How to prepare for a leakage scenario?
Leakage scenarios are feared by companies – and rightly so, as they can cause massive damage to their image. But with good preparation of your team, you can avoid this risk and master every leakage professionally.
Wiesbaden, September 24, 2021. Leakage scenarios can cause great damage to a company if the team reacts to them in an unprofessional or unprepared manner. Leaking secret company information can lead to a lasting loss of image, a lower valuation and a protracted loss of trust on the capital market. To avoid negative effects, you should prepare well for such scenarios.
The Worst Case: Leakage of the IPO
No leakage is as feared as that of an IPO. Once you have clarified the processes and responsibilities in your project, everyone involved in the project should know the rules of communication and conduct in the event of a leakage scenario exactly. This helps ensure that your project team can react quickly in the event of an emergency.
An established early warning system is important for this. For this purpose, media monitoring must be set up in all relevant media. This has the advantage that, in the event of a leakage scenario, you will know about it as quickly as possible. Preparing your employees for all eventualities has top priority in view of a possible leakage scenario. This includes the preparation of possible language regulations as well as a corresponding coordination with all parties involved in order to avoid ambivalent statements.
Show yourself ready to talk
During a leakage scenario, it is important to follow a few more rules of conduct and to be prepared to talk. Your company should therefore not block inquiries, but actively take a stand. In this way, you can moderate the process yourself and prevent rumors from starting. Furthermore, it is advisable not only to confirm information that has just been published anyway; your company will appear passive. If there is any truth to the rumors, you should not deny them. There is a risk of massive damage to your image as soon as the rumors turn out to be true. Trust in your company would be lost on the capital market, and winning it back is a long and difficult process.
At the same time, some companies use a leak specifically to generate public attention. In the run-up to an IPO, for example, they may deliberately leak information in order to arouse interest on the capital market.
In any case, dealing with a leakage scenario requires good preparation and professional communication. cometis can professionally assist your company in case of emergency and will gladly support you in the preparation as well as the implementation of communication measures in the event of a leakage
Thorben Burbach: Senior Consultant
Thorben Burbach completed his master’s degree in media science and business administration with a focus on media management and marketing. He has many years of journalistic experience in print and online media and has gained experience from various corporate communications projects.