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Communication under
Pressure
for
Leaders
by Seth Kahan
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Pressure can come from a variety
of sources both planned (e.g., a board presentation or meeting with
your CEO), and unplanned (e.g., a natural disaster
or
terrorist action). Your
needs will vary depending on your goals.
Here are some general
guidelines to help:
1.)
Be proactive, rather
than responsive.
For leaders,
high-stress situations are inevitable. Have a
plan for how to
support yourself when the stakes are high. With a plan, you can
eliminate lag time, the time between awareness and intended action.
This advantage can make all the difference between success and
failure, putting your goals and intentions in the driver’s seat.
2.)
Know who’s on your team.
Identify your key players. Have explicit agreements with them
about what roles they will play and how you will work together.When
the heat is on, they will be your support system and infrastructure
for action.
3.)
Plan
for Action and Establish Protocols.
Talk in
advance about your needs, whether it’s coordinating response teams
and media relations, or working together behind the scenes to answer
questions and come up with solutions. Spend time running possible
scenarios and discussing how the team will work together. Establish
the proper connections both above and below your
office.Be ready to work with your team to (a) evaluate the situation, (b)
establish key messages, and (c) choose your
channels.
4.)
Know your audiences,
your stakeholders.
Every communication plan is customized to meet the needs
of its audiences. Everyone who is impacted by your action is a
stakeholder. Identify these groups in advance; understand the media
they prefer for communication. For very important
audiences, build relationships that you can depend on before the pressure
is on.
5.)
Get media
training.
When the
media is involved, your actions have significant impact on all
sides. Professional training is available, and valuable -- don't
wait.
©
2005 Seth
Kahan.
Reprint with attribution
allowed.
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Seth Kahan consults
and speaks on topics that include: communities of practice, business performance,
collective intelligence, tacit knowledge, business collaboration, business learning,
knowledge management, business storytelling, organizational storytelling, business
community, business communities, organizational community, knowledge and learning,
knowledge and community, knowledge community, knowledge communities, performance
improvement, visionary leadership, social potential, institutional community
building, and internal communications.
Speaking
I Consulting I Resources
I
Seth Kahan: collective
intelligence business acceleration performance improvement
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