No matter the situation, few people like to hear negative feedback. While this can be a minor setback for personal relationships, for organisations, negative sentiment from the general public can be disastrous – at least, that’s the established theory.

However, new research has revealed that – depending on how businesses manage it – negative feedback can be transformed into something positive. The theory has interesting implications for reputational risk management, and is likely to dictate the way organisations respond to public criticism. 

Finding the silver lining

It seems like consumers have innumerable channels to express their dissatisfaction with a company’s performance, often forcing organisations into a corner. New trends that have seen Facebook complaints gain thousands of ‘likes’ and shares are evidence of this fact. 

A new study published in the Journal of Communication reveals that it’s not just the specific complaint that dictates how other members of the public feel about an organisation, but rather the way in which the company in question chooses to respond. 

According to the study’s researchers, the key for organisations is to balance promoting their own initiatives with responding to concerns from the public. On top of this, public audiences were found to value transparency and honesty above any other traits. 

Researcher Hyejoon Rim noted that the public are adept at seeing through overly promotional communications about corporate social responsibility (CSR) objectives, suggesting organisations should alter their strategies accordingly. 

“The most challenging task in CSR communication lies in enhancing perceived altruism and managing negative public comments over which the company has limited control,’ she explained.

“As the study demonstrated, the public may appreciate a company for being transparent and honest rather than exaggerating its socially responsible practices.”

How can organisations evolve their communication techniques?

As the public becomes increasingly attuned to communication strategies that don’t appear to be genuine, it’s important that organisations are able to evolve accordingly. PR agency Kite Communications investigated the main trends that likely to change throughout 2016. 

One of the major ones is branded journalism content, an existing trend that Kite Communications believes will become a channel for niche, targeted and authentic messages.

However, organisations will also need to be careful with increased social media use, as not all professionals are convinced that it is the answer to reputation crises. PR firm Weber Shandwick noted that 85 per cent of lawyers surveyed believe social media makes problems worse before it makes them better, especially as it allows public posts to gain significant attention from other users.