Donald Miller on How to Communicate in Times of Crisis  🔗 **Source:** [Donald Miller on How to Communicate in Times of Crisis](https://share.snipd.com/episode/e332019f-121e-4bb0-8520-ebfd19d7444c) ## Highlights - **Over-Communicate Constantly During Crisis** - Do over-communicate during a crisis by increasing the cadence of emails, Zoom stand-ups, and social media updates. - Donald Miller says to email staff daily and double or triple stand-up meetings so people feel informed and seen. Transcript: Donald Miller I talk about this in my books, but the one main thing is during a crisis, you want to over-communicate. You need to be talking to people a lot. You need to be emailing your staff every day at least. You need to be having meetings. We call them stand-up meetings, but they're really Zoom meetings now. We've doubled and tripled the number of stand-up meetings where our entire staff gets together and I talk to them, right? You need to be communicating with your customers via social media more than ever. You need to be over-communicating. There's a reason that in times of worry and stress and anxiety, the president actually has a press conference every single day. Even if nothing new or much new has happened, we've got to pull some things together because you standing there and being empathetic and being in control actually calms people. So leaders need to over-communicate during this time. ([Time 0:00:34](https://share.snipd.com/snip/5f913e5f-d3f7-472f-9270-bcf88aaf324d)) - **Communication Is Reassurance Not Just Talk** - Communication isn't just talking; it's reassurance, demonstration of control, and frequent updates that reduce fear. - Miller emphasizes that showing human feeling plus visible action makes people trust leaders during survival concerns. Transcript: Donald Miller You need to be talking to people a lot. You need to be emailing your staff every day at least. You need to be having meetings. We call them stand-up meetings, but they're really Zoom meetings now. We've doubled and tripled the number of stand-up meetings where our entire staff gets together and I talk to them, right? You need to be communicating with your customers via social media more than ever. You need to be over-communicating. There's a reason that in times of worry and stress and anxiety, the president actually has a press conference every single day. Even if nothing new or much new has happened, we've got to pull some things together because you standing there and being empathetic and being in control actually calms people. So leaders need to over-communicate during this time. The next thing that you need to do is there's two things that you need to communicate whenever you communicate. So if you're on social media, if you're in a staff meeting, if you're talking to your customers, if you're writing an email, you want to communicate two things. The first is empathy. Empathy, by that I mean you want to say things like, I understand this is a hard time. I feel your pain, if you will. We're all struggling with, the world is hurting right now. Those sort of acknowledgments really help you connect with other people's hearts. They need to know that you're a human being, because a human being who has feelings will take care of them. ([Time 0:00:41](https://share.snipd.com/snip/cd7be7bd-3e6c-436e-9451-bd3bb2f60e99)) - **Calm Presence Is Communication** - Public displays of calmness reassure people even if no new facts are available, so frequent authoritative presence matters. - Miller compares daily presidential pressers to a leader standing in control to reduce public anxiety. Transcript: Donald Miller There's a reason that in times of worry and stress and anxiety, the president actually has a press conference every single day. Even if nothing new or much new has happened, we've got to pull some things together because you standing there and being empathetic and being in control actually calms people. So leaders need to over-communicate during this time. The next thing that you need to do is there's two things that you need to communicate whenever you communicate. So if you're on social media, if you're in a staff meeting, if you're talking to your customers, if you're writing an email, you want to communicate two things. The first is empathy. Empathy, by that I mean you want to say things like, I understand this is a hard time. I feel your pain, if you will. We're all struggling with, the world is hurting right now. Those sort of acknowledgments really help you connect with other people's hearts. They need to know that you're a human being, because a human being who has feelings will take care of them. So they're thinking about their survival, and they want to trust somebody who actually has feelings, right, and emotions. Now, the second thing that you want to communicate, though, is competency. Competency or authority. A sense that you really are in control of yourself, and you're in control of the situation as best as you possibly can be. Think about a pilot, and there's a bunch of turbulence. The plane's not going down. There's a bunch of turbulence, everybody is really losing it back there. You don't want to get on the intercom and scream and say, I can't believe this is happening. That's not going to set anybody at ease. You want to be able to say, hey, everybody, I know this is really uncomfortable turbulence and I'm very sorry. Our plan is to lower