Nothing could be scarier for beachgoers – or officials, who suddenly had a crisis on their hands.

How officials dealt with the aftermath of the shark attacks holds several lessons for business executives, whose companies face potential disasters every day:

1. Be as transparent as possible when a shark attack happens. Officials immediately told the public what happened.
2. Share relevant data and, if possible, good news. Officials shared that an injured lifeguard would recover and that no shark attacks had happened in decades.
3. Take prompt actions. The affected beaches were immediately shut down.
4. Develop and announce concrete next steps.
5. Execute the next steps. Extra lifeguards were on the beaches the next day and lifeguards arrived early. They also paddled around the waters and used binoculars from the shore to look for sharks.

As far as we can tell, tourists and area residents quickly returned to the beaches. That’s not because they believed the sharks were gone. It was because they trusted that the beaches were safe. Officials handled the crisis by:

• Reminding everyone that beaches have been safe.
• Taking decisive, trustworthy actions during the crisis.
• Meeting stakeholders’ expectations with post-incident actions.

If trust didn’t exist, no parents would have brought kids to the beach. The same principles hold true for business stakeholders. Consider:

• How much will Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse affect trust in other banks?
• How do bad Yelp reviews impact a restaurant’s grand opening?
• Can PR firms with typso be trusted to build your narrative?
• How can a hacked payroll company assure customers that private information is safe?

It’s hard to build trust during a crisis. Who is the public going to believe when you’re accused of mistakes, lawbreaking, or unethical activity – you or your accuser?

The best way to survive a shark attack is to be ready ahead of time. That’s why Lake Mead and Lake Powell still have over 70% capacity 23 years into regional droughts. Millions of people have plenty of water because the reservoirs were built and filled long before they were needed.

Businesses can build great trust reservoirs by:

• Building relationships with community leaders and other influencers.
• Driving their narratives in the press, on social media, and through webinars and white papers.
• Having excellent customer service and employee relationships.
• Preparing crisis plans which can be pulled off the shelf and quickly executed.

 It’s okay if a shark attack depletes your trust reservoir, as long as the reservoir is deep and you pro-actively refill it.

Last summer, two shark attacks could have cleared beaches across New York. Officials were able to turn a potential mountain of a problem into a molehill by taking advantage of existing trust, being transparent, providing relevant information, and executing a concrete plan.

Can your company survive a shark attack? Sure – if it’s well-prepared. Contact us to build and implement a strategy for success. And feel free to download our free PDF guide to surviving shark attacks.

The story shook Long Island and made national news. There’d never been a recorded shark attack at Smith Point.

But just days before, 60 miles away, a 37-year-old swimmer suffered what authorities described as “a possible shark bite.” And a few days later, another lifeguard was bit by a shark.

Both sharks were small, and shark attacks are rare in this part of the world. But this fact didn’t stop shark-bite stories from going viral. They created a PR crisis for beach and government officials throughout the 118-mile-long stretch, southeast of NYC: After all, families don’t want to swim in waters where a shark could bite them or worse.

Your organization may never deal with a shark attack. But you probably will handle a lawsuit, opposition to a merger, or an employee’s inappropriate behavior. These are as much a crisis for your company as shark bites are for Long Island.

Here’s what authorities on Long Island did to reassure beachgoers they’d be safe. Their efforts to maintain trust should become yours.

Six steps 

First, acknowledge the facts. Authorities couldn’t pretend the attacks didn’t occur, so they forthrightly acknowledged the incidents. Doing so let beachgoers know officials were concerned. Moreover, it was clear authorities were dealing with the issue in a trustworthy, transparent fashion.

Second, highlight something positive (if possible) to pivot from the bad news. In this case, a government official from the Smith Point area’s initial press statement noted that the bitten lifeguard was in good condition. Here’s the statement:

If you’re going to have an encounter with a shark this is probably the best scenario you could have. We have never had an incident like this occur. Hopefully, we never will again.

Third, share important facts for context. The statement above reminds stakeholders that the beach has been safe for decades.

Fourth, act promptly to prevent further harm to stakeholders. The beach immediately closed after the shark attack. It reopened the next day.

Fifth, plan concrete next-steps. Smith Beach authorities said there would be “additional shark monitoring” when the beach reopened.

Sixth, execute on those steps. Lifeguards arrived one hour early at Smith Point to scan the water. They also patrolled the waters and had a drone overhead. Jones Beach took similar measures. In addition, lifeguards from the Smith Point area worked with Jones Beach teams in a coordinated effort.

Why these work

People hate being lied to, or feeling like important information is being withheld.

By acknowledging the facts promptly, Long Island effectively conducted what former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss calls an accusation audit. And once people feel they can trust you, a crisis can drop in intensity to an issue.

Pivoting to positives and acknowledging facts reminds people that all is not lost. You are the authority; by earning trust with transparency, you can showcase your knowledge, expertise and leadership.

The next step is taking concrete steps. This shows you appreciate the issue is serious. That’s what a food recall does; and it’s what closing the beach on July 3 did.

Finally, announce and implement concrete next steps. Voss says yes means nothing without how, and that’s exactly the case in crisis communication. Big promises that aren’t kept will crash the trust you’ve earned. Additional shark monitoring came in the form of early scanning, regular patrolling with jet skis and flying drones.

Authorities clearly will have their hands full throughout the summer detecting sharks and keeping beachgoers feeling safe. Indeed, the presence of small sharks indicates the health of Long Island’s waters is improving. Thankfully, it looks like authorities are serious about keeping beachgoers safe and communicating safety plans using PR. Most likely this will turn what could have been Mount Everest into a more modest hill.

A version of this piece was originally published by Dustin Siggins at PrNewsOnline.com.