In the fallout of the Optus outage, businesses are reminded of the importance of good communications in response to an incident – and the consequences when it doesn’t go well.

Heading up Melbourne Chamber member York Park Group’s strategic communications division with more than 20 years’ experience working in and with the media, politics and the corporate sector, Ms Ek helps clients position, promote, and protect reputations.

Ms Ek’s breadth of experience gives her unique insights into how different audiences and stakeholders perceive and respond to language, and what works and doesn’t work.

Below, Ms Ek offers her insights on what to do (and not to do) when something goes wrong.

Reputation is hard won but easily lost

… and how an organisation communicates in a crisis can make all the difference.

Regardless of the size or nature of a business, the potential reputational outcomes of a crisis are the same if it’s not managed well: customers or clients might take their business elsewhere; you may face penalties or be shut down; you could have an executive turnover; or your share price might fall, among others.

The way in which an organisation communicates with its clients and customers, employees, government stakeholders, investors, and the general public during a crisis matters. Preparation is key.

In the heat of a crisis, things can move very quickly, so it’s important to do the thinking in advance, and to have a plan so you’re ready to respond when a crises hits.

A public issue can impact a business of any size

It’s instant and fast-moving – a negative story on Instagram can end up in the Herald Sun or on 3AW within minutes. Before you know it, it’s gone viral.

In most cases, the public wants to see that there’s been a genuine attempt from the business to address and resolve a complaint, and that accountability’s been taken.

So – at a very high level – consider how best to engage with an individual directly and genuinely, prepare responses to manage any online backlash, and prepare a statement in case contacted by media that acknowledges what occurred, that it wasn’t in keeping with the businesses’ values, and expresses a desire to resolve the matter directly with the affected party.

This may not “minimise” public attention, but it may “neutralise” it.

One of the key things to also consider is the reputation rebuild plan – that is, what comes after the crisis is over.

No crisis is ever the same, but the communications approach generally is

Communicate with your stakeholders early and regularly; be honest and don’t try to be too cute or clever; and, remember, if you’re not saying what happened, you’re leaving it open for others to speculate.

Every organisation should have a tailored crisis communications plan that is reflective of their organisation and that appropriately responds to the nature of each unique crisis. There is no one size fits all.

Poor communications can become a crisis in of itself

People understand that things don’t always run smoothly. But, they do expect businesses and organisations to front up when things go wrong, and to provide clear information about what’s happened – and what’s happening – and assurance that the situation is under control.

There’s no question crises are inherently difficult to manage, often unfolding without clear causes, answers or immediate solutions, and pressure coming from all directions. You don’t have all the answers straight away – but staying silent is the wrong thing to do. What may be a technical crisis can become a fully-fledged reputational disaster purely due to a failure to communicate well.

We’ve seen recent examples where major organisations have not handled their crises well, and their poor communications approach has become a reputational crisis in and of itself.

It’s so important for organisations (and spokespeople) to be genuine, to be compassionate, to be open and transparent.

Having a plan doesn’t mean a crisis won’t occur

But it means that if and when one does, you have the tools ready to go to communicate well.

The nature of a crisis is that it’s unexpected, it’s fast-moving, and there may be a lot of unknowns. However, for almost every organisation, there will be a range of potential risks that can be predicted and prepared for. In some instances, there will be no way of avoiding negative media coverage. But you could be able to mitigate long-term reputational damage if you’re well prepared.

Here are some tips when it comes to crisis communications:

• Be prepared and practice – have a crisis communications plan, and review it regularly. A crisis communications plan shouldn’t sit in the bottom of the filing cabinet, and it’s always recommended that organisations undertake scenario training. There’s nothing like being put in the hot seat to really test how things will work in practice, and to identify where there may be gaps.
• Communications during a crisis should work alongside the operational response – too often, communications are only considered after the first media enquiry is received, but, by then, it is potentially too late. 
• Communicate early, be honest and accountable – Australians understand things sometimes go wrong. It’s when organisations become defensive or inwardly focused, that they get annoyed.
• Be human – sounds obvious, but, amazingly it doesn’t always happen.