the plane by about 10,000 feet and kind of circle to the right, and we're going to land over here in Tupelo or whatever. ([Time 0:01:03](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0bb06e3e-9491-42d5-bded-025504182fe1)) - **Lead With Empathy First** - Always say something empathetic first: acknowledge pain and show you understand their suffering. - Miller advises phrases like I understand this is a hard time to connect hearts before offering solutions. Transcript: Donald Miller So if you're on social media, if you're in a staff meeting, if you're talking to your customers, if you're writing an email, you want to communicate two things. The first is empathy. Empathy, by that I mean you want to say things like, I understand this is a hard time. I feel your pain, if you will. We're all struggling with, the world is hurting right now. Those sort of acknowledgments really help you connect with other people's hearts. They need to know that you're a human being, because a human being who has feelings will take care of them. So they're thinking about their survival, and they want to trust somebody who actually has feelings, right, and emotions. ([Time 0:01:27](https://share.snipd.com/snip/54ff4442-34b6-466e-86ce-c4f3ab507c86)) - **Follow Empathy With A Concrete Plan** - Follow empathy with clear competency: present a concrete plan and actions people can trust. - Miller uses a pilot-in-turbulence example to show leaders must describe the plan and steps to land safely. Transcript: Donald Miller Now, the second thing that you want to communicate, though, is competency. Competency or authority. A sense that you really are in control of yourself, and you're in control of the situation as best as you possibly can be. Think about a pilot, and there's a bunch of turbulence. The plane's not going down. There's a bunch of turbulence, everybody is really losing it back there. You don't want to get on the intercom and scream and say, I can't believe this is happening. That's not going to set anybody at ease. You want to be able to say, hey, everybody, I know this is really uncomfortable turbulence and I'm very sorry. Our plan is to lower the plane by about 10,000 feet and kind of circle to the right, and we're going to land over here in Tupelo or whatever. You got to have a plan. You have to be competent that you're competent enough that in the moment of crisis, you were able to put together some sort of cash flow plan, some sort of business plan, and then you need The peace of mind and strength of character to work that plan. ([Time 0:02:06](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9797abbd-48e3-41bf-ae0c-8d29e2ce5264)) - **Pilot Turbulence Example Shows How To Reassure** - Miller tells a pilot-in-turbulence example to show the impact of authoritative communication. - The pilot calmly apologizes, explains lowering altitude and landing plans, which soothes passengers more than panicked talk. Transcript: Donald Miller Think about a pilot, and there's a bunch of turbulence. The plane's not going down. There's a bunch of turbulence, everybody is really losing it back there. You don't want to get on the intercom and scream and say, I can't believe this is happening. That's not going to set anybody at ease. You want to be able to say, hey, everybody, I know this is really uncomfortable turbulence and I'm very sorry. Our plan is to lower the plane by about 10,000 feet and kind of circle to the right, and we're going to land over here in Tupelo or whatever. ([Time 0:02:18](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a32150dd-29f4-4e67-b9a6-a8590c141f60)) - **Use The One Two Punch Of Empathy And Authority** - Use the one-two punch: state you feel their pain, then explain the plan and required actions. - Miller says saying I'm with you then outlining steps functions like an anti-anxiety drug for people. Transcript: Donald Miller You got to have a plan. You have to be competent that you're competent enough that in the moment of crisis, you were able to put together some sort of cash flow plan, some sort of business plan, and then you need The peace of mind and strength of character to work that plan. So the one-two punch is, I understand your pain. I'm with you guys. I feel that with you. Here is our plan to get out of it, and here's kind of what everybody needs to do in order to make this work. When you do these two things, you are literally like an anti-anxiety drug. ([Time 0:02:50](https://share.snipd.com/snip/b7165b18-ca7a-45ab-ae7c-54f3666d3318)) - **Prepare Practical Contingency Plans Now** - Stay ready with practical plans like cash-flow and business contingencies and the resolve to execute them. - Miller stresses leaders need a plan and the strength of character to work it to give others peace of mind. Transcript: Donald Miller So the one-two punch is, I understand your pain. I'm with you guys. I feel that with you. Here is our plan to get out of it, and here's kind of what everybody needs to do in order to make this work. When you do these two things, you are literally like an anti-anxiety drug. I mean, people's minds actually calm down. And you have the power to do that, to actually serve people in that way. Just remember, empathy and authority and over-communicate. Communicate all the time. Thanks so much for listening. ([Time 0:03:06](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a2705760-e568-44ac-86eb-6b6558c3b20b))