Fast Facts: 5 Elements of a Strong Standby Statement

So, you’re at the start of a crisis and you need to start communicating with your stakeholders, employees, and potentially the public. The problem is you don’t have much information yet, and the situation is very uncertain. Waiting to communicate until you have a complete picture of the incident produces distrust, uncertainty, and fear, and people will turn to unofficial sources for information. But that information is often incorrect or paints the organization in a bad light.

Instead of delaying, get ahead of misinformation by providing a well-structured standby statement that shares the basics without overreaching and sets expectations on how future information will flow. Learn more in the video below.

Read about this concept in more detail in Helio Fred Garcia's article, “How to Maintain Stakeholder Trust in the Early Phases of a Crisis.”