Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) – Considers Best Practices to Engage Correctly with Media Questions and Challenges
To support designated spokespersons or nominated emergency response team members to effectively respond to difficult questions in the wake of aviation incidents or accidents.
Note: During this difficult time, it is important to preserve the organization’s credibility and empathy without escalating tension.
Sincerity is Important – Adopt the Right Mindset
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Stay Calm, Stay Human: Remember — behind every question is concern, fear, or frustration. Show empathy first.
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Never Take It Personally: The question may be provocative, but your response must remain professional.
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Always focus on your message, not the tone of the questionnaire.
Key Techniques for Managing Hostile or Misleading Questions
Acknowledge the Concern: Even if a question is aggressive or misleading, acknowledge the underlying concern.
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Wrong: “That’s not true.”
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Right: “I understand why ‘this issue’ or ‘that issue’ may be a concern, and I appreciate you raising it.”
Bridge to Your Key Message: Use “bridging” to shift from the challenging question to a fact-based, values-driven message.
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“What’s important to understand is…”
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“Let me clarify one important aspect…”
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“Here’s what we can share at this stage…”
Important: Avoid falling into a defensive trap – steer the conversation to your prepared position.
Very Important: Don’t Repeat the Accusation. Avoid repeating a negative or false statement just to deny it. This gives more air to the misinformation.
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Wrong: “We did not cover up the incident.”
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Right: “We have always cooperated fully with the authorities, and our focus is on transparency and safety.”
Be Honest About What You Don’t Know (Yet): It’s okay to not have all the facts immediately. What matters is how you say it.
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“We’re still gathering information, and we’ll share verified details as soon as possible.”
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“At this time, we are cooperating with the investigation and won’t speculate.”
Ensure a Compassionate Tone: Regardless of the question, speak with empathy and seriousness, especially when lives may have been lost or disrupted.
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“First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone affected. Our commitment is to support families and ensure a full investigation.”
Stay in Role & Avoid Speculation: Only speak within your area of responsibility. Do not comment on causes or assign blame before investigations are complete.
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Wrong: “We believe the cause was a maintenance issue.”
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Right: “The investigation is being led by the relevant authorities, and we are providing full support.”
Common Examples and Responses
“Why did your crew fail to react properly?”
“The crew followed procedures as trained. The investigation will clarify all actions taken.”
“Isn’t this just another failure of your airline?”
“Safety is our highest priority, and we are committed to learning from every event.”
“Are you hiding something from the public?”
“Transparency is a core value. We are sharing confirmed facts as soon as they’re verified.”
Pre-Incident Preparation Tips
Important Note: Only authorised personnel are permitted to speak to any media organisation.
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Ensure all spokespersons receive media handling training, including crisis simulation interviews.
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Use ERP checklists to assign trained communication leads.
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Maintain fact sheets and holding statements to guide early communications.
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Appoint a media coordinator to monitor the public narrative and prevent misinformation from escalating.
Important Note: How you say it matters just as much as what you say. By staying calm, clear, and compassionate, you protect not only the organisation’s reputation but also maintain public trust in your handling of a serious situation.
Crisis Communication Quick Reference Card
Handling Hostile or Misleading Questions – Stay Calm, Clear, and Compassionate
Core Principles:
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Stay Calm & Professional
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Acknowledge Concern, Not the Attack
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Don’t Repeat Negative Language
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Bridge to Your Key Message
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Speak with Empathy and Authority
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Stick to Facts – Avoid Speculation
Response Techniques:
Accusatory Tone: “I understand why that question is being asked. Let me share what we know…”
Misleading or Wrong Assumption: “That’s not accurate. What’s important to clarify is…”
Emotional or Angry Question: “We understand the emotions involved. Our priority is the safety and well-being of those affected.”
Speculative Pressure: “We’re committed to transparency, but we won’t speculate ahead of the investigation.”
Demands for Instant Answers: “This is an ongoing situation. As soon as we confirm information, we will release it.”
Bridging Phrases:
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“What’s important to note is…”
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“Let me clarify that…”
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“Here’s what we’re focused on right now…”
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“I can tell you what we’re doing to respond…”
Personal Conduct Checklist
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Maintain eye contact and neutral body language.
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Speak clearly, avoid jargon.
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Keep answers short, sincere, and on-message.
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Express empathy, especially if lives are affected.
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Do not argue, blame, or get drawn into hypotheticals.
Key Messages to Hold:
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“Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”
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“Safety is our highest priority.”
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“We are working closely with the relevant authorities.”
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“We will share facts as soon as they are verified.”
Avoid Saying:
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“No comment.” (Instead: “We’ll share more as soon as we can.”)
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“That’s not our fault.”
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“I’m not allowed to say.” (Instead: “The investigation is ongoing, and we won’t speculate.”)
Post-Incident Action
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Debrief with the Crisis Comms Team.
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Log key media interactions and lessons learned.
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Update the ERP communication playbook as needed.
Next Steps
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Sofema Aviation Services and Sofema Online provide Emergency Response and Associated Training as Classroom, Webinar, or Online Training. Please see the websites or email [email protected].
Tags:
SAS blogs, Crisis communication, Challenges, best practices, Media Questions, Aviation ERP, Misleading Media Questions, the Right Mindset, important aspect, Compassionate Tone, Quick Reference Card, Pre-Incident Preparation Tips, Personal Conduct Checklist
