GOOD COMMUNICATION: A major factor in handling crisis

CEBU - Having good communication is one of the major factors needed in handling a crisis.

Aboitiz Transport Communications manager Judd Salas yesterday shared to Cebu’s media how their company handles crisis effectively and how they deal with the working press.

Salas, who spoke during forum entitled “Putting Out the Fire: Good Communication in Crisis Management” sponsored by the Visayan Electric Company, said that for a crisis management to work, it must be top driven, explaining in order to handle crisis, everything should come from the chief executive officer, who will take a lead on everything.

The activity was one of the events that are lined for the 14th Cebu Press Freedom Week celebration.

According to Salas, the strategic content and the direction should come from the CEO, who would also be the one to relay them to certain people who will be responsible in relaying the information to the public.

These people are those who are from the corporate communication, spokesperson and the secretariat.

From the there, the messages would then be delivered to the employees, costumers, stakeholders, media, suppliers, government and creditors.

But Salas said that the spokespersons should not romanticize their role but rather will best represent the whole company and not give their own opinion on the crisis as they are speaking for the company and not for themselves.

He said crisis is determined when it is a threat, when the problem comes as a surprise or when there is a short period of time for the person to make decisions.

Salas told the media practitioners yesterday to trust those from the corporate communications department and to talk to authorized sources of information.

He also said that media should give those in the corporate communications department enough time and must be fair in their reports. — Jasmin R. Uy/WAB (THE FREEMAN)