Mar
3
2011
Crisis Management Planning
Author: adminA crisis is any situation that threatens the reputation or integrity of your company, usually brought on by adverse or negative media attention. These situations can be any kind of legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, flood or manmade disaster that could be attributed to your company.
If handled correctly, the damage caused by a crisis can be minimised. It pays to have a crisis management policy in place so that, when the worst happens, you have an established way of controlling the negative fallout.
The main thing to remember in a crisis is tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. When a situation arises that may be a crisis, the first thing you should do is contact your CEO and the chief of your public relations department so you can implement your previously outlined plan. The first responsibility of any crisis communication team should be to determine the appropriate positioning or message to address the emergency.
In the first instance, prepare a succinct statement you can issue to the press that expresses your position; this quote should be attributed to your designated spokesperson (more below). It is always best when a mistake has been made to admit it up front, and then begin working towards establishing credibility. While, from a legal standpoint, this might seem like the worst thing you could do, being upfront from the start is actually more likely to minimise legal costs in the long term.
One individual should be designated as the primary spokesperson to represent the company, make official statements and answer media questions throughout the crisis. This person needs to be comfortable in front of the media and able to express themselves in a confident, credible way.
It is important, at the onset of the crisis, that the spokesperson and advisors spend some time rehearsing prepared statements and answers to possible questions that may be asked by reporters, particularly those that might prove most difficult to answer. It is also important to anticipate and practice new questions as the story develops – try and stay one step ahead of the journalists and it will serve you well.
Stick to answering the questions, don’t volunteer information to the media unless it is a point the company wants to make and never talk off the record. Keep a record of all telephone calls and enquiries from the media - this will help to ensure that all enquiries are answered and also help with the post-crisis analysis.
Find out more about crisis management strategies that can be offered by a public relations company.