On occasion, communication mistakes are made because we’re all human. Here are five things to consider as you begin to sort out the mess.
Serving in church communications can be a fantastic role in ministry. It involves dreaming, strategy, project management, creative tasks and ever so many words. However, on occasion, mistakes are made because we’re all human. Sometimes it just means a funny typo. Other times, there are mistakes that are more costly. You might have distributed inaccurate financial information or announced something that wasn’t ready to be shared. Or maybe there was a miscommunication or a message that you regret. What now?
Here are five things to consider as you begin to sort out the mess:
- Breathe deep
Count to 10 or as far as you need to regain a sense of clarity. This is all about resisting the urge to rush, deny, ignore, blame, give someone a piece of your mind and any other number of reactions that wouldn’t be appropriate. It’s important for you to remain calm and start taking productive steps.
- Clarify what went wrong
Do this in a timely manner. Connect with your leaders, so they know what happened and can join you in sorting things out. Talk to the right people as soon as possible. In serious situations, you may need to consider seeking legal counsel. Who generated the message? What were they trying to say? What was the result? This is your chance to get a sense of “the what” and “the why” of the situation. Facts are friends. Figure out what they are.
- Identify the real problem
Sometimes this requires you to peel back a few layers, so you can make sure you’ve identified the problem and not just a symptom. If you have a team member who communicated on behalf of your church without notifying anyone, consider why this happened. Did you have a communications plan and/or media relations policy in place? If someone shared inaccurate information, where did it stem from, and how do you make sure it doesn’t happen again?
- Focus on the immediate solution
Don’t let the problem fester. What audience needs to be addressed? Who needs clarified/corrected information? Who needs an apology? Who should give it?
- Find the lesson
Mistakes are valuable if we learn from them. What do you need to learn? What does your church need to learn? Identify the lessons and then talk about those lessons with other leaders who would benefit. Is there a new policy that should be established? Do you need a staff member or volunteer to help with editing or fact-checking? Was this an issue with your church staff culture that needs to be addressed?
How has your church handled a communications blunder? What did you learn from the experience?
