Crisis Management

The most important factor in managing and resolving the public relations side of a crisis is communications. When a crisis does erupt, prompt and proactive communication should be a cornerstone of any business's crisis containment strategy. A single individual should be designated as the official spokesperson during a crisis if at all possible. By controlling the information that is released, a company can assure both a greater degree of accuracy and a consistent message. "Pick someone who is cool under pressure, credible, good on camera, and adept at presenting a positive image for your business," wrote Kim Gordon in an article for Entrepreneur. It may be helpful for this person to attend media training in order to practice interview techniques '¦ Small businesses should prepare positive messages about their operations that can be disseminated to media contacts in the event of a crisis. These messages may include any points you want the public to keep in mind during the negative publicity, such as an impressive safety or environmental record.

In order to ensure that your company's perspective is heard, it is vital that you do all you can to make sure that your message is accurately presented to any media providing coverage of the crisis. The media establish the perception of most companies and organizations and whether accurate or not, they must be dealt with. So, dealing with the media in an organized, aggressive, and timely fashion is essential if one is to at least help mold the overall perception.

Effective communication with media, then, is an essential element of any crisis management plan. But consultants offer other tips as well. Following are a list of other actions that small businesses should take when confronted with a crisis management situation:

1. Be open and honest with media and customers alike—Such a stance may well garner sympathy with customers and consumers, particularly if the crisis is one over which the company has little control, such as malicious product tampering.
2. React quickly—A company's actions in the early stages of a crisis will often determine how the media coverage portrays the company.
3. Utilize only one spokesperson—Consultants can cite countless instances in which companies faced with a business crisis compounded their problems by using multiple spokespeople who gave conflicting statements. A single, clear, and accurate story is best served up by a single spokesperson.
4. Arm yourself with the facts—Companies can hurt themselves terribly when they make public statements based on incomplete knowledge of events.
5. Stay on message—Engaging in speculation and/or rambling discourses does not help your company's cause. Spokespeople should be candid without being unduly negative.
6. Do not lie or mislead the media, the public, or investigating agencies—This may seem obvious but history shows that it is worth noting. The discovery of one single lie casts every statement that your company makes into doubt.
7. Establish and maintain contact with other important groups—Depending on the nature of the crisis, communication with employee, industry, and community groups can be a valuable part of a crisis response plan. Is the crisis likely to have an impact on the company's labor union or general work force? If so, arrange a meeting with representatives so that they can be kept informed and ask questions, and so that you can get your message across. Are your company's production processes arousing the ire of local civic or environmental groups (and the growing interest of local media)? Arranging a meeting in which they could register their concerns might relieve the situation somewhat (again, provided that your company shows a genuine interest in hearing them out and responding to legitimate concerns).

Advanced planning is important for all aspects of managing a business. But sometimes, things will occur that can simply not be reasonably anticipated. In these situations, the best public relations advice is to manage the situation ethically, with good grace, humility, and if at all possible, some humor.

Establishing a flexible and fine-tuned crisis management plan is important for any organization. If nothing else, it will enable the leaders of such organizations to lead more easily during the most difficult of times. The anxiety and fear that arise during a crisis can best be combated by clarity, calm, and a plan of action.

 PREV  1 | 2 | 3