Tongue tied by tariffs? Try this.

What do you say when you don't know what to say?

This is the dilemma many business leaders face today as they contemplate the impact of U.S. trade tariffs.

As you can see in the Bloomberg graph above, many leaders of public companies are talking about the impact of tariffs when communicating with investors, warning of potentially rough financial weather ahead.

But no one knows what the ultimate impact is going to be. And with the recent announcement of 50% tariffs on India, we may be reaching the point where businesses have no choice but to pass on increased costs that result from them.

One of the things we've learned at WordWrite in our many years of crisis communications work is that even when you can't communicate content you can communicate process.

What does this mean?

Even in a fast changing situation, when you don't know the ultimate outcome, you can communicate with authority to your important audiences and reassure them, preserving relationships and trust.

I first learned this lesson early in my career as a crisis counselor. One of my great mentors used to tell this story, which may be apocryphal (in other words, it may not be true). But it really does make the case:

During World War II, as the U.S. military sent tens of thousands of troops overseas, many of them made the journey inside the tight, fairly windowless hulls of large troop ships. These ships were subject to attack by enemy submarines, and at practically any time during the journey, it might be necessary to abandon ship. In such a situation, how do you prepare thousands of troops for an outcome that you can't predict?

Supposedly, a large university research study was undertaken using the best of 1940s technology, wiring up hundreds of subjects to measure their blood pressure and heart rates in a simulated torpedo attack on a ship.

The researchers learned that the blood pressure and heart rates of the troops in the ship sinking drills improved if they received communication about how to evacuate the ship that was clear, and which gave them a good idea of the next steps in the process.

While the ultimate outcome of an actual ship sinking couldn’t not be predicted, the lessons from this experience guided the military in training soldiers and sailors on the fastest, most successful evacuation communication procedures.

What can we learn from this example that applies to tariffs?

Simply this: Clearly communicating your company’s process for evaluating and applying any potential price increases or other changes resulting from tariffs can help business leaders maintain relationships and trust even in a tremendously uncertain environment.

Do you and your company have other good approaches to maintaining strong relationships and trust in an uncertain tariff environment? Please share in the comments!