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Being a newbie to the sphere of employee communications, I knew I was in good company at a session OPR hosted last night about the importance of clear messaging within organizations when I saw the following note on each table: “Employees are on the front line of brand and reputation creation. What they tell their friends and families and post on YouTube and Facebook can define a company more quickly and more surely than anything the CEO tells The Wall Street Journal.”

The introduction was prepared by our San Francisco colleagues Beth Haiken and Stephanie Corns as they launched the new internal communications blog OgilvyImpact. They developed it to prompt discussions about what employees need to know and are needed to do, especially during what many 24-hour news outlets have termed “the Great Recession.” The blog launch coincided with a panel for clients, staff and consultants at the Palace Hotel that stressed the importance of communicating the direction that a company is headed in five or fewer points.

Along with Haiken, Washington Mutual VP of Corporate Communications Dan Shore and Basics3 founder Bob Matha discussed the challenges of announcing bad news and preparing messaging when there’s nothing positive to report. Among their key take-aways about managing downturn messaging were:

• Explain your companies’ actions clearly, or provide the reasons why you currently can’t and projected timing for having more answers;
• Act quickly yet carefully to retain high performers, and, in turn, guard your brand; and
• Know that employees will talk if management doesn’t, so it’s your responsibility to fill the vacuum with information about projected loss of profitability or layoffs.

The last piece of advice reminded me of a Tweet written recently by a friend employed by a major Silicon Valley-based search engine. While an update to the tune of “They stopped providing gummy bears at work…we must be facing a hiring freeze” sounds inconsequential, it points out that small changes can quickly lead to speculation on the social web. Disgruntled ex-employees and retained staff experiencing what Shore described as “survivor syndrome” find their keyboards to be a source of solace. This makes it imperative for communicators to keep a pulse on what cynical people inside and outside their organizations are saying and sharing. (And for those on the commenting end, it’s worth keeping in mind that while the current crisis will pass, the things that are posted in anger may not.)

Few organizations have the kind of individuals in leadership like the CEO who one panel attendee said answered his employees’ questions in the office lunchroom every afternoon when the company was downsizing. But no matter who the person at the head is, we can play a key role in minimizing the distrust and fear that sends shockwaves through companies by consistently delivering clear messages. This frees employees to focus on completing their projects instead of chattering about closed door meetings and updating their LinkedIn profiles.