Crises come in
infinite shapes, sizes
and levels of severity.
Some are huge and
disastrous like a plane
crash, fire or
earthquake; some evolve
slowly like a government
investigation or
accusations from a
disgruntled employee;
and some happen fast and
nasty like a surgeon
botching an operation or
a company's CEO getting
arrested for DWI.
And if you don't have a
crisis media
communications plan in
place to minimize their
impact, all crises have
the potential to
irreparably damage your
organization's image and
reputation due to
Extensive negative media
coverage
Significant business
disruptions
Severe public scrutiny
and exposure
Political, legal and
financial repercussions
A crisis media
communications plan
serves as an insurance
policy for preserving
your organization's
positive image.
With a plan in place,
you're positioned to
follow the three-part
Golden Rule of crisis
media communications:
Tell it all,
Tell it fast,
Tell the truth.
Just as important, if
your crisis media plan
is ready to go when a
crisis hits, you can
immediately devote
crucial time to
communicating rather
than wringing your hands
and cogitating over what
to do first.
Developing a crisis
media communications
plan is a time
consuming, detailed
process. You must be
aware of and prepare for
all contingencies. One
of the primary ways to
accomplish this is by
interviewing your
organization's key
people to learn what
might go wrong and why.
With this information,
you can create a crisis
media vulnerability
assessment. This would
include all possible
crisis scenarios and the
communications elements
necessary for each --
such as press releases
and statements to the
public.
After listing all
scenarios, you'd develop
individual written
statements/explanations
intended for each
critical audience if a
particular crisis
actually hits. Leave
space in each script to
add the who, what, when,
where, why and how prior
to your spokesperson's
verbatim delivery during
the actual crisis.
The hands-on action
portion of your crisis
media plan must be
"chimp easy" to read and
implement.
Remember, this is not a
policy statement. It's a
working document --
essentially a template
-- that your crisis team
will turn to when alarms
are ringing, the media
is calling, information
is sketchy and your
company's reputation is
at stake.
Your plan should guide
you through each hour of
the event and enable the
crisis media team too
clearly
Identify the crisis
Identify all parties who
should be informed of
the situation.
Communicate the facts
concerning the crisis
Communicate your
organization's concern
for human life and
public safety
Communicate your action
plan
Minimize rumors.
Maintain order within
your organization
Maintain the public's
confidence in your
organization
Maintain your
organizations positive
public image and
reputation
That's a lot to
communicate. So it is
important to have
everything pre-written
and blessed-off so you
can deliver your
messages quickly and
effectively when it
counts.
Plan your work then work
your crisis media plan.
Source: Brian R.
Salisbury
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