Episode #180: Getting Your Messaging Right In A Crisis

When uncertainty hits — a pandemic, geopolitical risk, or market shock — executives in Japan face a critical question:

“How do I communicate clearly and consistently with my people when everyone is anxious and working from home?”

For many leaders, external PR is well-organized, but internal messaging is left to chance. In reality, your employees are just as hungry for clear leadership as your customers, shareholders, and the media — especially in a crisis.

This page explains how leaders in 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-affiliated companies) in 東京 (Tokyo) can communicate with confidence, calm, and credibility when teams are dispersed and worried.

In most organizations, public relations focuses on customers, investors, and the media. Internal messaging is often left to individual leaders, who may not be trained communicators even in normal times.

During a crisis:

• Leaders are expected to “figure it out” on their own.

• Many executives default to silence, vague reassurance, or overly optimistic promises.

• Employees are flooded with external news about infections, bankruptcies, job losses, and market crashes — but hear very little from their own leaders.

This mismatch destroys trust. When your people lack clear, honest communication, they fill the gap with fear and rumor.

Mini-summary: Internal communication often lags behind external PR. Without a deliberate approach, even smart leaders can appear invisible, confused, or out of touch when their teams need them most.

In a severe crisis like Covid-19 or any major disruption, your team is not just thinking about KPIs. They are worried about:

• The health and safety of their family

• Massive lifestyle disruption and isolation at home

• Their job security and future career

• The survival of the company itself

Meanwhile, the news cycle constantly highlights:

• Rising infection or incident numbers

• Increasing death or failure rates

• Companies shutting down, going bankrupt, or making layoffs

• Stock markets falling and financial uncertainty

As a leader, the question is: Are you directly addressing these specific fears?

You need to speak to:

• Physical and emotional safety — what the company is doing to protect people.

• Business continuity and cash — how the organization is managing risk and survival.

• Individual roles — what people can do now that is meaningful and valuable.

Mini-summary: Employees are not only worried about the crisis itself; they fear for their families, jobs, and future. Effective leaders speak to these fears directly, not just to business metrics.

Executives often ask: “How honest should I be about the situation?”

The answer is a balanced approach:

1. Be transparent about reality.

   • Share the current business situation, including risks.

   • Especially in Japan, where indirect communication is common, clarity is a differentiator and builds trust.

2. Avoid sugarcoating or false optimism.

   • Overly positive messages (“everything will be fine soon”) quickly lose credibility when external facts contradict them.

3. Provide grounded hope.

   • Communicate the specific plan: cost controls, scenario planning, new revenue opportunities, and how you intend to protect jobs where possible.

   • Emphasize what is in your control and what actions are already under way.

Think of it as “equal doses of hope and reality” — never one without the other.

Mini-summary: Leaders must tell the truth about the crisis while offering a credible plan forward. Transparent realism plus grounded hope builds trust, whereas either denial or doom erodes it.

In many 日本企業 (Japanese companies), a daily 朝礼 (chorei — morning huddle) is a standard practice. When the workforce moves remote, leaders sometimes suspend these meetings. That is a mistake.

Instead:

• Keep the daily huddle cadence via video.

• Treat attendance as a priority — even if not everyone can join every time.

• Use this time to:

  • Reaffirm the crisis strategy and priorities

  • Share key updates on operations and finances

  • Answer questions and listen to concerns

If your company has never had a daily huddle, now is the time to start one.

Continuity creates psychological safety. Even when everything else feels unstable, a predictable daily touchpoint with leadership signals stability and care.

Mini-summary: Maintain or introduce daily virtual huddles. Consistent cadence from leadership reassures people that someone is in control and paying attention.

Employees, especially in crises, silently ask: “Will this company survive?” and “Will I still have a job?”

Avoid vague statements like “We’re fine” or “Don’t worry.” Instead:

1. Explain the basics of the cash situation in simple terms:

   • How long current cash reserves or credit lines can support the business under different scenarios.

   • What cost measures are being considered or already implemented.

2. Connect finances to the strategy:

   • How you are prioritizing critical operations and client work.

   • What steps you are taking to protect as many jobs as possible.

3. Share progress and updates regularly:

   • New decisions from the board or headquarters.

   • Changes in government policy affecting operations in 東京 (Tokyo) and across Japan.

