The Basics of Crisis Communications – A Four Part Series
July 12, 2011 at 11:24 AM 2 comments
Business crises are all over the news, and commentary is abundant on how they’re being handled – even years later. Take the coverage of the recent News Corp. crisis or the Air France crash in 2009, for example. Unfortunately m
any businesses are not adequately prepared when a crisis hits and are criticized for the way they manage it. By preparing for potential crises well in advance, however, you can ensure that your business stays on track if one occurs.
Implementing a crisis response plan – and testing it regularly through simulation exercises – is key to being prepared. Effective crisis plans:
- Are simple – a basic checklist is helpful.
- Include a crisis team and spokesperson(s) from both operational and communications sides with up-to-date contact info and backups for each.
- Identify plausible crisis scenarios and plan for them, with defined objectives, pre-written documents and messaging for each.
- Have pre-approved “boilerplate” documents.
- Have third-party supporters that can be relied on to help carry messages.
- Are tested often (once or twice a year).
Up next, all the components to consider when developing the crisis plan.
- David Kalson, CEO, specializes in energy, environment and crisis/issues management.
Entry filed under: Communications, Corporate. Tags: Best Practices, Communications, Crisis Management, media relations, public relations, Stakeholder Engagement.
1.
The Basics of Crisis Communications – Part Two « Smart PR | July 15, 2011 at 11:22 AM
[...] noted in Part One of this series, developing a crisis response plan and testing it regularly is crucial for nearly all [...]
2.
The Basics of Crisis Communications – Part Four, Top Ten List « Smart PR | September 13, 2011 at 2:53 PM
[...] Managing an issue or crisis effectively is key to managing your brand’s reputation. Many companies are ill-prepared for crises and manage them poorly when they arise, but by sticking to a few simple best practices, you can ensure you’re prepared to weather any storm and keep your brand’s reputation intact. Source: foodliabilitylaw.com [...]