How to... Do Crisis Communication

Without causing the next disaster.

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Today's newsletter is about crisis management.

The British public discusses failed assists in rail. It was a topic in many newspapers and other media after LNER caused a proper failed assist with peer Tanni Grey-Thompson at Kings Cross last week. She had to leave the train crawling on the floor, despite LNER knowing she was on.

What I found surprising was the lukewarm statement LNER gave to the media afterwards. They said, "We are sorry to understand there has been an issue at London King's Cross station on Monday evening. We are in the process of investigating this and are in contact with the customer directly."

There was no interview, update, or personal accountability. And then the avalanche of media reports happened. Tanni was on all channels, and LNER was nowhere to be seen. 

I was a journalist for over twenty years, so I know a bit about crisis communication. Here are ten tips for what organisations should do during a crisis like this. 

1. Be prepared. Who gets called? Who speaks to the press? And with "speak", I mean not sending out a statement and hiding. That doesn't work anymore and makes things worse. Get media training to be able to speak in front of a camera.

2. Respond quickly. Address the issue as soon as possible. Use social media and apologise to the people affected personally.  Issue an immediate statement acknowledging the incident and expressing regret for failing to assist disabled passengers. The statement must be empathetic. Include a quote by the MD or CEO. It shows accountability. 

   

   Photo by Caleb Oquendo

3. Be transparent. Provide accurate and complete information about the situation. Proactively update about new developments and use these updates to re-establish trust, e.g., "A happened, B caused it, so we will do C in the future to prevent it."

4. Show empathy. Genuine concern from senior management will help. People want to see that someone, ideally an MD or CEO, takes responsibility and is engaged in improving things in the future. But a warning: if your MD is not empathetic in everyday life, it's also highly likely to fail on telly.