Companies and public figures live under the constant scrutiny of its stakeholders, especially the press, civil society and citizen journalists. Even the smallest of infractions could become a subject of breaking news or start trending online.In a 24X7 news cycle, having a modus operandi that responds effectively to a brewing crisis and nips it in the bud is not enough. You must have a pro-active crisis communication strategy that prepares you to respond to any unforeseen crisis in a timely and effective manner.
Every company ought to prepare, if not, you are prone to more damage. The basic steps of effective crisis communications are not difficult, but they require advance preparation, crisis communication training and a comprehensive crisis communication plan in order to mitigate damage to your reputation.
Simple rules for crisis communication:
- Crisis Preparedness Planning. Create a preparedness plan that games scenarios of possible crisis and an appropriate response. Crisis preparedness plans are time-consuming and painstaking, which is why many companies don’t create them. However, when faced with a crisis, these plans actually save critical time and resources, a crucial difference that will not only protect your company’s reputation but also gain goodwill of your stakeholders.
- Crisis Communication Support. It’s imperative to acknowledge crisis situations immediately. You may not have all the details for days, or even weeks, but a prompt communication to your key stakeholders will (a) minimize speculation and rumour and (b) let audiences know you are in control thus safeguarding your company’s reputation.
When that reputation comes under attack, protecting and defending it becomes the highest priority. Crisis communication training is designed to protect and defend an individual or your facing a public challenge to its reputation. These challenges may come in the form of an investigation from a government agency, a criminal allegation, a shareholder’s lawsuit, an accident, defective product or any number of other scenarios involving the legal, ethical or financial standing of an entity. To emerge with its reputation intact, an organization must anticipate and respond immediately and with confidence. This training will help companies to prepare for this kind of situations and guide them through the process.
As a final act of crisis communications, Our crisis communications team support companies go public with its self-assessment. This gives the community further proof that the organization takes the crisis very seriously and has safeguards in place to avoid even the threat of such a crisis happening again.