Proactive Communications in Crisis Management: Making the Case for Offense as the Best Defense 

A company’s response to a crisis can make or break its reputation, which is why they must fight their natural instincts to hunker down and defend against the cascade of negative conversations. In the hectic initial moments of a crisis, companies often forget that they, too, can demonstrate agency and communicate proactively to take control of the narrative. In some cases, the best defense is a good offense.   

In soccer, sitting back on defense for an entire game is a strategy deployed by underdog teams playing a superior opponent. The strategy can be useful in dragging out a game and clawing out a victory at the end, but it often delays the inevitable—the opposing team scoring the first goal and greatly improving their chance to win.  

Likewise, leveraging reactive communications in a defensive manner can play a pivotal role in mitigating the reputational impact of a crisis, but it is only one tool in the toolbox. Crisis response is not one-size-fits-all and companies that face high-risk reputational crises can and should utilize proactive communications in tandem with a reactive approach. While you may not need all these tools to respond to a low-risk crisis, you might find you need to bring your whole workshop to deal with high-risk crises.  

For example, tennis great Roger Federer is guaranteed to win a tennis match against this author even if he only used his forehand and did not use his backhand. In a match against long-time rival Rafael Nadal, however, Federer would certainly lose without his backhand. In this scenario, Nadal is a high-risk crisis confronting a company and Federer is the company forced to respond. Federer’s backhand represents proactive communications strategies—a pivotal component of the company’s overall strategy to effectively mitigate the high-risk crisis.  

Whether you’re going up against a tennis legend or facing any sort of reputational threat, here are some key considerations to keep in mind when thinking about leveraging proactive communications in your crisis response.  

• Use your owned channels. Owned channels provide a critical means of connecting with your most important stakeholders, and you have control of the content. Whether it’s your company’s social media handles speaking to your customers or the internal blog speaking to employees, using your owned channels allows you to control the narrative and share your side of the story. 

• Educate reporters on complex issues. Never assume that reporters have a full grasp on the complexity of an issue. When done in good faith on both sides, reaching out to a reporter with an off-the-record conversation can be an excellent way of outlining how your point of view is informed by the complex context of the issue, and can lead to a more balanced story.  

• Don’t let misinformation fester. By its very nature, reactive communication cannot handle the proliferation of misinformation. If you see misinformation about your company, products or services, it is imperative to correct the record with reporters or other external stakeholders and be armed with informational materials or resources (such as a microsite or fact sheet). 

• Lean on third-party validators. Sometimes, when crisis strikes, you may be the last person external stakeholders want to hear from. It can be helpful in these instances to leverage third parties to help champion your position or point of view. These validators can speak with an authenticity that is impossible to replicate when coming from the company in the crosshairs.  

• Pressure test your approach to prevent backfire. One of the cardinal sins of crisis response is having your proactive communications efforts make an issue bigger than it was. While there are many uses for proactive communication, be sure to assess whether they are needed or whether the story will go away by itself.  

• Stick to your story: If you employ a proactive communications strategy that is measured, well-thought-out and consistent with your values, don’t fold if there is some small backlash. One way to make a crisis situation worse is to be seen as flipping your position—don’t panic and push forward.   

While there will always be a role for reactive communication in responding to crisis, the above list can serve as a reminder that proactive communication should not be forgotten. Don’t establish a self-imposed handicap on your communications efforts and when you can, remember what proactive communication can do for your crisis response.  After all, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. 

APCO alumnus Daniel Becker authored this piece.