Crises happen. Unfortunately, the question isn’t whether or not your company will be faced with a crisis – the question is when. No matter how well you prepare and plan, accidents, incidents, and difficult issues will eventually rear their ugly heads. That’s the bad news.
The good news? Well, if you handle a crisis well, your organization can demonstrate that it is responsible, caring, and competent. And, proper preparation can go a long way towards making sure that your company handles a crisis well.
At the Ammerman Experience, we’ve been providing companies with crisis communications training for decades. We’re been around the block – from helping clients prepare for 60 minutes interviews, to ensuring that field supervisors are prepared to communicate with reporters – and we’ve seen firsthand how proper crisis communication training sets companies up for success.
Preparation is the key to communicating well during a crisis. With that in mind, we wanted to compile a bevy of resources to help you be as prepared as possible. We hope you put these insights to use and enjoy our Comprehensive Guide to Crisis Communications Training.
General Crisis Communication Training Insight
When Bad Things Happen to Good Companies
Brief: It’s not enough to react in the moment when something bad happens – preparation ahead of time is key. Companies that have established trust long before a crisis ever develops will be in a much better position to handle issues when they do come up.
3 Steps to Handling a Sudden Crisis
Brief: When a crisis suddenly occurs, companies must act quickly. Learn how to understand your audience, communicate what you know, and pick the right channels to reach stakeholders.
How to Break Bad News
Brief: It can be tempting to try to keep bad news under wraps – but failing to disclose information can be disastrous. Companies that understand how to communicate quickly and with empathy will be able to deliver bad news in a way that earns trust.
Crisis Communication Training Tools
Expressing Empathy: It’s Worth Doing, and Doing Right
Brief: Expressing empathy during a crisis situation isn’t just the key to earning trust – it’s also the right thing to do. In this article, learn how to approach crisis communication in a way that shows honest empathy.
How to Use Social Media During a Crisis
Brief: When a crisis hits, conversations begin to speed up. Using social media as a communicative channel during crises is a modern necessity to keep up with public discussion.
Why Corporate Communications Need to Have a Place at the Table During a Crisis
Brief: As companies deal with a crisis, they often close the doors and consult with legal teams to minimize damage. Inviting a communications person into the discussion, though, can go a long way towards ensuring that you reassure your audiences with the right message.
Crafting the Right Media Statement – Which Tool Should You Pull Out of Your Toolbox?
Brief: Media statements and crisis statements are both written statements that are delivered to the media for distribution – but a crisis statement has added urgency. Learn how a media statement changes under the burden of response.
Crisis Communications Training for Specific Crisis Situations
Preparation for an Active Shooter
Brief: Sadly, it is necessary to be courageous and realistic in confronting the possible threat of an active shooter. Being prepared to communicate effectively in the face of this crisis can help to reassure families of those involved, and even save lives.
Navigating the Tricky Waters of Communicating Mass Layoffs
Brief: For companies involved in mass layoffs, choosing how to communicate the news can be a difficult decision. It’s better to be honest and empathetic, though, than it is to clam up.
Oh No! Have You Seen What’s on YouTube?
Brief: The wrong viral video can destroy a company’s reputation. All too often, a company’s PR and legal department spend precious time crafting a delicate response only to find out that they’ve been playing the wrong game. Learn why speed and virality win when it comes to managing social media crises.
Next Steps for Crisis Communications Training
We hope that these resources are helpful to you as you equip your company to deal with potential crises. Remember, preparation is the key to crisis communications.
Want to be as prepared as possible to communicate well? The best way to prepare is to participate in crisis communications training. At the Ammerman Experience, we offer training for high-emotion public meetings, crisis management briefings for executives, and crisis spokesperson training.
Get in touch with us online, or at 281.240.2026 to find out how we can help you to be as prepared as possible with our nationally recognized crisis communications training programs.