Spectrum

In any type of crisis, disaster or peril, trust is the most important element in successful crisis communications to the public. This is according to John Born, who has had more than 30 years of experience in crisis communication. Born served as the director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety for Gov. John Kasich and was on board during the Ebola crisis. He also previously served as colonel and superintendent of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, capping a 26-year career in law enforcement. Although he admits that there are many different crisis communication styles among leaders, there are some fundamentals that are basic to all good communication. Born says that the spokesperson must be “truthful, consistent and trustworthy” in his/her messaging if he/she is to be believed by the public. He also says that it is imperative that the messages presented by public officials be based on good science and be grounded in strong underlying facts. He also adds that in today’s social media age, not only do crisi