Take a Breath: Legal Considerations for Your Communications

From Madelaine C. Lane, writing for the Grand Rapids Business Journal:

It’s a story we see play out all too often on the evening news: An organization or one of its employees is hit with a search warrant, subpoena or a civil lawsuit. Before the receptionist, communications director or CEO can turn around, a microphone and camera are shoved in their face and they are asked for a comment, explanation or interview.

So, they provide one, and that is often the beginning of a cascade of errors that can make a potentially bad situation even worse.

When an organization or one of its employees faces a criminal investigation or a civil lawsuit, everything changes when it comes to communication — or it should. Our first instinct is often to defend our organization or our team member. Doing what might seem like the “right thing” to do or say can often be the exact wrong thing, exposing an organization, employer or employee to potentially greater harm.

So, take a breath. Before you say or do anything that becomes part of the public record, take a moment. While it might feel like an eternity when the media are waiting in your lobby, you’ll be thankful you did.

To read the four steps you should take next, click here.