Preparing and Leading Your Company Through a Crisis

While crises cannot always be prevented, they can be anticipated. Through an effective crisis communication plan and thorough training, an organization can reduce or even avoid potential damage to public perception. Companies most successful in weathering crises are those with communications and leadership teams who recognize the realities and immediacy of today’s communications environment, and plan accordingly.

Planning is the cornerstone of effective crisis management. That doesn’t mean everything is going to go exactly as planned, far from it. Planning gives you the chance to rehearse, anticipate and respond effectively when a crisis does occur. In your plans, in your rehearsals, in your regular meetings, be sure everyone understands the need for a quick and well-thought-out response.

Remember that your employees can be your greatest assets, however, be prepared for things to go wrong. This is true for any organization, large or small. Once you have a crisis communications plan in place, ensure that each member of your response team knows their role and the implications of not acting fast enough.

Think how quickly:

• an email can be forwarded

• a tweet can be retweeted

• a Facebook post can be shared with friends

• a smartphone can be used to update multiple social media accounts in an instant

That’s how quickly you may need to respond.

At Off Madison Ave, we are constantly monitoring the news agenda and partner with our clients to act fast to avoid situations that could escalate into a severe issue or crisis. It is vital to have expert public relations guidance on what the implications could mean to a company’s revenue and reputation if handled poorly.

A checklist approach is highly recommended to identify an optimal crisis-management structure and appropriate response to multiple issues for your organization. Here are some key components to consider:

Whatever Could Go Wrong, Will Likely Go Wrong.

Conduct a thorough risk assessment of issues that could affect your company and plan responses for each potential scenario. This could range from a disgruntled customer, a tragic accident on company property, a data breach, fraud or faulty product.

Prepare digital and traditional communications as well as internal and external communications. It’s important to have this ready in advance of a crisis situation as certain audiences and communications channels may be missed, leading to an even larger issue. Remember, it’s not a case of if, it’s a case of when.

Establish A Strong Leadership Team.

Designate a crisis response team from key areas within your organization such as IT, legal, operations and communications, and allocate clear roles and responsibilities to allow for a rapid response. It is these people who will meet regularly and communicate together on any incident and follow a detailed crisis communications plan. Be sure to keep this plan updated and practice different scenarios throughout the year. This is the best way to avoid panic when something does happen.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate.

Be upfront and transparent when communicating to both internal and external audiences. Identify key advisors who can properly assess a situation from their angle of expertise. Regularly communicate appropriate information with each stakeholder group and be mindful of the tone and verbiage used. Tell people when you will update them again to keep the lines of communication open.

By thinking through responses and avoiding any knee-jerk reactions or comments, you can avoid being perceived as insensitive or inauthentic. It is vital you work closely with your public relations team to advise of best practices for working with the media, should the situation go public.

Breathe. Keep Planning.

Following a crisis, conduct a real-time and post-event evaluation and review. Incorporate lessons learned and address any demonstrated gaps in the crisis plan to drive continuous improvement of the process, planning and materials to ensure readiness for future issues.

A crisis can happen to any business regardless of size. Now more than ever, making sure you are prepared and including crisis management planning as part of your overarching communications strategy should be a priority.