Crisis Communication 101

Two very different examples of crisis communications popped up back-to-back in my RSS reader this morning. The first, by Joe Kinder is a great example of how to deal with news that could negatively impact the publics impression of you (or your brand).

He focused on three main points in his recent blog post:

1. Identify the problem – in this case, he put some sub-par bolts into a route at the Red River Gorge. This sounds simple, but in many cases it can be more difficult that you’d expect to figure out exactly what is causing negative press.
2. Take ownership – don’t try to dodge the bullet. If its your fault,say so in clear and unambiguous terms.
3. Find a solution and quickly execute. In this case he is basically paying to replace the hardware on these routes with bolts that meet the local norm.

In most of these cases, and especially in today’s market, speed is really what counts.  If the chat rooms and blogs are talking about a negative issue for too long, then it can quickly gain momentum and turn into a movement that you cannot stop. By the time the news shows up in print, it’s too late.  You and your brand seem out of touch with your customers and fans, and quickly alienate even your most devout followers.

And that brings me to my second example of crisis communication. One that really breaks all of these rules. One that is quickly alienating some of the most devout followers in the world:

Pope: I ‘will not be intimidated’ by sex abuse accusations