Sooner or later every executive gets the chance to face an angry room.
You have to deliver bad news to a room full of people who are not happy with your company. Neighbors worried about your big project’s impact on the environment. Employees being informed of job cuts. Shareholders learning they won’t receive expected dividends on their investment. Customers being told about a product safety defect.
Emotions are running high and you feel like you are wearing a target. It’s critical that you stay on message. Your company’s reputation is taking a hit with a key audience. During the next few minutes people will be judging whether they can trust you going forward. Staying cool and maintaining control is critical to managing the issue and keeping it from becoming a full-blown crisis.
Here are four things you can do to meet the angry room. Each is designed to lower the heat and put you on solid ground even as you share unsettling news.
Take smart steps before you walk into the room. You must be prepared if you are going to meet the challenge. Work with an experienced communications pro to practice your statement and develop answers to anticipated questions. Consider steps you can take in advance of the meeting to set the stage. Springing bad news on people is not a strategy for success. Recognize that people process bad news in different ways.
Establish credibility with transparency and empathy. Delivering important details about the situation is a powerful tool in managing a crisis. Come with the facts and practice a full disclosure style. You don’t have to admit fault or accept liability to show humanity and empathy. People support organizations they feel they can trust. When the news is bad and you know it will come out eventually, it is best for you to deliver it in a controlled manner. People can accept bad news and process it better than dealing with uncertainty. Even worse is when they believe you provided shifty answers and dodged the truth.
Answer questions to deliver your key messages. Offering a “no comment” or refusing to answer a question equates to “guilty as charged” in the eyes of most people. Use questions as an opportunity to deliver your key messages. Provide the facts and stick to them. Don’t speculate or guess at the answer. If you are still gathering details or don’t know the answer, say so and promise an update later. If someone makes a statement or asks a question that contains false information, politely state the facts. If there have been false rumors on social media or in media reports, your opening statement is the perfect place to state the facts about what is known. Professionals recognize the power of answering tough questions before they get asked. You can disarm a hostile crowd by showing openness and honesty.
Remember to manage your emotions and show your humanity. Staying calm, moderating the pace of your delivery and tone, while resisting the urge to be combative in responding to hostile questions and negative comments, sets a tone. Showing empathy can be a critical tool. Expressing understanding and doing it honestly, with humility can help defuse the room. People get angrier if they sense a disconnected, uncaring spokesperson.
Rick Lyke, APR, is Executive Vice President with the Mower PR & PA Group, which provides issues management, media training and crisis simulation workshops for clients.