PR pros, learning how to conduct yourself during a crisis is one of the most effective ways to retain a positive reputation. When a crisis hits, many PR practitioners are quick to find a patch-up story instead of actually admitting to their mistakes.

But, as the saying goes, 'The truth will always prevail'. And, if consumers find out that you were lying about your role in a controversial issue, the only 'good' thing about your reputation is that it will be as 'good' as gone.

That's why media update's Lara Smit is here to teach you that honesty is indeed the best policy. So, how do we put this policy into practice?

Let's learn the ropes of responsibility:

Wait, is accountability really the solution?

You may be wondering if it's worth it to take the transparency plunge. And, yes, a quick cover-up may seem a lot easier than being honest. But being accountable has many benefits. For one, it's a great way to build up your credibility.

We live in an age of scepticism where consumers struggle to trust any form of publicity. This is because they see it all as some kind of stunt to win them over.

Therefore, whenever a PR team messes up and owns up to their mistakes, it shows consumers that they aren't just trying to perpetuate a false image of perfection. Instead, they expose themselves as flawed and real — which, in turn, portrays them as authentic and honest. Now, this gives a PR team some serious cred.
The credibility and authenticity that taking responsibility gives brands can quickly replace whatever negative perception a crisis creates in the eyes of a consumer. Therefore, taking accountability is probably one of the best ways to change any negative narratives created by the public — without the possibility of it coming back to bite you later.

Things to consider when taking accountability

Be timeous with the truth
When it comes to taking that step towards transparency, you better take it quickly because you don't want to come across as evasive to consumers or other stakeholders.

The whole point of publicly taking accountability is to show that you genuinely want to fix the problem. Delaying an apology may make it seem as though the desire to take responsibility isn't all too genuine. This is because it may seem as though you were initially avoiding taking responsibility.

Although the truth may be bad, the assumptions that can be made by the media and consumers may be even worse. So, the quicker you tell the truth, the less damaged your rep will be.

One of the fastest ways to contain a crisis is by taking to social media. This way, your apology will be released instantly to the public as soon as you click 'post'.

Give all the facts
An apology isn't really an apology until someone fully acknowledges what they have done.

In any public apology, you need to be accountable for every mistake that you have made and demonstrate an understanding of why they were mistakes in the first place. Therefore, PR pros, you must leave no stone unturned because any unacknowledged mistake can come back to haunt you. How so?

When the full truth isn't spoken, it is clear to the public that you are trying to cover something up. This causes distrust amongst your stakeholders and makes your attempts at transparency seem disingenuous. So, PR pros, if you're going to tell the truth, tell the whole truth.

Make sure that you take accountability for everything and respond to every conversation that addresses the crisis that you are experiencing. This may require you to monitor the media to understand exactly what is being said and to respond when it's being said.

Nothing is as epic to consumers as ethics and, at the end of the day, people value honesty. Therefore, they will appreciate all attempts at transparency.

Make certain that you have all your facts straight and ensure that they are conveyed clearly so that there is less of a chance that they may be misconstrued.

Tell them how you're going to fix it
Another essential aspect of taking accountability is telling stakeholders how you are planning on fixing the problem that you have created. This will show your stakeholders that you are really taking responsibility by making it your task to remedy the problem.

Additionally, it will send you into a steadfast momentum towards recovery. (What's the saying again? 'If you want something done right, you should do it yourself?')

For example, if there was a problem with one of your products, a good fix that you could offer is to recall these products and refund customers who have bought them. You could even take this a step further and really make it up to your customers by giving them a gift or a discount on future purchases.

How do you think that PR pros can be more accountable? Let us know in the comments.

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Besides being more accountable, what else does your PR strat need when a crisis rears its ugly head? Be sure to read our article, Three tricky areas in PR: Here’s how to tackle crisis comms, to find out.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy