Corporate Communications Manager at Karpowership Ghana, Sandra Amartikar Amarquaye, has urged organizations to stop becoming defensive during crises and instead acknowledge mistakes when they are at fault, adding that honesty and empathy can strengthen public trust rather than weaken it.
Speaking on Springboard, Your Virtual University, with host Rev. Albert Ocran, on the topic, “The Manager as a Communicator,” The manager said many organizations worsen crises by rushing to justify their actions instead of accepting responsibility and addressing public concerns. “When you know you have faulted, you have to accept it, and people can even love you for doing that,” she said.
According to her, empathy remains one of the most overlooked but powerful tools in crisis communication. She noted that stakeholders are often less interested in corporate excuses and more interested in seeing organizations take responsibility and demonstrate concern for those affected. “You can’t come out being defensive when you know that you’re wrong,” she stated. “People want to know the way forward.”
Madam Amarquaye explained that communication failures are often at the heart of major organizational crises, stressing that leaders who communicate without adequate facts risk causing greater reputational damage than the original problem itself.
She advised managers to take time to verify information before responding publicly, emphasizing that trust, once lost, is difficult to rebuild. “Building trust takes time, but it can take just a second to lose it,” she said.
The communications expert further noted that crises rarely emerge without warning. According to her, organizations often receive signals through customer complaints, employee concerns, stakeholder feedback, and public sentiment long before issues escalate. “Before a crisis happens, it starts with an issue,” she said. “You should have your ears and eyes on the ground.”
Madam Amarquaye encouraged leaders to pay closer attention to feedback from both internal and external stakeholders and to use available digital tools to monitor conversations around their organizations and industries.
She added that communication should be treated as a strategic leadership function rather than a support role, arguing that communication professionals should be involved in decision-making at the highest levels of organizations.
Watch the full episode here
About Springboard, Your Virtual University
Springboard, Your Virtual University, is a weekly motivational and personal development broadcast produced by the Springboard Road Show Foundation and hosted by Pastor. Albert Ocran. The broadcast airs every Sunday at 7 PM on Joy 99.7 FM and on Springboard Channel & Albert Ocran (Facebook & YouTube) and at 9 PM on Joy News TV.
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