Leading in a Crisis: How to Successfully Communicate

From Government Technology:

The current pandemic has provided many examples of effective and not-so-effective communications strategies. Here are four pitfalls to avoid, and five proven strategies to keep the public informed and engaged.

WHY ‘MEANING-MAKING’ MATTERS

In every crisis, it is essential that government and public-sector leaders provide a compelling story. A good crisis narrative teaches the public about the realities of the predicament. It conveys what leaders know, do not know and cannot know, and what they are doing to figure out as much as possible. It recognizes emotions and sacrifices. It conveys social norms and political commitments. It instills hope and radiates confidence. An effective crisis narrative shapes public perceptions and channels public emotions and collective behavior in positive directions. We call this “meaning-making” and it is a critical task of crisis management. It combines the various tools of political communication: written (press releases, legislative briefings, staff emails), verbal (speeches, press conferences, media interviews, debates, vlogs) and symbolic instruments (visiting sites and facilities; engaging with victims, responders and staff; and attending funerals and memorial services).

Most leaders intuitively understand that meaning-making in a crisis is critical. Yet, many leaders find this task difficult to perform. The COVID-19 crisis has already produced a sizeable list of avoidable errors:

• prolonged prevarication;
• confused and contradictory messages;
• too much talking, not enough listening;
• maintaining a façade of being in control;
• making promises that cannot be kept;
• and initiating blame games.

We’ve unpacked decades of crisis research to explore key lessons for leaders to help them “make meaning” in times of a mega-crisis.

COMMUNICATION FAILURES CAN DAMAGE OTHER PARTS OF THE RESPONSE

The occurrence of an emergency and its escalation into a full-blown crisis tests the social contract between governments and citizens. It calls into question the behavior of authorities and the functioning of public organizations, as people ask how could this have happened and why were we not better prepared? It undermines popular trust and institutional legitimacy. Leaders need to actively counter this trust deficit if they want to remain effective.

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