Crisis Communication in the Real World
Term: Crisis Communication in the Real World | Book: Lipstick on a Pig (the no-spin era): book profile and conceptual summary
Definition and main idea
In a crisis, public communication’s job is not only to defend the organisation; giving accurate information, stating what is known and unknown, guiding people and updating information as the situation changes also matter.
Explanation and elaboration
The publisher notes that Clarke, as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, was at the Pentagon on the day of the 11 September 2001 attacks, and recounts the experience of trying to inform, guide and reassure. From this experience a practical cycle can be drawn: designate who is responsible for communication, announce verified facts, state the unknowns, give practical guidance, set the time of the next update and openly correct incomplete earlier information.
Notes and limits of interpretation
Source versus analysis
Reassurance must not turn into false assurance. Sometimes the responsible message is that a definitive answer is not yet available, but specific steps are being taken to investigate or reduce the risk.
Relations to other concepts
- Tell the Truth Early, Often, and in Plain Language
- Deliver the Bad News Yourself & Admit Mistakes Fast
- The No-Spin Era & Transparency
Review questions
- What communication problem does this principle solve?
- Is the message consistent with the reality of the organisation’s performance?
- What exactly should the audience know, understand or do?
- What evidence exists to evaluate the result?