One Thing Recap: Trust Building and Recovery Techniques

Trust is like a bank account. The best time to make deposits is before you need to make a withdrawal.

Building trust takes consistent effort, but rebuilding it after a crisis requires organisations to acknowledge what went wrong, take responsibility and demonstrate change through their actions.

In our latest One Thing X Space, communications and media professionals explored what it takes for organisations to earn and maintain stakeholder trust, build credible media relationships, and respond effectively when that trust is tested.

Hosted by Kenny Olaitan, the conversation brought together Tobi Rasaq Alaka, Corporate Communications Manager at Zone Payment Network; Peter Daodu, Product Marketing and Communications Associate at PiggyVest; Asukwo Oduo, Managing Editor at Techpoint Africa; and Faith Omoniyi, Content Editor at Briter. 

What Trust Looks Like in Practice

Building trust starts with understanding what it means and how people demonstrate it through everyday decisions and actions. For Asukwo Oduo, trust rests on four key elements: “reliability, consistency, transparency, and the willingness to take full responsibility when things don’t go as planned.”

Today, when social media visibility is often treated as a measure of success, it's easy to mistake attention for trust. However, a large following or a viral moment doesn't necessarily indicate that stakeholders trust a brand.

As Tobi Rasaq Alaka noted, “Virality is not the same as value, even though many people assume it is. It cannot sustain a brand in the long term.”

For communications professionals, the challenge is helping founders build credibility beyond the attention their brands attract. That means setting realistic expectations, communicating consistently, keeping promises and building relationships that can withstand scrutiny.

Building Trust From the Ground Up

What does it take to build trust from the ground up? Drawing on their experiences in communications and media, our guests shared practical insights into how organisations can earn and sustain stakeholder confidence.

Peter Daodu described trust as a promise. He explained that organisations must first be clear about what they promise their stakeholders and let that commitment guide their decisions and actions. Trust develops when they consistently deliver on those promises.

For early-stage businesses, however, earning trust can be challenging when they have little track record to show what they can deliver. This makes early communication particularly important. As we explored in our article on building brand trust while developing a product, founders can begin earning trust long before their products are ready by communicating openly about what they are building, the problems they hope to solve and the progress they are making.

Strong media relationships can also help organisations build credibility and earn trust. Our speakers noted that companies that consistently demonstrate expertise in their fields are more likely to be regarded as reliable sources by journalists seeking insights into relevant issues. Responding to these opportunities lets organisations contribute to broader industry conversations while building relationships with the media. 

As Asukwo explained, “Even in the absence of major announcements, share stories about what you’re building and demonstrate your expertise. This can attract media attention and help you build relationships with journalists that you can leverage when you eventually have something significant to share.”

Tobi also encouraged organisations to look beyond promoting their products and services and to consider what useful knowledge they can share with their audiences. Sharing insights from their experience can help establish their expertise and build credibility over time. As she put it, “Find pockets of expertise that you can weave stories around and turn that into reputation assets.” 

Building strong media relationships also requires recognising that communications professionals and journalists have different priorities. While communications professionals want to bring their brands' stories to relevant audiences, journalists must consider whether those stories align with their editorial focus and offer value to their readers. These competing priorities can sometimes create friction.

As Faith Omoniyi explained, “A company’s latest feature or product release might not necessarily be considered newsworthy by a journalist, and as such, they may not see a compelling reason to cover the story.”

Tobi recommended a more targeted media-pitching approach. By researching a publication's editorial focus and understanding the topics individual journalists cover, communications professionals can pinpoint where their stories are most relevant and develop pitches that give journalists a compelling reason to consider them.

Rebuilding Trust After It’s Been Tested

Building trust and rebuilding it after a crisis may require different approaches, but both depend on the same fundamentals: open communication, consistency, and actions that match words. We explored these principles in our Full Circle series.

Rebuilding trust, however, adds another challenge. Once stakeholders lose confidence in an organisation, they may begin to view its actions with greater suspicion. As Tobi explained, “Before trust is broken, stakeholders are more willing to give the benefit of the doubt. But once trust is lost, the same actions can be interpreted very differently.”

This makes an organisation's response to a crisis particularly important. Although withholding information may seem like a way to protect its reputation, silence can create further uncertainty, fuel speculation and reinforce the very doubts the organisation needs to address.

In 2020, Nigerian agritech startup Thrive Agric faced a crisis of confidence after delays in making payments to its investors. The company communicated with affected stakeholders and outlined the steps it was taking to resolve the situation, providing a useful example of the role communication can play in managing a crisis.

While the trust a brand has built over time may earn it some goodwill during a crisis, that goodwill alone cannot restore confidence. Organisations must demonstrate that they are addressing the problems that led to the crisis and taking steps to prevent them from recurring.

As Peter explained, “As a brand, you have a responsibility to invest in the tools and processes that help prevent mistakes. But when a mistake does occur, you must also be prepared to take responsibility and work towards rebuilding trust.”

This means keeping stakeholders informed, engaging openly with the media and following through on commitments. Statements and press releases can help explain an organisation's response, but stakeholders also need to see concrete evidence that the underlying problems are being addressed.

Trust is built over time through consistent actions, open communication and a willingness to deliver on promises. When a crisis occurs, the same principles become even more important. Organisations must communicate honestly, take responsibility and demonstrate through their actions that they are addressing the issues that caused stakeholders to lose confidence.

For founders and business leaders, reputation management must also extend beyond the communications team. How an organisation treats its customers, responds to complaints, makes decisions and fulfils its commitments all influence how stakeholders perceive it. Everyone within the organisation has a role to play in earning and maintaining that trust.

If you missed the conversation, you can listen to the full recording here.