Apollo Strategists is an independent Luxembourg PR advisory company specialized in strategic communications, crisis communications, media relations, reputation management and public & government affairs.

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FEBRUARY 7 2023

Getting out of a crisis: dangerous times!

Don’t be too quick to claim “victory”. Coming out of a crisis is a delicate moment. Accepting the challenges involved, restoring the confidence of clients, employees and investors… All of this takes time.

We turn the crisis off, everything goes back to the way it was. Really? To the way it was? After the COVID-19 crisis (and could we really say that we have passed the crisis? Nothing is less certain), there was talk of the “new normal”. Yes, because the principle is not to do everything “as before”, but to become aware of what has changed, and to question oneself in order to do things differently in the future and be able to succeed.

This is the time to step out of your comfort zone and be creative and innovative as your habits and standards are put to the test. The company transforms and reorients itself in order to adapt, and this capacity to adapt can make all the difference in times of crisis. At this time, all the actions of the organization must facilitate the acceptance of this change.

It is then time to analyse what has been done, to draw out the lessons learned, and to assess where improvements can be made in the event of a future crisis, because there is a good chance that your organisation will be confronted again, directly or indirectly, with another crisis (without wishing to be a killjoy, PwC - in its Global Crisis Survey 2019 - highlighted the fact that 69% of the 2,000 organisations taking part in its study had experienced a crisis in the last 5 years). It is thanks to this downstream analysis that the organisation will detect the opportunities offered by crises, with the new horizons that open up to it, and thus become stronger and more resilient.

And the best strategy for staying the course is communication. It is essential to the survival of organisations to reduce the apprehensions of all stakeholders - both internal and external - and to foster their commitment. With the right message, at the right time, and in the right context, organisations are likely to come out on top.

Author: Jennifer Pierrard - Adapted into English by Natalia Núñez Bolaño