If your organisation is in the midst of an emergency or critical situation, you may well need to write a crisis statement to deliver to the press.
Here is our 10 point guide to writing a crisis statement:
- Be concise – no more than 2-3 (shortish) sentences. If it is too long, the journalist will simply edit it and may cut out a crucial point.
- Be robust and clear – there should be no ambiguity in what you say.
- Avoid mentioning organisation by name – say we instead.
- Keep the tone positive and avoid confrontation either with others who are involved, or with the press.
- Be honest – if you’re at fault, admit it. This gains respect. Use words like take/share responsibility, transparency, openness. Fudging the truth could cause problems later down the line.
- If not your fault, don’t overtly blame others.
- If you’re not solely at fault, use expressions such as ‘working together’, ‘joint responsibility’, ‘as one of a number of organisations’ to remind the audience of that.
- Present any negatives in wider context – words like rare and isolated are helpful, and stress any positives.
- Stress that you are taking action to resolve the issue, co-operating with the authorities and will learn from mistakes. Expressions like ‘taking immediate action’, ‘taking appropriate measures’, ‘working closely with’ are useful here.
- Show empathy – ‘we understand’, ‘we appreciate’, ‘we know’, ‘we recognise’.
If you need help with writing a crisis statement, or with your crisis communications in general, we have a range of services available, including providing strategic support, and training courses. Contact us to find out more.
Ann Wright is a communications and media training specialist at Rough House Media, helping organisations and professionals communicate with confidence, clarity and impact. She writes about media training, communications, PR and effective messaging. Ann is a crisis media training expert.
