Communicators can play a crucial role in your crisis response team. Unlike traditional public relations, Crisis and Litigation Communications work is more often than not the kind of communication that needs to be done urgently, making timing and communication vitally important. Companies may instinctively want to react emotionally in these situations , which is why they require a critical communications perspective. 

In dealing with emergent situations that are often both high risk and high profile, companies need to have communications experts with the right skills, such as facile thinking and action. Additionally, they need the right kind of experience, including knowing what it's like to be inside a courtroom and work with attorneys daily, as any crisis response can become part of future litigation. Working as part of the litigation team, the crisis and litigation communications experts at Courtroom Sciences have decades of experience in helping companies prepare and respond effectively to any situation and understand how to help them achieve their litigation goals. 

How is the critical communications perspective different from PR?

Critical communications is a highly specialized type of communications work. Primarily dealing with emergent, high-risk, and high-profile situations, critical communications requires extensive experience, specifically the ability to think and write fast, quickly respond to clients, and help keep clients on a strategy, all while dealing with stressful, urgent, and changing circumstances. And all with an eye on potential future litigation.

A Critical Communications Perspective Can Help Companies Build on Momentum

Making a strategic shift or initiating change can be a significant challenge for businesses. Because the news cycle moves rapidly, any positive story won’t last indefinitely. Companies can learn to harness any complimentary media attention that they receive to build organizational momentum. 

Companies need to build on the momentum they have received from the favorable coverage and find a way to make it last. Critical communication experts can help with these strategic narratives, expanding on that backdrop of goodwill and continuing to cultivate a favorable image and reputation. 

Critical Communications Can Help Prevent Companies From Making an Emotional Reaction

While they sound similar, there is a fundamental difference between emotive communications, where a company is trying to touch people on an emotional level and an emotional reaction. Companies need to beware of having an emotional response. They also need to be wary of the herd mentality that can form around an emotional response. For example, throughout the pandemic, many companies across a variety of industries began to communicate the idea that people's safety and health are their most important priorities. 

Although the emotional reaction is understandable, this misguided communication approach is short-sighted. It puts a company at risk by setting the wrong expectation regarding how far a company is willing to go to protect somebody's safety. While safety should be a goal, there are potentially significant legal implications when a company states that safety is its top priority. Even if a company has already made these statements, a critical communications expert can help companies understand the potential impacts and make the needed adjustments to their messaging. 

Critical Communication Experts Can Help With Internal Communications

In addition to helping corporations talk to and communicate with their clients, critical communication experts can also assist these companies in avoiding potential pitfalls with their internal communications. Particularly during a crisis, when a company is trying to provide peace of mind to their employees, they may put something in print or say something that may come back to haunt them. Often stemming from an emotional response, some of the most common mistakes with internal communication involve invoking religion, telling employees to calm down, or anything else that has a divisive or opposite effect of the intent. 

Leaders must communicate regularly with their employees, especially during a crisis. During these situations, precise, factual information, demonstrating genuine empathy and caring can impact enormously. Even a message to touch base signals leaders are on top of the problem and value their employees. It's often a good idea to reach out and ask employees how they are doing and then listen to them. 

When a crisis occurs, the need to communicate effectively is immediate. At Courtroom Sciences, our crisis and litigation communications experts are adept at creating psychology-based messaging that will resonate in a crisis. As part of the litigation team, our experts ensure that any communications align with litigation strategy. Speak with one of our critical communications experts to get started. 

 

Key Takeaways

●  Critical communications is a highly specialized type of communications work that often deals with emergent situations that are both high risk and high profile. 

●  Critical communication experts can help build positive momentum with a strategic communication strategy. 

●  A critical communications expert can help companies from making an emotional reaction and adjust their messaging if needed.

●  Critical communication experts can help companies to avoid potential pitfalls with their internal communications.

●  Courtroom Sciences' crisis and litigation communications experts are adept at creating psychology-based messaging that will resonate in a crisis.