In a crisis, it’s all about mindset

Crises are neither avoidable nor predictable and therefore fundamentally impossible to plan for. In their keynote speeches, Martin Rieken (Head of Corporate Communications, TUI AG) and airline captain and crisis coach Mark Geßner, among others, explored how organisations can nevertheless prepare for crises. The unanimous view: as useful as it is to have manuals and checklists in the drawer, what really matters is the mindset of those involved. After all, success or failure often depends on the psychological impact of a company executive’s or press spokesperson’s public appearance. And it is only one’s personal attitude that makes it possible to actively embrace the specific situation as a challenge and to act appropriately, confidently and calmly. Ideally, the crisis thus even becomes an opportunity for improvement, renewal and economic growth.

The interface between disciplines

An award-winning case study on the execution of Castor transports on the River Neckar demonstrated how transparent communication at the interface with public relations and acceptance communication can create genuine added value for all parties involved. In the past, nuclear waste transports were synonymous with loud and often violent protests. The five Castor transports in 2017 were quite different; for these, the Baden-Württemberg energy supplier EnBW used a waterway for the first time in Germany. Thanks to a prudent, proactive and long-term communication strategy, not only were protests largely avoided, but a high level of acceptance was achieved among all stakeholders. The means: maximum transparency and engagement with the public. The result: lower costs for businesses and the general public, avoidance of reputational damage, and the safest nuclear waste transports in the history of the Federal Republic.

Crisis reporting and media management

An integral part of crisis management is the coordination of media coverage and the designation of media contacts, who act as key multipliers for the public. In a live interview, the multi-award-winning crisis journalist Sönke Iwersen (Head of Investigative Research at Handelsblatt) commented on what communicators should bear in mind during a crisis. He then took part in an open discussion with the plenary on specific measures and behaviours to maintain the upper hand in public debates.

Follow-up with a positive culture of learning from mistakes – professional issue management

Once the immediate issue has been defused, everyone wants just one thing: to get back to business as usual as quickly as possible. Yet this is precisely the moment to embrace an open culture of learning from mistakes and to derive positive benefits from the situation that has been overcome: what can be learnt from the crisis and improved upon in the future? How can crises be prevented in future? And where might there even be opportunities for the organisation, processes, reputation-building or even the further development of the business model? Documenting and reviewing the crisis provides a wealth of material for analysis, evaluation and optimisation – a treasure trove that simply needs to be tapped into, rather than immediately returning to ‘business as usual’.

You can find further information on our communication consultancy services during a crisis in our Crisis Communication section.