When a crisis hits, there is nothing worse for your reputation than saying “No comment”.

That’s not quite true – you could make a series of career-ending errors with a damaging public statement – but “no comment” is a public relations nightmare all the same.

Saying “no comment” often makes you look guilty. That’s because it’s loaded with a double meaning: “I don’t want to comment on whether or not we’re responsible”.

So what should you say?

During a crisis, every question your spokespeople face is an opportunity to control the narrative and reinforce the way you’re handling the situation and how your business is responding.

Saying “no comment” delegates this responsibility to a journalist, leaving them to fill the gaps. Having prepared statements ready to go, or an outline of key messages your spokespeople can turn to, can defuse the situation and give journalists what they need to accurately tell your side of the story.

Admission by omission is a phrase, after all.

Leisa Goddard agrees

Adoni Media’s Crisis Communications team has been protecting clients for more than a decade. Experienced former journalists, Leisa Goddard and the team have been on both sides of the media, including working on programs A Current Affair and Today Tonight.

“Saying ‘no comment’ creates a negative perception,” Leisa said, “and this perception often becomes reality to the public.

“The simple advice: don’t say it. It can be seen as admission of guilt, a sign of dishonesty, and it portrays a complete lack of empathy for anyone affected by your crisis.”

How to manage a crisis

Every crisis is different, so the most effective way to respond depends on the situation – but one thing is certain, the need for response is often lightning fast.

The best way to be prepared for a crisis is just that: to be prepared. Adoni Media’s team is not afraid to ask the hard-hitting questions before someone else does, so you’re ready for when the worst might hit.

It may seem uncomfortable during media training and crisis communications planning to answer those difficult questions you hope you never have to front. But you need to be familiar with how you react when asked difficult questions and have on hand key messages you can use to formulate an effective response.

If you don’t, there’s a risk you’ll find yourself saying, “No comment,” to camera crews which could land you on the 6pm news for all the wrong reasons. At the very least, it’s a missed opportunity to say something positive about your organisation.

Prepare for a crisis

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. Media Training can teach you how to use rhetorical skills like bridging techniques to keep interviews centered around your talking points rather than the journalist’s. Media Training will also help prepare your communications team for what to do and when, when a crisis does arise.

Make no mistake: a crisis can come from anywhere, for any business.

At Adoni Media, we’ve handled crisis communications for businesses across a range of sectors. These stories can appear, but then fizzle out, because a strong crisis communications strategy was implemented to respond in an effective way. Many times, the crisis never even made news because of behind-the-scenes work by Adoni’s crisis communications experts to defuse the fire.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Don’t be caught out saying “No comment.”

Work with Adoni Media

If you want to personally work with Leisa Goddard and a team of Australia’s most experienced media trainers, connect with us via the ‘Contact Us’ button below.