Crisis Comms Require a ‘Delicate Balance,’ Says Advocate Health SVP

Information sharing is a vital aspect of any crisis response strategy—but it’s important to know how much to disclose, according to Chris Berger, senior vice president of communications at Advocate Health.

Berger spoke on Newsweek‘s February 13 panel, “Crisis Management: A Crash Course for Health Care Leaders,” sharing insights from his 25-year career as a professional communicator. As the head of communications at Advocate Health—the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States—he shared actionable insights for the audience of health care decision-makers.

“I’ve seen organizations share way too much information and then not share enough information,” Berger said. “There’s a delicate balance there.”

He recommends viewing employees as “internal advocates” that can—and will—spread the message beyond a hospital’s four walls.

“They’re going to be the most outspoken out of anybody and also be your biggest advocates, sharing the best information to friends, family and others about whatever you’re going through,” Berger said. “Whenever anybody doesn’t share information appropriately internally, you can see it spew externally.”

That’s why it’s so important to be clear in initial communications, he continued. Sharing a clean, easy-to-memorize list of “five things to know” after a crisis can help ensure that employees recite accurate information to the public. That list should address what happened, how the organization responded (and how it will continue to respond) and any plans to prevent future incidents.

Berger also discussed the consequences of oversharing. When a health system gives too much information about an industrywide crisis, they risk becoming the unofficial spokesperson for the issue, “and that sometimes gets to be a problem,” he said.

That’s not to say that health systems should be tight-lipped, especially when they make mistakes. Berger recommends being humble and honest while trying to blanket the bad news with good news.

“As I teach my kids, fess up when you mess up—but move on,” he said. “Let people know what you’re doing in that continuous improvement model to fix that issue so hopefully it never happens again.”

Crises tend to bring out the true culture of an organization, Berger said. They also test external relationships, from community partnerships to the media.

If you’re trying to forge those bonds while in crisis mode, you’re unlikely to be successful. But if you invest in relationships consistently, you may have a safety net when circumstances go awry. Stakeholders that know you and your organization can help spread your message—and the benefit of the doubt.

“It’s so hard to dislike a person,” Berger said, “as opposed to a building or a brand.”