Crisis Communication
How to Communicate Effectively with Customers and Colleagues During a Crisis
We have all found ourselves at some stage or other in the middle of a crisis at work – be it a crisis situation with a customer, a product release that’s in crisis mode or a crisis of confidence within a team.
Some of us may feel like we are in crisis mode on a weekly or even daily basis. But wait a moment, how sure are you that the crisis, is really a crisis? Before we hit the crisis button, or respond to a crisis someone else has raised, let’s stop to evaluate. Before we rush to respond, is the crisis real?
For a situation to qualify as a crisis, it has to meet specific criteria. And when the crisis is real, there are useful strategies that help us manage, and just as significantly, how, when and with who to communicate this crisis.
In today’s world, Crisis Management is a well-developed discipline with clear guidelines and proven methodologies. Crisis management practitioners guide governments, emergency services and huge multi-national corporations. Yet the implications of crisis management need not be limited to the national food recalls, global health pandemics or political crises.
In this workshop we will learn how to implement best practice from the field of crisis management in our own day-to-day interactions with customers and colleagues. In particular, we will see how effective communication is key to the successful navigation through and mitigation of any crisis.
You will learn:
- Is the crisis real? What constitutes a crisis, how to focus resources and efforts on the real crises and avoid investing in the “fake crisis trap”
- What can you control? Learn how to predict and prevent the crises you can control, and prepare for those you cannot control
- What do you say and what not to say? When, how and with whom to communicate in times of crisis using the TEACH methodology
- Never waste a good crisis! How to Recover, Rebuild, Recognize the opportunity and Re-emerge stronger after a crisis