Mini-summary: Be direct about cash and survival plans. When employees understand the financial picture and the strategy, they feel more informed and less helpless.

Many leaders in Tokyo are non-native Japanese speakers leading mixed teams from 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-affiliated companies). In a crisis, language barriers can worsen misunderstandings.

To increase clarity:

• Use both spoken and written channels.

  • After a live meeting, send a written summary.

• If you speak in Japanese, keep it simple.

  • Don’t rely on advanced vocabulary; focus on clear structure and repetition of key points.

• Translate critical messages.

  • Use internal resources or external help to create clear Japanese versions.

• If translation is not possible, still send written English.

  • Most Japanese professionals read English better than they speak it.

  • Written English reduces the chance that people miss key points due to audio quality or speed.

Mini-summary: Combine live communication with clear written follow-ups, and use translation wherever possible. This reduces confusion and makes your crisis messaging accessible to everyone.

When employees are suddenly working from home, their normal routines disappear:

• No casual chats at the office.

• No after-work socializing.

• Less visible separation between work and personal life.

Leaders can counteract this isolation by:

1. Increasing one-on-one contact.

   • Regular check-ins focused on the person, not just the tasks.

   • Even brief calls signal, “I see you and I care.”

2. Creating informal virtual spaces.

   • Daily or weekly “virtual coffee time” where people can join, relax, and talk.

   • Avoid turning this into another formal meeting; keep it light and social.

3. Encouraging quieter members to speak.

   • Invite participation from those who might be overlooked in group calls.

   • This builds inclusion and reinforces team cohesion.

In these conversations, the tone of your voice and the fact that you reached out often matter more than the exact words.

Mini-summary: Human connection is a core leadership responsibility in remote crises. Structured check-ins and informal virtual gatherings reduce loneliness and strengthen loyalty.

In a crisis, under-communication is far more dangerous than over-communication.

Use a mix of channels:

• Video — for visibility, emotional connection, and key announcements.

• Text and email — for clarity, reference, and documentation.

• Phone calls — for personal, human connection.

Guidelines:

• Communicate more frequently than you think is necessary; your independent, resilient team members are not the norm.

• Assume there are “weak links” in terms of emotional resilience, and design your communication cadence to support them.

• Don’t project your own toughness onto the whole team — “Don’t see their world through your personal prism.”

Mini-summary: Use video, text, and calls in combination, and increase your communication frequency. Design your communication for the most vulnerable people in the team, not just the strongest.

Dale Carnegie has been helping leaders communicate with confidence for over a century globally and for more than six decades in Tokyo. For both 日本企業 (Japanese companies) and 外資系企業 (foreign-affiliated companies), we provide:

• Leadership training (リーダーシップ研修 — leadership training) to help executives and managers build trust, presence, and resilience.

• Sales training (営業研修 — sales training) focused on relationship-building and client confidence even in turbulent times.

• Presentation training (プレゼンテーション研修 — presentation training) so leaders can deliver clear, impactful messages in high-stakes environments.

• Executive coaching (エグゼクティブ・コーチング — executive coaching) tailored to senior leaders facing pressure from boards, markets, and global HQ.

• DEI training (DEI研修 — DEI training) to ensure inclusion and psychological safety across diverse teams, especially in stressful periods.

Our crisis communication and leadership programs in 東京 (Tokyo) integrate global best practices with Japan-specific business culture, enabling leaders to communicate with clarity, empathy, and courage.

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Mini-summary: Dale Carnegie Tokyo combines over 100 years of global experience with deep local understanding to help leaders in Japan communicate effectively, especially under pressure.

• Internal communication is as critical as external PR in any major crisis — employees need clarity, honesty, and regular updates from leadership.

• Balance transparency and hope: share the real situation, especially around cash and continuity, and link it to a clear plan forward.

• Maintain daily structure and human connection through virtual huddles, one-on-one check-ins, and informal online gatherings.

• Use multiple channels and languages to ensure everyone understands — what employees hear, read, and feel from leaders will define trust long after the crisis ends.

• Invest in leadership communication capabilities (リーダーシップ研修 (leadership training), プレゼンテーション研修 (presentation training), エグゼクティブ・コーチング (executive coaching)) so your organization is prepared before the next crisis hits.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.