• Effective crisis communication helps a business to establish trust and credibility with the public.

A strong initial response sets the tone for a press meeting and is crucial in attempting to establish trust and build credibility with an audience.

The key elements of a response include:

• A statement of personal concern. The statement should express empathy and humanity. It should let people know that the company understands how they’re feeling. Perceived empathy is a vital factor in establishing trust and building credibility, and it is assessed by an audience in the first 30 seconds. For example, a statement might say, “I can see by the number of people here today that you’re as concerned about this issue as ABC Company is.”
• A statement of organizational commitment and intent. For example, “We are committed to protecting the health and safety of the public.”
• A statement of purpose and a plan for the meeting. “Today, we would like to share with you the findings of our investigation, then we would like to open the floor for questions.” It’s important that the business leaders control the meeting as much as possible.
• Key messages. The key messages are points the business wants the public to have in mind after the meeting. Key messages should address central issues and be short and concise. For example, “We have performed extensive tests over the last four hours, which have failed to find any evidence that X remains in the building. It is now safe to return there.”
• A conclusion. Summarize the main points and reiterate key messages.

The goal of crisis communication is to appeal to the rationality of individuals, so they can better understand the crisis and what’s being done to control it.