Are you ignoring the power of proactive positive crisis communications?
“And there’s still a lot of faith, warmth, and trust
When we keep on keeping on”— Curtis Mayfield, Musician, “Keep On Keeping On”
September 8, 2020 — As we head into the last days of Q3 2020 the year shows no signs of slowing down. With months of experience under their belts, organizations that invested in preparedness and practice early on are becoming quite used to operating under ‘COVID law’ with its increased operational limitations. For them, the challenge has become one of, “How do we sustain this, possibly for many more months, until we can begin to return to normalcy?”
And, while there’s no doubt as to the importance of continuing to put product in front of potential buyers, we’re seeing a trend of organizations out there forgetting what may be the most important piece of ‘Keepin On’ during an extended crisis event, namely letting people know things are still OK!
Just look at your own workforce. Most folk have been incredibly adaptive, and work is getting done in droves even if we’re all dealing with the occasional exuberant child or proudly vocal dog in the background, but make no bones about it, people are stressed out.
Same for your customers, clients, and business partners. Many organizations have found ways to make things work, but for others there has been no option but to limit services or even shutter doors for good, leaving plenty of room for worry among those who rely on you being open day-to-day.
Now let me ask you — when was the last time you sent out a message with these vital audiences sharing that you’re okay, that your plans are holding strong, and that you have trust in your team to carry things forward? It may seem simple, but it’s a crisis prevention measure that’s worth far more than the time investment it requires.
If there’s an essential fact you want people to remember you need to keep putting it in front of them or the brain will naturally let it slide on out. Let people know you’re keepin on, keep it up, and you’ll be better positioned to maintain the level of “faith, warmth, and trust” that will carry you through any crisis situation.
Erik Bernstein
erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com