|
by Craig Workman
In most corporate crisis situations, there
is usually a victim and a villain involved, whether intended
or not. These are two of the three elements the news media
look for when covering such stories. The third element: the
hero.
So when your organization is in a crisis and
the news media come calling for comment, there is a pivital
moment that takes place when the first tough question is asked
and you are put on the defensive. If your organization is
at fault but you don’t want to talk about it yet (or
you don’t know what to say at the moment), there is
a tendency to say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t
comment on this right now.”
Right then and there, the media suspect that
you are hiding something, which makes you and your organization
a bigger villain. It also empowers the media to find their
answer through other sources, often to the detriment of your
organization, because now others are speaking for you. The
crisis will quickly escalate and the media will begin to pile
on, making your task ever more difficult.
NEVER SAY ‘NO COMMENT!’
Most companies learn about their crisis before
the news media finds out (although not always!). No matter
the situation, there are three things you can say to the media
to avoid the poisonous ‘No Comment”:
- You can verify what you do know about the
situation, however little it may be.
- You can say that you don’t know the
answer yet, but will contact the media as soon as you do
know.
- You should invite the media to keep checking
back with you to verify information they might hear from
other sources before reporting it. This puts you in an authoritative
position as the gatekeeper of the truth while buying you
time to find out what happened and how your company will
respond to the media.
No comment means you don’t have anything
to say. The rule of thumb in a crisis is: communicate, communicate,
communicate! This will ultimately make your organization the
hero.
|
