Calm in a Crisis: You Set the Tone

When an organizational crisis hits, tensions run high. As the communicator, you're juggling a million things: ensuring the situation has stabilized and everyone is safe, gathering the facts, coordinating a plan, fielding phone calls, and answering questions. It's a lot for anyone.

Understandably, you may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed yourself. And as the one delivering the message, it's possible that you're the target of others' anger, frustration, and panic. It's hard not to absorb those emotions.

But here's the most important thing to remember: As the communicator, your job is to set the tone.

Just as you're taking in the emotions of the situation around you, others are taking cues from you on how they should react. Your tone, body language, and word choices affect how others interpret your message. A calm, in-control communicator conveys confidence and builds trust that the situation is being handled. A frantic approach can send the story in the opposite direction.

Take a moment.

You're human, and you have feelings. Before you walk into a situation where you need to be the calming force, take a breath. Look over your notes. Think through your approach. Crises move fast and require quick responses, but taking a few minutes to get centered and focused is a valuable use of that time. Your demeanor has ripple effects on how the crisis will continue to unfold.

Prioritize de-escalation.

If you're dealing with someone who is angry, do your best to remove them from the situation. Ask to talk in a quieter space if it's safe to do so. Your role is to lower the temperature of the conversation.

Avoid getting defensive.

It's natural to want to defend yourself or your organization, but that's rarely productive in the middle of a crisis.

Focus on facts.

Share what you can in the moment. Be honest. It's appropriate to express empathy, but don't let the emotional dynamics of the situation take control of the conversation.

Never speculate.

No one expects you to know everything in a crisis. If you're asked a question you can't answer, don't panic. Share that you don't have the information yet, but that you'll follow up and then do so.

Take care of yourself.

Your responsibility is to protect your organization's reputation. After the situation has passed, make sure you take care of yourself, too. Take time to recharge and process what happened. Get help if you need it.

The communicator holds a lot of power in how a crisis will evolve just through their demeanor. You can create additional turbulence or be a safe harbor in a storm all through how you navigate emotions.