So what happens when you’re hit by a black swan, an unexpected event that you just didn’t see coming?
How do we feel when faced with an unknown-unknown?
Nothing can seem worse than the chaotic scrambling of an organization gone wild when the big “we had no idea” starts to echo through the boardroom.
A black swan event was coined by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book, “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” and the aftermath can be colossal.
In “Applied Crisis Communication and Crisis Management”, Timothy Coombs takes the concept and describes an unknown-unknown and the very real likelihood that there may be events we can’t see coming or information we simply don’t have or anticipate, even when we do our best to be prepared.
For example, an unexpected accident, fatality, catastrophic disaster or even just a big, messy mistake. The only thing to expect for sure is that the first hour or so is going to be a rough ride so hold on and stay calm.
Here’s a few tips to get started when a black swan lands:
- Start with what you do know and build from there.
- Provide regular updates to your team, your stakeholders and your media audiences—and be consistent.
- Create a sense of stability and provide reassurance—you can do this through language, tone and framing.
- Bring people together—create your network in the know and lean on their expertise.
- Don’t drop the ball, this is no time for boundaries. If something needs doing, do it, delegate it or assign it out but don’t drop it.
- Move fast, stay focused and trust yourself.
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