Just after nine last Monday I got a text from my brother Chris, asking if I was watching what was going on on Monday Night Football. I was not, but turned the game on to see…no game. Only stunned silence, and the potential worst nightmare of any live event, let alone a live sporting event, unfolding in front of us.
And we all know what has happened since with regard to Damar Hamlin.
While rightfully so, the first responders and medical teams deserve nothing but the best praise, it is worth noting the professionalism that the communications teams of the Bengals, the Bills and the NFL did in keeping messaging controlled, accurate and clear not just in those fateful moments, but throughout the week.
What we could have gotten were wide scale unconfirmed reports and innuendo as the thirst for information in a 24/7 news cycle continued to grow. What we got was a lot of listening, a lot of respect and a lot of well timed, concise and well vetted official information that made the potential chaos and click baiting almost non-existent.
The focus stayed on Hamlin’s status, his family, his charity and those who were not at the hospital, from fans to athletes far and wide. And while we had the large amount of doctors chiming in throughout the week, the media respected and seemed to appreciate the silence as news came out. Mostly led by family members vs. officials.
The week was really textbook in consistent messaging, listening to the right officials and making sure the needed news came with the timetable that was needed not demanded. Sure, there were a few instances where someone spoke maybe too early or without a clear chain of command, but those instances were remarkably few, and the result was a week of great emotion, but of little to no chaos.
It served as a great reminder of so many key points in a crisis situation.
Overcommunicate internally
Make sure the information is put out at the right time and that all are aware of the timing and the content.
Use the best channels possible to reach the audience.
Listen carefully to the news flow, but don’t react out of emotion, react out of respect and accuracy.
Speaking of respect, keep the respect chain going both ways; realize that media members have a job to do and keep them as informed as possible, even if its saying, as we heard so many times, that no new information was available.
When there is something to say, make sure the information is clear and as accurate as possible; it’s OK, as we say many times, for someone speaking to say “I don’t know,” or “I can’t tell you at this time.” Just because a question is asked 100 ways, doesn’t mean it can be answered at that time.
The people are the priority. Early on everyone, media included, realized the gravity and the magnitude of what was unfolding in real time, and really at no point on a wide scale was the humanity pushed to the back seat.
Now we are all attention starved with our own drama unfolding by the minute, and yes we will move on slowly to the news of the day.
However what cannot be lost is professionalism, courtesy and clarity that was delivered by those communications leaders, most of whom will remain nameless in what was a challenging and very unique situation.
Their actions, like those of the first responders, spoke very loudly, and will not be forgotten.
Well played by all.
Everyone, from teammates and opponents to coaches to fans to the NFL kept the life of Damar Hamlin as their first and only priority.
