Messaging to the Masses

There will always be events that might lead to crises and uncertainty in an organization.

Offsetting a Crisis in an Organization (Dr. Claude H. A. Simpson).

In an organization, managers and employees must respond effectively to immediate changes, and there must be effective coordination among the departments to overcome emergencies. During a crisis, however, management should maintain regular contact with employees, external clients, stakeholders, and the media. A problem is usually an unexpected occurrence. The forces that would direct an organization’s public response could be many, but the most likely would be tradition, practice, and policy. These forces would shape the approach to crisis management and influence the organization’s response.

A combination of these forces would influence a public response. The strategies used to determine a general answer would depend on the nature of the crisis. Tradition – An organization may explore various crisis management strategies and communicate ways of addressing a problem, informing stakeholders, and promptly deciding upon a public response. The organization may utilize past practices to inform its decision-making process and move forward effectively. Practice – An organization may have experienced crises or have undergone crisis management simulations. Such crisis management practices and the organization’s communication procedures would help expedite a quick response during an emergency. Policy – Normally, an organization would have guidelines, principles, procedures, rules, and regulations to manage a crisis. This would show the organization’s approach to managing various situations and channels of communication, spokespersons, and the level of transparency to maintain.

A crisis may vary from one organization to another. Each organization may have its unique business practices. An organization should prioritize transparency and open communication. Public response to a crisis should, however, depict a show of understanding of people’s concerns, empathy, and transparency while safeguarding the organization’s interests and reputation.