How can you use internal communication to recover from a crisis?

1 Assess the impact

The first step is to assess the impact of the crisis on your organization and your stakeholders. What are the facts, the risks, and the opportunities? How does the crisis affect your vision, mission, and values? How does it affect your employees, customers, partners, and suppliers? How does it affect your external reputation and trust? By answering these questions, you can identify the key messages, channels, and audiences for your internal communication.

2 Align your leaders

The second step is to align your leaders on the crisis response and recovery plan. Your leaders need to be on the same page, and communicate consistently and transparently with their teams and across the organization. They need to show empathy, accountability, and action. They need to provide clear direction, guidance, and support. They need to listen to feedback, address concerns, and acknowledge emotions. By aligning your leaders, you can foster trust, engagement, and collaboration among your employees.

3 Adapt your channels

The third step is to adapt your channels to suit the crisis situation and the needs of your employees. You may need to use different channels, or use the same channels differently, depending on the urgency, complexity, and sensitivity of your messages. You may need to prioritize some channels over others, or combine multiple channels for maximum reach and impact. You may need to create new channels, or modify existing ones, to facilitate dialogue, interaction, and feedback. By adapting your channels, you can ensure effective and timely delivery of your internal communication.

4 Amplify your stories

The fourth step is to amplify your stories to inspire and motivate your employees. Stories are powerful tools for internal communication, as they can convey emotions, values, and lessons learned. They can also showcase examples of resilience, innovation, and success. You can use stories to highlight how your organization is responding to the crisis, how your employees are coping and adapting, and how your customers and partners are benefiting from your solutions. By amplifying your stories, you can create a positive and compelling narrative for your recovery.

5 Analyze your results

The fifth step is to analyze your results to measure and improve your internal communication. You need to track and evaluate the effectiveness of your messages, channels, and audiences. You need to collect and analyze data on the reach, engagement, and impact of your internal communication. You need to solicit and incorporate feedback from your employees, leaders, and stakeholders. You need to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your internal communication. By analyzing your results, you can adjust and optimize your internal communication strategy.

6 Appreciate your efforts

The sixth and final step is to appreciate your efforts to recognize and reward your internal communication team and your employees. Internal communication can be challenging and stressful during a crisis, and it requires a lot of hard work, creativity, and dedication. You need to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements, contributions, and improvements of your internal communication team and your employees. You need to express gratitude, appreciation, and recognition for their efforts. You need to provide feedback, support, and development opportunities for their growth. By appreciating your efforts, you can boost morale, retention, and performance of your internal communication team and your employees.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?