be tempting at first glance, and is all too human, can quickly lead to an uncontrollable situation. Room for speculation and precariousness is created. However, open and transparent communication indicates that you have acknowledged the situation and are taking it seriously. You enhance your credibility and retain the prerogative of interpretation. Very important: the earlier a critical situation is identified, the greater the scope for action.

What exactly is it all about? Who does it impact? Where is the cause? Only a complete overview can help you correctly judge opportunities and risks, avoid erroneous decisions and develop solutions. You also establish a better position for yourself, for example in discussions with affected stakeholders.

Realistically assessing the situation forms the basis for clear, credible and effective crisis communication. An independent external view also helps. Incorrect appraisals lead to contradictory messages and reduce trust. It can therefore be advantageous to openly admit to unclear situations and present possible solutions. This communicates transparency and makes your position credible.

Employees, customers, the media, the political sphere, business partners, trade unions, works councils, the financial market… with so many stakeholders involved it’s easy to lose track of things. Therefore, at the beginning of an emerging crisis perform a complete stakeholder analysis which not only systematically but also systemically records and categorises all parties involved. Successful crisis communication takes into account all target groups and their expectations.

Every crisis demands a solution. It’s ideal if you can explain the situation early on and present a concrete solution. In most situations though that isn’t possible. It is then helpful to specify the problem and describe the path towards a solution. And if that isn’t (yet) feasible either, good communication means explaining the problem and laying down an approximate timetable for developing a solution. No matter which of these options you choose: it’s crucial to retain the acclaimed prerogative of interpretation, and in most cases that’s successful if you communicate actively.

Demonstrate empathy and respect the expectations of your stakeholders. You don’t have to fulfil all expectations, but you should convincingly comprehend them. This enables you to consolidate trust and at the same time promote understanding for necessary measures.

In a company, each sensitive situation is individual and must be appropriately supported in terms of communication. AI tools can be useful when preparing communication activities – for example for research, analyses or brainstorming. However, AI does not (yet) replace human instincts for the right nuance and the ability to judge whether information is true or false. A recent study by the European Broadcasting Union for example shows that chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini invent up to 40% of their answers and present them as being factual, although they are false. This can have fatal consequences in situations where every word is important.

Falsehoods are quickly unmasked: a systemic approach views companies and situations as social systems. Trust in the system and trust within the system are decisive for success. Something said is something said, and you can hardly backtrack afterwards. Honest and clear-cut communication helps establish, enhance and maintain stakeholders’ trust. If people have the feeling that you are being truthful to them, trust increases in the long run and you expand your scope for manoeuvre. The fact that truth is not always the whole truth is a different matter.

You need a team that you can really rely on. In crises, important and often far-reaching decisions frequently have to be made under time pressure. That only works with clear areas of responsibility, reliable availability and a high level of trust between all involved. A crisis has never been effectively overcome without a close-knit team.

Crises are characterised by unforeseen developments. Think the unthinkable, draw up scenarios and appropriate options for action and prepare yourself for these. All the better if things turn out to be not that bad. Communication in crises succeeds if it has provided for as many contingencies as possible and already has an answer for the next but one step.

Probably the most relevant experience from more than 20 years of crisis management is that an external view of the situation broadens the perspective. This broader view then provides a realistic assessment of the situation. It is not a atrategy to try to survive the crisis in the most unscathed way. The opportunity in the crisis is to recognise the situation, and sometimes also to learn from it. We’d be glad to accompany you.