Our Blog: where do you stand?

Have You Planned for a Crisis Lately, Part II

By: Kristin Gumper | 03/06/2009

As a follow-up to Loren's crisis communications post, one of the biggest strengths a business can have is knowing when to call in the pros.

Before a crisis strikes, outside experts can provide valuable insight for finding the holes in a crisis plan, creating an entirely new plan, or conducting crisis training drills - full-scale or even table-top - to test and train familiarity of the plan. Through yearly training, we've seen the communications skills of our clients' employees truly blossom.

To help guide crisis communications plan development, Standing Partnership's top crisis management experts have weighed in to create the following list of best practices. These critical elements can help ensure crisis communications plans are sound and complete.

Standing Partnership's Top 10 Best Practice Steps in Crisis Management Planning

1. Establish and foster positive relationships with key constituencies before a crisis strikes.
2. Identify threats and vulnerabilities.
3. Develop a crisis communications plan that addresses these threats and vulnerabilities.
4. Ensure the plan includes a protocol for crisis response.
5. Establish a strategic crisis management team to carry out the plan.
6. Select necessary partners in advance to serve as additional arms and legs, as sounding boards and to offer counsel from outside of the situation.
7. Because companies cannot show emotion - and their leaders often don't - select your spokespersons carefully and put a sincere, caring human face on your company.
8. Social media conversations shape companies' global reputations. Today's technology-driven society spreads news faster than ever before. Thus, to be the first to share your company's news, crisis communications plans should include rapid communication methods that fit each stakeholder group.
9. Humans defer to habit and nature when time is pressed. Be familiar with your plan, rehearse it and practice, practice, practice! Also, have a plan for making regular updates to the plan, along with related crisis communications contact information.
10. Keep the plan simple and readily available for the benefit of one of your most important stakeholder groups - your employees - who will be carrying it out. Use the detailed plan for training and practice, but include checklists for fast reference when needed.

Does your organization have a plan for communicating in a crisis? Sometimes, a sense of comfort and relief can be priceless.

In the spirit of continued improvement, how would you build on these crisis communications tips?

Posted in Issues and Crisis Management