The impact of social media in a crisis
The expanded ability of employees to communicate publicly, thanks to social media, increases the number of potential communication crises we might face and also increases their potential impact.
These 5 suggestions including "listening in" to employee conversations, should help you reduce the harmful effects of social media.
by Paula Cassin, Cut Through Communications
Gerard Braud, noted crisis communications expert, puts it this way: “Social Media and web 2.0 tools change the scope of how rapidly crisis information needs to be communicated. Because employees can communicate faster than both the company and the media, that audience is a more important audience.
They make it more difficult to control rumors and spread the truth. They can make cellphone calls, take web photos and videos and email them to the media ... and they need no approval to do it. CNN is running your crisis on the world news before the first news release or employee e-mail has even been approved.”
With this in mind, here are 5 ways to helps stay one step ahead and have employees on side.
1. Keep your finger on the internal pulse
Tap into employee sentiment ahead of a potential crisis: monitor external social networking sites and capture employee comments and opinions through internal channels.
Internal blogs, forums, or even a "Topic of the Week" intranet feature on the homepage, inviting comments, can be a good internal channel for conversations. They can provide a valuable glimpse into how employees see the world and give you a setting for dialogue during a crisis. They provide the added opportunity to address misconceptions and fix real problems while they’re small.
We all pass on our gripes about work, whether to a colleague over coffee, a spouse at home, or friends on Facebook. These conversations are happening already – it’s time communicators start listening in.
They provide the added opportunity to address misconceptions and fix real problems while they’re small.
The Institute for Crisis Management states that the majority of crises are “smoldering” (problems management know about already) and internally generated. In these cases, monitoring and responding early to employee sentiment has huge potential to help you avoid a public comms crisis altogether.
2. Respond speedily
With employees willing and able to voice their own opinions in the blink of an eye, it’s crucial that your company is prepared and able to communicate to employees faster than ever before.
Communicating the true story to employees and advising them of the company’s position could stave off some of your closet public bloggers. It could minimize the impact of an inaccurate television or newspaper piece. In some instances internal critics actually transform into external advocates, defending their company to friends, family and the community.
In some instances internal critics transform into external advocates, defending their company to friends, family and the community.
Consider how you’ll get messages out to staff: sending out an email with an intranet link could miss a big chunk of staff if they aren’t computer-based workers.
Review common broadcast channels (SMS, desktop alerts, scrolling RSS feeds, voicemails, emails, digital media, etc.) and choose the ones which will capture employees' attention the soonest.
3. Prepare well
There’s no way you’re going to be able to pull together the relevant execs and people fast enough to discuss crisis communication strategies, unless you’ve planned ahead, practiced, and already built relationships with the execs you’ll need.
Work with management in advance, to create solid crisis management and crisis-communication plans for a range of scenarios.
This will ensure you have the executive involvement, support and access when you need fast turnarounds.
4. Have high quality messages
We’ve all seen corporate crisis statements – internally and externally – which leave us wondering whether the company really cares and whether they know what they’re doing!
So, make sure your messages are forthright and substantial.
5. Call to action
Give your employees an avenue to do something in response to the crisis. Whether it’s talk to their manager, comment on a blog, attend a town hall meeting, or a request that they demonstrate support publicly, taking action is a good thing. It transforms them into participants rather than observers.
Other recommendations:
Using RSS to cut through clutter
Don’t be left in the dark about dark websites
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