Ready for a crisis? Then you’re ready for anything.

Communicating in a moment of crisis is like holding up a magnifying glass. It reveals how mature an organisation’s leadership really is today, how decisions are made and how clearly people communicate when it truly matters. Anyone who understands this immediately sees why the lessons from crisis communication are highly relevant for leadership and business maturity, too.  

In a crisis, communication is about taking back control. And it is more than messaging and information-sharing alone. It offers a point of reference for everyone involved. Employees, customers, partners and stakeholders are all looking for direction. Therefore, messages need to be fast, accurate and consistent.  

Timing plays a crucial role. Communicating too early, based on incomplete information, undermines your credibility. Communicating too late leaves room for interpretation, for “stories” that are hard to correct later. For a lack of guidance. But take this out of the crisis context for a moment. Don’t the exact same rules and consequences apply?  

Organisations that are structurally slow to decide, communicate unclearly or constantly change course look less professional. They lose external trust, clout and focus. And often, they are the last to realise it.  

Think in crisis mode  

Leaders who learn to think like a crisis expert increase their organisation’s maturity. Sharp on timing, clear in choices, consistent in messaging: that should always be the rule.  

A few questions are worth asking now. Do we have processes in place that help us stay sharp, or do they actually slow us down when the pace picks up? Or do we have no real processes at all?  

When pressure rises, your organisation’s entire communication flow, and by extension your whole organisation, is put to the test. And what do you often see? Messages get stuck in internal feedback loops, are rewritten, rethought, reworked or watered down. Everyone contributes, but no one decides. Meanwhile, the story continues to evolve outside the organisation. Or inside it, that can happen too.  

An organisation that is prepared for this has created clarity in advance. Who guards the story? Who takes the final decisions? And what if that person is not available? These kinds of agreements can seem excessive in calmer times, until it becomes clear how indispensable they are.  

One voice, one story  

Decide in advance who will speak. Multiple voices do not create nuance, they create confusion. A crisis demands one voice. Calm. Credible. Human. But that voice does not appear out of nowhere. It is the result of preparation, alignment and a shared story.  

So right now, while there is no crisis going on, it is exactly the right moment to ask: who is actually our spokesperson? Is it the CEO? Or someone else? And are they ready for it? If the very first contact with the media happens in the midst of a crisis, that is a bad scenario for at least ten reasons. So put in the work now.  

Relationships with employees, customers, stakeholders and the media are not created at the moment you need them. They are built in the period before. By being consistent. By remaining accessible. By communicating in a reliable way.  

And then there is the story you tell. Organisations that invest in a clear narrative – an overarching story that guides communication, behaviour and decisions – are stronger. That narrative not only holds up in times of crisis, it also forms the backbone of strong brands that claim their place in the market.  

Ready for growth  

A crisis painfully exposes all sorts of issues at the very moment you have to speak. Things you simply cannot develop in the heat of the moment. That is why it is anything but a luxury to think about them when you don’t have to speak.  

Those who prepare for a crisis, prepare for much more. For clearer decisions, faster switching, better collaboration. For less noise, less wasted energy, more focus. Organisations that design their communication, processes and responsibilities so they hold up under pressure, work smarter.  

They become more efficient, more consistent and more scalable. That is exactly what makes them ready for growth. A crisis is therefore not an exception you just insure against, but a test to see how far you’ve come on your path to growth. Those who pass are stronger not only when things go wrong, but especially when it’s time to move forward.

Are you looking for a partner to get your (crisis)communication on track? Get in touch, our experts are happy to help!