5 C’s of crisis communications

A crisis strikes your company. News helicopters are flying overhead, reporters with camera crews start showing up at your headquarters, and journalists from all over the world are calling your communications department.

That scenario might seem dramatic—and admittedly, most corporate crises aren’t quite that sensational—but it happens. When a plane crashes, a factory has a major explosion, or an academic campus has a shooting, all of those things happen, and more.

It’s common for executives to deliver press conferences in those situations—and how well they come across during their early press conferences and media interviews is crucial to establishing strong public perception.

The five C’s of crisis communications detail the five attributes that executives and spokespersons must convey during their press conferences and interviews. Here they are:

1. Competence