101: Crisis Management
If something can go wrong — and it always can — a company needs to be ready. Damage control begins with strategic planning before a corporation experiences a scandal, public-relations crisis or product tampering. It’s important to have a plan of action before a crisis rears its ugly head. Here are some ways you can navigate the choppy waters of a crisis:
Pick spokespersons. These are the only people who should be authorized to speak for the company in a crisis. The CEO can be a spokesperson, but not necessarily the only spokesperson, says California-based expert Jonathan Bernstein in an article at BernsteinCrisisManagement.com.
“The fact is that some chief executives are brilliant business people, but not very effective in-person communicators,” he writes.
The main thing, says Bernstein, is not to wait until a crisis breaks to assemble a pool of spokespersons: Choose and train them ahead of time in how to address employees, the media and others.
Don’t take the bait. Reporters have been known to ambush potential newsmakers, says Mark Macias in an article on AboutPublicRelations.net. He warns against showing anger or quick, not-well-thought-out responses.
“Don’t get thrown off track,” his article states. “Keep repeating that you will talk on camera, but in the proper format and environment. Give the reporter a legitimate excuse why you can’t do the interview right now on the street.”
Get specific. Don’t just anticipate crisis, but categorize types of crises and plan for each category. Maximum disclosure and minimum delay are the goal, says Alan Freitag in an article at CrisisNavigator.org.
“Prepare materials in advance and keep them updated: fact sheets, bios, backgrounders, response-to-queries, photos,” or crisis kits, he advises.
Freitag also recommends coordinating with internal departments that could be involved in varying types of crises; learning from other companies’ mistakes; and identifying resources needed in case of crisis, such as media credentials and extra phone lines.
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