What Santa can teach us about crisis communication
CRJ’s Advisory Panel member Amanda Coleman looks at how Santa’s preparedness, empathy and consistency offer lessons for crisis communicators in her latest blog for Under Pressure.
Image by cottonbro studio | Pexels
We all need to learn from others and as we head to the festive season, there is one man who may be able to help us all with our crisis communication – Santa Claus. His work may be focused on one day in the year, but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes.
It starts with Santa preparing for the worst all year round. He has contingency plans and this included drafting in Rudolph to use his special skills to help the sleigh fly. Preparations take place throughout the year to ensure the one day that everyone focuses on is successful.
He also knows his audience and demonstrates that he listens to them and shows empathy. Santa comes face-to-face with people in shopping centres, listens to what they want and reads all the letters. He has a good understanding of what matters to them. He also is consistent. Santa shows up every year and whether you see him in a shopping centre or coming down a chimney, his brand and approach are always consistent.
Every good crisis response needs a trusted team to make it happen. Santa has Mrs Claus, the elves and the reindeer, who all play their part to make sure that everything happens as it should. Of course, Santa is very clear about his values and never loses sight of his brand and the visible signs, including the white beard and red suit.
He provides the best example of ‘you said, we did’ communication. You ask for a gift and he and the team make it happen. Santa shows up every year, builds trust and does what he says he will. This is not just communication ‘talk’, as he is a man of action. The message is simple: he comes to town, he knows if you are awake, and he knows if you have been bad or good. I wish more crisis messaging had such a simplicity to it. And, as we continue to talk about the duty of candour and ethical communication, Santa provides transparency as he does not hide the naughty list.
Santa Claus’ approach builds trust, shows empathy, provides clarity and is based in preparedness and more than that, he does this every year. We could all take some lessons from Santa for our own crisis communication plans.
Read the original article here.