Are These Basics in Your Crisis Communications Plan?

By Phil Grisolia

Crisis communications? That's only for big companies when they get in trouble, right? Like an oil spill? A plane crash? Maybe a tire recall? You say your company's not even a blip on the economy's radar screen. You think you don't need a crisis communications plan because you employ just a handful of people,? Think again! If you're in business - any business - you need a crisis communications plan, one that includes at least these basic elements.

Don't believe me? OK, let's say you bake really yummy pies in your kitchen. And your corner store sells them for you. When someone tells their doctor they got sick from eating one of your yummy pies, you'd better have a crisis communication plan.

Or you're a landscape contractor. What could possibly go wrong when all you do is plant trees, cut grass, and maybe move a little dirt. Well when the driver of your dump truck runs into a school bus that's stopped to let kids off, you'd better have a crisis communications plan.

Or maybe you're a dentist, a good one from what your patients say. You and your staff are working on an old gentlemen from your local retirement center. You give him something to deaden the pain so you can start drilling. Suddenly he's dead. You'd better have a crisis communication plan.

Yes, even the most seemingly harmless business must have at least these basic elements of a crisis communications plan in place ...

Designate only one person to speak on behalf of the company - to the media, the authorities, to everyone asking questions. Also name an alternate to handle that responsibility in case your designated spokesperson is not available.

With the help of an attorney, preferably one who's been involved in crises, train your spokespeople on what types of questions to answer - or not - and how to answer calmly only the questions they are asked. Also teach them to never volunteer any information beyond what they are specifically asked.

Let everyone in your company know who your spokespeople are and what their function is. Require that anyone with any knowledge of, or involvement in your company's crisis speak only to your company's attorney and to your senior management. Your attorney will then share the appropriate information with your spokesperson.

Your spokespeople should also be taught that if they don't not know, or are not sure of the answer to a question - or they face a question they've been told not to answer - that they should tell their questioner that they don't know the answer. At the same time, your spokesperson should tell their questioner that he or she will try to get an answer for them; then promptly get back to the questioner with that answer.

Your spokesperson should never tell a questioner that he or she has to talk with your company's attorney before they can answer a question...but the safest way to answer any question - time permitting - is to discuss potential answers in advance with your company's attorney and your senior management.
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Crisis Communications Planning or What To Do Before-During Or After It Hits The Fan

By Glenn Ebersole

Do you have a crisis management or crisis communications plan for your business or organization? Do you believe your business or organization is too small to need a crisis communications plan? Or do you believe that crises only happen to others?

If you are like the majority of businesses and organizations today, especially small to medium sized ones, you answered NO to the first question and probably YES to the second question. And I hope you answered NO to the third question.

Well, I cannot emphasize too strongly that no matter how big or small you are, every organization should have a crisis management and crisis communications plan.

If you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV or hear the news on the radio, you know that crises happen every day. No person or organization is immune from crises. Think about such recent crises as fires, bank robberies, corporate scandals, sexual harassment, product recalls, death of top executives, closing a facility, etc.

So what should you do? The answer: develop a crisis management plan in 2 parts. The first part is the crisis management plan (how your company or organization will deal with the crisis at hand to minimize negative impacts). The second part is the crisis communications plan (how you will communicate with the media and the public about the crisis).

Too many companies prepare one without the other. Both are critically important. Your goal needs to be that most crises will never get reported in the media because you handled the situation skillfully enough that it never became visible to the media. And the development and implementation of a good crisis communications plan will help make sure of that.

Some great tips and techniques for your crisis management program can be found on the Public Relations Society of America website. General principles that can positively affect your actions and communication in a crisis situation.

Crisis communication planning can help you deal effectively with those unexpected disasters, emergencies or other unusual events that may cause unfavorable publicity for your organization.

Before the crisis, successful communication will depend, in large part, on the preparations you make long before the emergency occurs.

During the crisis, your focus is to deal with the situation, gather accurate information and communicate quickly.

Reporters provide few surprises in a crisis situation.

Your spokesperson should be forthright in dealing with media questions. There are, however, some questions he or she simply cannot and should not answer.

Your spokesperson should not respond to media questions with "no comment" because this answer can imply a lack of cooperation, an attempt to hide something or a lack of concern. There are more appropriate responses when he or she either doesn't have one or is not at liberty to give certain information after the crisis.
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