Why precise language matters in a crisis

The crisis lesson hidden in word choice.

In a crisis, one wrong word can shape the story.

Chris Chiames, former chief communications officer of Carnival Cruise Line, said crisis communicators need to pay attention to small word choices because people form impressions from the language in a headline, alerts or early statements.

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Chiames gave the example of a “man overboard” alert, known internally as a MOB alert. When he first joined Carnival, he said he didn’t know what the term meant. But he quickly learned that the way those incidents are described can shape public perception of cruise safety.

“The verb the industry tends to use is that a guest ‘went’ overboard,” Chiames said.

But “went overboard” can sound vague or like there was a safety issue.

“You can’t just be walking along and fall off the ship,” Chiames said. “When you hear ‘went’ and people aren’t familiar with a cruise ship, there’s the perception that you can fall off.”

If confirmed facts, such as video or witness accounts, show the person jumped or climbed somewhere they should not have been, Chiames said the company has to be clear about it from the beginning.

“Whenever we can say it, we say a guest jumped overboard,” he said. “Because we have to protect our reputation.”

The point he was making is that language used in a crisis response needs to be precise.

How can communicators choose better language?

Before a crisis statement goes out, teams should ask five questions, Chiames said.

1. What exactly happened?
2. What has been confirmed?
3. What are we assuming?
4. Could this word create the wrong impression?
5. Will we have to correct or explain this later?

That last question is especially important, Chiames said.

“You don’t want to say something you have to take back or explain,” he said.

A correction or clarification can pull attention away from the incident and put the organization’s credibility on trial, Chiames said.

Communicators might need to press operations, legal or other teams for as many details as possible to help them explain the situation with the most accurate language.

“Ask the question: Is that confirmed? Or is that secondhand?” he said.

During a heated moment, vague language may feel like the safer choice. But it’s usually not the way to go, Chiames said.

“It leaves room for the wrong version of events to spread,” he said.

What communicators can do

Build a crisis language check into your response process. Assign someone to review verbs, labels and descriptions before anything is published. Ask whether the words match the confirmed facts and what a reasonable person might misunderstand.

Plain, precise language protects public perception, the facts and the organization’s credibility, Chiames said.

“You’ve got to get to the facts and get to them as quickly as you can,” he said.

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