Many organizations face this dilemma. They have the best of intentions to communicate with their stakeholders in a crisis, but for one reason or another, they just simply feel as though they genuinely have nothing to say. So they say nothing, which ends up being a major crisis management mistake.
So, if saying nothing isn’t an option (which it isn’t), what are you supposed to do in a crisis if you have nothing to say? In this week’s #crisisready video I provide some essential and practical tips for managing and overcoming this dilemma. Take a look:
Do you have a crisis management question you’d like me to answer?
Comment below or use the hashtag #crisisready on Twitter and I’ll do my best to answer your question in an upcoming video!
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Hi Melissa. Good advice on what to say in a crisis when you THINK you have nothing to say. You might like to also address the proper and legitimate ways to say no comment without actually saying no comment. Or as Jonathan Bernstein says, MAKING no comment is not the same as SAYING no comment,
Hi Tony,
There must be a deeper meaning behind Jonathan’s statement than just the sentence, because – taken at face value – making no comment or staying silent, as I mentioned, is not an option in a full-scale crisis.
One proper and legitimate way to “say no comment”, would be to do as I advise in the video: show care and concern and that you’re taking the situation seriously; communicate what you’re doing – and in the case of not being allowed to provide information, then state so and the reason. If you’re forthright and sincere, people will understand. If you’re legally bound to silence, people may not like it, but they’ll understand so long as you provide them with whatever you can at that point in time.
Very very good tips! Communication is key, it makes you appear approachable, transparent and current.