Don't panic? Crisis communication in times of the corona virus

The risks posed by the Corona virus are increasing, forcing companies to weigh up the risks. CEOs must take responsibility and make decisions - and communicate them appropriately.

After all, it's all about their employees, customers, partners and suppliers, and last but not least their families. And of course, this is where the opinions differ, because everyone evaluates risk differently. "Prudence is the better part of valor”. Even as a child, I pondered over this sentence: whether we ignore risks or take them seriously certainly depends on our own experience and can be justified by it.

...asked The Clash. Numerous companies are currently facing the question of whether to cancel partner conferences and trade fairs or postpone major events. With sometimes far-reaching consequences and high financial losses.

Certainly, in the coming months, meetings will increasingly be held via telephone or video conference systems, desktop sharing, instant messaging, virtual meetings and digital moderation. Without risk of infection. The question will be to what extent digital communication can replace events that thrive on personal communication.

Crisis communication is a word that many companies avoid like the devil avoids holy water. But when it comes to a serious threat to employees versus profit, the question no longer arises if we are talking about a crisis.

We are currently seeing numerous companies who, after weighing up the risk, are publicly communicating that the health of their employees and customers is their top priority. This is risky from an economic point of view, but by involving their business partners and the public in this difficult process, they win on a different level.

A sensitive, highly topical and deeply entrepreneurial issue... I look forward to hearing your opinion!