10 Things I Know About...Crisis communication
10. Develop a crisis management team.
Include top management, your public relations manager, corporate counsel and technical experts.
9. Legal is essential, but …
Don't let your counsel decide what gets communicated. Failure to communicate quickly and truthfully deepens the crisis.
8. Team should know its roles.
Choose a team leader, a media spokesperson, backup spokesperson and an on-site coordinator, and include their addresses, online and phone information in the plan.
7. Develop a procedure.
Include a list of audiences to receive information and in what order. Employees first; neighbors to company property; then community leaders and regulatory agencies, followed by media and customers.
6. Act quickly.
In the first hours after a crisis is discovered, gather information. Honest, open dissemination of information will defuse the crisis; avoiding the media will prolong it.
5. Respect media deadlines.
If your company makes the news and you refuse to comment – or if you are too slow to comment – the news coming from others is likely to be unfavorable.
4. Use three key messages.
Repeat them often. Team members should develop a list of potential questions and their appropriate answers, anticipating responses.
3. Update workers regularly.
To allay unease and minimize rumors, employees should be updated regularly by e-mail and, if feasible, meetings where they can ask questions.
2. Consider logistics.
Determine where press briefings will be held, in an area that can accommodate print, online and broadcast press. Create a war room with necessary information and equipment, and TV and radios to track broadcasts.
1. Use a system for your sites.
All facilities should receive up-to-date information. Test and update your crisis plan annually. The public relations manager and key executives should keep copies. Debrief after the crisis.
David P. Kowal is president of Kowal Communications, Inc. of Northborough. He can be reached at kowal@kowal.com.
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