When the Media Comes a-Calling: Part 2

The Email Trail: Top 3 Things not to Email during a Crisis

Think about the e-mails you sent this or last week. Were there any bad jokes or funny quips that could possibly be taken the wrong way? Did you disclose any personal information? What about any private information about your company’s goings on? Now, think about the media getting hold of these . . . .

Want to make a crisis situation even worse? Just e-mail an unmeaning comment to a fellow associate, client, or even your assistant. Placing a message in your recycling bin doesn’t mean it’s gone away. Digital paper trails never truly disappear—there are ways for IT specialists to access deleted email.

On the flip side, being mindful of e-mails you send and receive and the context of your written words, especially amid an undesirable situation, can make all the difference in turning a crisis around.

What not to Email:

1. “It’s not that bad.”

What to email: Your company’s view of a situation from the inside and the public’s view from the outside are two completely different perspectives. Never belittle a situation—you belittle your customer’s feelings.

According to the Wall Street Journal, during the Toyota massive recall, the company President emailed Japanese employees: “to explain the U.S. recall, asking them to work together with him to regain customer trust and ‘work on building great cars’ through mutual effort.”

This email just looks and sounds good. Whether he meant it, we don’t know, but, it put out a vibe of commitment, dedication, and customer service.

2. “I wouldn’t buy stock in this company myself.”

What to email: When a company’s stock goes up and down like a roller coaster, the temperature set by communication inside and outside of the company is critical. Conveying the idea that the situation could get worse will only create more angst.

Instead, when Apple’s stocks were fluctuating, according to seekingalpha.com (quoting AppleInsider), company CEO Steve Jobs sent an email to employees to “hang in there,” in hopes of garnering morale. This small token of reassurance is priceless.

3. “Let’s keep this quiet.”

What to email: Let’s make it plain—nothing is ever kept quiet, and a phrase like this has a connotation that screams “cover up.”

Instead, an e-mail pointing everyone to your company’s public relations manager (who can then be quoted on the record about events), shows strategy and is not incriminating.

For more, check out this NPR story—but don’t email it.