Choosing A Spokesperson In The Face Of Crisis

In a peculiar country like Nigeria with an unfavourable business climate, it is not unusual for companies to be once in a while, neck deep in crisis. Whether caused by an act of omission or unnecessary talks or actions, it is important to know that crisis come with a mission to create tension and if not well handled, may lead to a break down in the activities of the affected organisation

At such times, one very sensitive decision is choosing a spokesperson to help handle the crisis and brief as many people (stakeholders) as are interested. According to crisis communication plan expert, Gerard Braud, there are three options, all of which must be considered.

Option one is making the CEO the spokesperson, which Braud says is nothing but a path to failure as the CEO ought to be focused on managing the business operations while he delegates a team to fix the crisis. This is so the business is still running even in the face of crisis. He argues further that because of the sensitive nature of the position, if he misspeaks, the reputation of the organisation will be jeopardised whereas if anyone else makes same mistake, the CEO can step in to clarify, being the hero figure.

Another option is a public relations practitioner which is only fantastic in the first hours of the crisis. At such a critical period, he/she needs to issue a ‘First Critical Statement’ which must amongst other things, do these three

a.     Acknowledge the crisis

b.     Provide facts about the crisis

c.     Offer something quotable, while promising more information at a future briefing

In the case where the crisis continues to drag, a team may need to be set up and the PR person made the head. Braud advises that numerous people be media trained as spokespeople and the selection process be likened to how sports teams operate, having stars on the pitch and stronger stars on the bench, ready to step in.

Conclusively, irrespective of the choice, it is advisable the spokesperson is one grounded with intense knowledge about the crisis and training on how to address it.

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