THE CRISIS METHOD
How to Approach Difficult Decisions, Work With Journalists, and Organize a Response That Protects People and Preserves Credibility
PART THREE: THE RESPONSE
Preparation
Give the communicator a seat at the table. Give your communications lead a role in major decisions, not merely in announcing them. Whether you lead a corporation, a political campaign, or a nonprofit, those responsible for explaining its conduct need a voice in shaping it.
Build a crisis plan. Identify likely threats and warning signs. Name a response leader, deputy, and team. Establish notification deadlines, approval procedures, and templates.
Update your crisis plan. Maintain current contacts, update backup plans, and keep a record of decisions. A plan that nobody can use is merely a document.
Build a deep bench of speakers. One exhausted person can’t be on duty 24/7 as a crisis drags on. Train backups, and give them the same set of verified facts.
Let technical experts speak when needed. Equip frontline staff to answer routine questions and then refer other questions to the designated spokesperson.
Scrimmage often. Rehearse with incomplete facts, an absent chief executive, a disabled website, a fake recording, and hostile questions.
Scrimmage well. Discuss failures, fix weaknesses, and scrimmage again. An exercise that flatters the leadership team needs harder questions.
Timing Is Everything
Bad news has no business hours. A story can break at any hour and spread worldwide overnight. A weekend will not stop the news from following the path of maximum controversy.
Urgent information can’t wait for a news cycle. There is no universally safe hour to release bad news. Know relevant news deadlines and formats, but release urgent information as soon as it is verified.
Release safety instructions swiftly. They do not belong in an exclusive. Truly necessary updates cannot wait for a more convenient time.
Don’t wait for every fact to materialize. Speak once you can verify the essentials. Acknowledge the harm and explain what is known and unknown.
Uncertainty is not a vow of silence. Say what people should do and what you are doing. Give the next update’s time and location. Show concern without guessing at causes or responsibility.
Errors are not entitled to tenure. Correct them in your public communications promptly and visibly. State what was wrong and supply verified facts.
Issue frequent updates. Issue updates as often as risk and public need require, and sooner when important facts change. Otherwise, explain what remains under review.
Stakeholder Communication
Put affected people first. The loudest voice may not belong to the person in greatest danger. Communicate according to harm, risk, and legitimate need.
Give each affected group useful information through channels that will reach them. Identify affected employees, families, customers, donors, communities, regulators, investors, and partners.
Don’t keep your own people in the dark. They should hear from you before they hear about you. Brief staff, advisors, and your own family before or concurrently with public briefings whenever feasible.
Never delay urgent warnings or necessary disclosures. Remember that the people expected to answer questions may need help themselves.
Give stakeholders vital information. When safety is at stake, identify who is affected and specify protective steps. Coordinate instructions with authorities and operational teams.
Protect victims’ privacy. Follow family notification procedures. Relatives should not learn of a death or injury from your public announcement.
Make sure the message connects. Information helps only when affected people can find, understand, and use it. Use plain language, accessible text, captions, and language assistance.
Deploy multiple channels. Offer phone, radio, print, or personal contact for those without reliable Internet. Work with trusted community groups.
Put vital information in one place. Maintain one authoritative incident page with searchable updates, corrections, and a “reading room” of documents. The facts should not require a search party.
AI and Social Media
Twitter is not a real place. Social media can reveal trouble or an emerging issue, but it does not reliably measure public opinion.
TikTok is not a poll. Online anger may reflect a vocal minority or an organized campaign. Rely on sound polling and message testing. Volume alone does not prove consensus.
Beware of viral content. Nobody is immune to manipulation. Authenticate suspicious images and recordings before relying on them.
Expose online manipulation, but investigate first. Do not dismiss genuine evidence as a deepfake or accept a convincing fabrication as fact. A million views are not a million witnesses.
The humans must remain in charge. In a crisis, pause scheduled promotions and automated replies.
Designate a person to closely supervise any AI use. Check facts, sources, and tone before anything is shared. Confidence is one of many things a machine can produce without evidence.
Credibility can’t be bought. Automated accounts and AI-generated personas must not masquerade as genuine public support.
Don’t blame the machine. You are accountable when technology you use or oversee causes harm. Have qualified experts shut down or restrict the affected function and preserve records.
If technology causes harm, explain what happened and how those affected can seek review or relief. Have experts check the system before restoring it. Hiring a vendor does not outsource responsibility.