Crisis communication means fast dissemination of information and leading in public
13.05.2009, 15:42
Salli Hakala, senior lecturer and researcher at the Department of Communication of the University of Helsinki, says the role of communication in operations during a crisis has often been misunderstood. Communications is often considered to be a secondary activity during a crisis.
– First, there is an attempt to solve the problem and only after that are matters communicated externally, so that
communication has been reduced to merely disseminating information after the events have taken place. Communication is a constant part of crisis management, says Hakala.
Empathy in crisis communication
- In the communication of the authorities, a division of labour between political and administrative communication is needed during a crisis too, says Hakala. If the chief of the fire department bases his or her operations on the facts, the mayor can present estimates and show empathy, even if he or she does not have the facts.
Fast communications
Information about events must be communicated quickly from where it happens. For example, if journalists cannot get information through the offi cial channels, the search for information focuses on the victims, for example. – The leader responsible for the crisis must inform other authorities, family, and the media how the rescue operations and follow-up handling of the crisis will be organised. This is leading through communications, Hakala says.
New technology, such as mobile phones and the Internet, enable a very fast fl ow of information. It is rare that an authority could fi rst solve the problem and only inform of it afterwards.
– Now everything takes place all the time in front of the public eye. This has transformed crisis communications into something very different, Hakala says.