By Christina Rytter, Founder & Trusted Communications Advisor

1. Permanent Crisis Readiness
A crisis or big change can happen out of the blue – at any time. It hits extra hard when you’re not prepared. Therefore, it is beneficial for top managers and organizations – regardless of size – to build a permanent Crisis Readiness. Your crisis preparedness is a proactive and qualified preparation for the unknown. So it isn’t easy. But it will give you a head start when a crisis or a larger change hits you and your organization.

Start with a temperature measurement of your current crisis preparedness. Have you chosen a team for crisis management? Is there an updated crisis plan? If not, start there!

THE CRISIS TEAM must be able to work independently on internal operational tasks during a crisis. The team typically consists of the Chair, CEO, Head of Communications, External Crisis Advisor and an experienced PR/SoMe manager. In peacetime, the crisis team talks to each other every quarter – and updates the crisis plan based on the latest risk assessments. In times of crisis and major changes, the team steps in acutely.

THE CRISIS PLAN contains the crisis team’s qualified suggestions on what you may be affected by – and how to handle it. We just draw the general lines. Since it is only when we see crisis or change in reality that we can lay out a precise crisis strategy and tactics for execution.

A foundation for the crisis plan is, among other things, scenario planning. This means that we map out crisis scenarios that may be affected. And how you deal with them. Analyze internal vulnerabilities, market situation, and the team’s experience with internal and external crisis management. Assess how experienced your spokespersons are in crisis communication. What is your image like in the media and on social media? Have there been previous crisis cases in the media? Are there any skeletons in the closet?

PR is often a crucial factor in crisis communication. We prefer to “break” the negative story ourselves to control it. But a crisis often self-ignites in the media and social media. In crisis preparedness, the daily, proactive PR work therefore also plays a significant role. Because positive PR – in addition to growing the business – acts as a positive counterweight to any critical publicity and crisis cases.

2. Reaction time is key!
In handling a crisis, a quick response is crucial to successfully get through. BUT at the same time, the reaction must be well thought out and well prepared. So it’s a delicate balance – especially because most people also come under intense emotional pressure in crisis cases and major changes.

I grew up with a father who worked as a Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and was part of a special “unit one” travel team solving the worst crime cases. So, he also saw his share of crisis cases – on a completely different level, of course, than most of us see in the traditional business world. He always said, “Keep calm and attentive.” And that is what we need to do in a crisis. But do it quickly! 😉

A QUICK RESPONSE is key in a critical situation because it gives you the chance to handle and control the situation – and also crack down on risky rumours internally and externally. A company can easily get into serious trouble on rumour formation alone. Even if the reality looks completely different. The “truth” about the situation will be the first to be communicated. If it doesn’t come from top management, it will probably be from the press – or from the rumours in the canteen or on social media. And if it takes off here – then successful crisis communication becomes somewhat more difficult.

3. 70% is preparation!
Preparation takes up most of the time in successful crisis communication. You only have one shot when you execute, so it must be precise. In my “Crisis Communications Blueprint,” I work chronologically through several crucial steps to secure successful Crisis Communications for my clients. In addition to the Permanent Crisis Readiness, I recommend:

3 STEPS BEFORE EXECUTION in chronological order; Strategy, Production and Training. In each step lies a pretty solid piece of work. So that’s exactly why it’s valuable to have permanent crisis preparedness. We get out of the starting blocks with the preparation at a much higher pace. If your Crisis Team has worked in advance with scenario planning and the framework for crisis strategy, then a lot of time is gained when it becomes urgent.

THE CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY is the first step in our urgent preparation – here the work with the key messages aimed at your various stakeholders (target groups) and influencers constitute one of four strategic cornerstones. When we create a Message Platform for Crisis and Change Management, it is also important to get the defence messages in place. That is, answers to direct critical questions. The answers must all be in sync with the proactive crisis messages that the spokespersons communicate to your internal and external target groups.

4. Plan with worst-case!
We use scenario planning in crisis preparedness and the work with crisis communications strategy. Scenarios are a concrete strategic tool for dealing with unknown factors in a structured way. So also in crisis management, scenario planning considers the uncertainty of the future. We think outside the box and see the situation in a broader context. Here you practice “thinking the unthinkable”.

CREATE 2-4 CRISIS SCENARIOS – and then continue with deeper preparation of the worst-case. Better to be pleasantly surprised if the situation turns out to be less bad than assumed – than to stand on your heels when lightning strikes. We prepare and train so much worst-case that the real crisis becomes a milder scenario. Regardless of how bad it looks.

IN DENMARK – and the rest of Scandinavia – we often have a critical and direct approach. This applies to employees, journalists, customers and business partners. In crises, employees are often driven by fear and anger – and journalists are driven by the fact that negative and critical stories are more interesting to most people. Except for those affected. It can be extremely hard – also in private – to be dragged through a negative story or what we call “a campaign” in the media. A campaign in the press means a series of articles covering the different angles or development of the same story. Therefore, preparing for the worst is an essential part of crisis communication.

5. Media train spokespersons!
Training the CEO and other spokespersons is crucial to successful crisis communication. I recommend combined media and message training. In everyday speech, we call it TV training. “TV – that’s not relevant to our company”, you might think. Maybe not. BUT you can more easily master clear and powerful crisis communication and navigate successfully through crises and change when you practice with TV training. Because we work with live evaluation on screen and video replay we can train the crisis messages and body language under maximum pressure in an interview situation that resembles a TV studio. Therefore CEOs and other top managers and spokespersons become incredibly skilled. This applies both to delivering your crisis messages as well as getting control over and using your body language to support you – rather than work against you in a critical situation.

YOUR BODY LANGUAGE is your greatest asset when you know how to control and use it. When you can use your body language proactively, your communication burns through strongly and authentically. If you don’t have your body language under control – and this is completely normal in a crisis when you get nervous – then it can work so much against you that no one hears what you say. International studies show that up to 80% of people’s perception of you comes from your body language. That is if you don’t control it. Otherwise, people listen. That’s why TV training is so effective because it becomes crystal clear where it works and what we need to train further.

6. Order in your own house first!
In the event of a crisis and major change, top management must start with internal communication (unless you are listed on the stock exchange, of course). It is important to put your own house in order first. Clear and powerful internal communication must be the first step of the CEO. Most people don’t like sudden changes – and they will fill in the “empty spaces” of missing information with their interpretation of what might happen. If their manager doesn’t inform them properly.

AVOID RUMOURS. Over the years, I have seen many examples of how a crisis or change suddenly became significantly worse due to internal rumours and unforeseen actions from employees driven by fear or anger, because top management and the board were too busy focusing only on external communication. Letting employees hear about potential layoffs in the media first, for example, is not the way to do it! Of course, these things happen unintentionally. But if you don’t start by managing the internal communication you heighten the risk of negative internal rumours and actions. Of course, the external and internal communication must be timed as close as possible here, so we do not lose time. If you are listed on the stock exchange, then of course we play with different rules.

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🔥 Need help with Crisis or Change Communications?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Trusted Communications Advisor & Founder Christina Rytter at +4523967733 – We are here to help ☔