In my last post, I discussed how emotion is the key factor in determining whether or not a crisis at a nonprofit is a communications crisis. If you haven't read that piece yet, you may want to take a look.

Today I want to talk briefly about the use of emotion in handling a communications crisis. 

In brief, there are two distinct forms of emotion that tend to emerge during a comms crisis. One of them is dangerous and to be avoided. Yet it is extraordinarily common. The second is necessary and should be encouraged. Yet many communications professionals try to avoid it. 

Let's look at them in turn:

• The first is the defensive anger that a nonprofit team has when faced with negative press coverage. If you've ever worked through a comms crisis, you've seen this before. It's the CEO who says a reporter "is out to get us." It's the public-relations executive who grows furious over accusations made on social media. It's the senior team who thinks the press is full of idiots. It's the manager who takes the bait from an online troll and engages in furious debate.

Defensive anger is always bad. It can turn a small crisis into a full-blown disaster. When it appears at your nonprofit during a communications crisis -- and it will -- it must be squelched. Immediately. Don't let the people around you engage in self-pity or blaming. Don't let negative comments about reporters, activists, or other players in a comms crisis go unanswered.

• The second is the genuine reaction that humans are expected to have during a crisis. If you've ever worked through a comms crisis, you've seen public-relations and legal staff try to keep genuine reactions from appearing in official communications. It's when a lawyer removes a phrase about expressing "regret" from a press release. It's when a death is described as unfortunate, rather than heartbreaking. It's when a a trusted staff member is convicted of a crime, and a nonprofit fails to express its shame.

Hiding a genuine reaction is always bad. It leaves an awful taste in the mouth of your intended audience when you issue a statement that seems ... un-human. Psychology shows us that people turn to people during a crisis, not to facts and figures. We seek validation of our feelings and comfort for our pain by turning to others of our species.

So when a communications crisis hits, remember this simple rule:

Don't point a finger. Open your heart. 

(Editor's note: There's a considerable amount of research showing the power of expressing a genuine emotional reaction during a communications crisis. For an explanation of how this works, you may want to read up on a study published in Public Relations Review that  "confirms that emotional signals embedded in crisis responses may affect corporate reputations by reducing feelings of anger and by increasing the acceptance of the organizational message." If you're not a subscriber to PR Review, you can read the study by signing up for a free two-week trial.)

— by Paul Conley