By now, you have some sort of crisis plan. And chances are, it
works sometimes and it's always being tweaked. We advise having a
flexible plan, as perfection in this area of PR is nearly
impossible. However, there are very effective blueprints to guide
you through a crisis and help you and your organization come out
ahead. CommCore Consulting Group has shared with PR NEWS the
following crisis strategies (don't miss a step):
#1 Beware the Warning Stages of a Crisis
- Low employee morale
- Negative news coverage
- Customer complaints
- Poor housekeeping
- Staff quality
- Panic cost-cutting
- Rushed output
- Rumor and gossip
- Corporate arrogance
- Rapid change
- Regulatory or legal investigations
- Industry-wide issues
- Whistle blowers
- Attack web sites
#2 Once You're In a Crisis, Manage It by:
Assessing the Situation
- What is the emergency?
- Is the emergency over, or is there more to come?
- If it is continuing, what can we do to stop it?
- What is the worst case?
- How much will the emergency interfere with the normal
operations? - Do we need external resources to either control the event or
recover from it? - What's the time frame for recovery?
- If there are victims, what should we do for them?
- What will recovery cost and is that important?
- Can the spotlight be transferred?
- What is actually at stake and what are the implications?
- How do we want to be viewed after the emergency?
- What can we do now to earn that perception?
- To what extent could our corporate bottom line be
affected?
Developing Your Strategy
- Is your web site ready for responses? Your site is your primary
communications tool during a crisis. - Which stakeholder groups should be informed?
- What will their reactions be?
- What is the likely timeline to reach our end goals?
- What should our key messages be for each group?
- What vehicles should we use to communicate?
- Who should our spokesperson be?
- Where should we establish our communications center?
- Can/should we involve any allies?
- Are we the appropriate focus of any news coverage?
- What positive points can we make in our own behalf?
- Will any responses affect lawsuits or legal consequences?
- Are authorities limiting our communications?
- If so, are we obliged to cooperate?
- Who must provide clearance for our statements?
- Do we want consumer phone calls coming to the company or a
toll-free number?
Implementing the plan
- Remember: Preparation is key; Time is critical; and
Collaboration crucial. - Decide who is responsible for notifying various publics, such
as analysts, media, employees, sales force, switchboard operators,
regulatory agencies, suppliers, partners, customers.
#3 Measuring Your Actions
- Was the desired result completely achieved?
- Was that the best possible outcome?
- Could it have been achieved in less time?
- Could it have been achieved with fewer people?
- How efficient were the channels of communication?
- Did the team structure and composition support or impede
management of the emergency? - Should anything about the process be changed?
- Is it likely to reoccur in the future and how can we avoid such
a recurrence? - What did we do to manage the risk?
- What did we do with the opportunity?
- What surprised us?
- How well did we work, both as individuals and teams?
- How well did we communicate our core messages to our
audience? - Did we protect our company's integrity?
- What will history stay about our recovery efforts?
Source: CommCore Consulting Group, Andy Gilman, [email protected]
or 202/659-4177