Sooner or later every organization is going to have to deal with a crisis. Choosing the right spokesperson and making sure they have the proper training will help your organization weather the situation. Here are three different types of spokespeople that could be used in crisis situations.
The first and most used option is having the CEO as the spokesperson. The CEO is often the face of the organization and can help to reassure that the company is taking the issue seriously. However, using the CEO can backfire, as it may make a small crisis seem more important than it is. In that scenario, a VP is a suitable substitute.
The next option is using the organization’s PR person. They understand how to act in front of the press and are usually the ones who formulated the crisis plan. Typically though, organizations should only use them during the first hours of the crisis and replace them with a permanent spokesperson. At that point, the PR team can simply be responsible for providing facts to the media.
The third option is to use a variety of different people. Having several people trained to be a spokesperson is best because the organization can pick the right person for the crisis. In the first hour of the crisis you may have the PR person speaking, then during in the next hours have a subject matter expert step in and finally have the CEO or VP take over as permanent spokesperson for the crisis. Think of the process like a sports team. You have your star players and other strong players ready to back them up on the bench.
All of these are logical options to use during a crisis, but every crisis is different and may require something different. As mentioned, the severity of the crisis will help you determine who should be the spokesperson. Generally, the bigger the crisis, the higher up in the hierarchy the spokesperson should be.