The Oklahoma City edition of the Get Social Conference brought out some direct and honest advice about dealing with critics.
![]() |
Get Social crowd by Jessica Miller-Merrell |
The dog keeps barking, and the train keeps moving on.
@stargardenerBeing active in social media doesn’t make people like you. Sometimes they just want your ___.
@eblakejacksonWhat my spouse calls not getting into a pissing contest with a skunk.
@jeanwarner
I mentioned the CAVE people. This is a Jack Schultz acronym. It means the Citizens Against Virtually Everything, and I know them well. Remember, if no one hates you, may may not be doing anything important.
Negativity and politics feed on themselves. Those CAVE people head to the coffee shop early, and they try to stir up as much trouble as they can all morning. Then they have a busy afternoon of more of the same. And even well-justified concerns can get magnified all out of proportion. This happens in the online world, too. Firestorms can hit any company, as one person launches into a tirade and gathers supporters.
What can you do? Here are a few tried and true suggestions, learned from hard-won experience.
![]() |
photo by Scott Townsend |
- Be proactive with communication. Over communicate. Repeat, repeat, repeat your message.
- Don’t ignore a firestorm. Keep communicating.
- Remain above the mud. Inform, but don’t argue.
- Focus on the community needs. Don’t get distracted into focusing on the complainers, the side issues, or the past.
- Fix the things that really are broken. That really sucks the life out of a firestorm.
- Reach out directly to the ringleaders. This usually takes them by surprise, and is remarkably disarming.
- When it gets worse than you can imagine, call in some outside facilitators. A neutral party can ask the questions that no one else can admit need to be asked.
What lessons have you learned about coping with critics?
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.
- Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign - March 13, 2023
- How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores - February 19, 2023
- Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
- Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
- 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022
- Local reviews on Google Maps drive enduring value - December 17, 2022
- Extra agritourism revenue from camping, cabins and RVs with HipCamp - December 12, 2022
- Harvest Hosts attract vanlifers and RV tourists, Boondockers Welcome - December 2, 2022
- Holiday 2022 marketing: Tell your founding story - December 1, 2022
- Holiday 2022 Marketing: Tell your customers’ stories - November 30, 2022
Becky, you nailed it with “Communicate/Communications.” Call a good old-fashioned “Safety Meeting” of the working group (the office people called theirs a “Staff Meeting”).
I forget who told me first, but I remember that people have to hear something seven times before it sinks in.
Businesses need to address conflict head on and professionally, and not hope it just “goes away”.