Six Steps to Managing Crisis

Failure is a natural part of life. Most successful people understand this and even embrace the process. Mistakes are fodder for growth.

This is true for businesses, organizations, and politicians as well. Mistakes and missteps are an unavoidable reality. However, while most errors lead to systems improvements, sometimes they lead to crisis situations.

In the past year we have seen our fair share of business and governmental crises. Some were handled deftly, while others resulted in damaged reputations and decreased public confidence.

So what sets public relations debacles apart from success stories? How are some individuals and businesses able to rebuild their image when others cannot? The answer is not all that complex, and it all boils down to accepting crisis as a lingering possibility and having a plan in place to deal with it.

Here are six steps to managing crisis situations to put you on track for image repair.

Anticipate Potential Disasters

The problem with crisis situations is they catch us off guard and are sometimes unavoidable. Thus, you should never assume your organization is somehow immune to the debacles currently making national headlines. This would be a recipe for disaster. You know your company best, so it is in your best interest to gather the leaders of your organization to brainstorm vulnerabilities and weakness areas. In some cases this exercise can lead to important changes that mitigate the possibility of crisis. In other cases, it can help shape your crisis communications plan.

Create a Crisis Plan

It does not matter how big or small your organization is. If crisis strikes, you need a plan. While you cannot predict the exact nature of future crises, you can certainly outline the steps to take in such situations and identify personnel in charge of various responsibilities. Your crisis plan should be in writing, reviewed often, and communicated clearly to stakeholders. You should never assume key players will remember all parts of the crisis plan when disasters take hold. Thus, every team member should have a crisis plan checklist to reference as they navigate the storm.

Tell the Truth Immediately and Do Not Attempt to Deflect Blame

The best way to turn a mini-crisis into a PR nightmare is to withhold the truth or stonewall the press. In the hearts and minds of the public, “no comment” is tantamount to an admission of guilt. If you find yourself in the middle of a catastrophe, tell the truth immediately. Do not leave out inconvenient or damning facts. Own them. If you don’t, you can be assured the media will eventually ferret out the whole story and you will be left looking untrustworthy. Likewise, crisis situations are not the time to play the blame game. You will only end up looking petty and invite public hostility.

Deliver a Consistent Message

The last thing you want to deliver in a crisis is false information, even if it is unintentional. This will destroy public confidence and leave people confused. To avoid this pitfall, you must have a crisis management team in place with trained spokespersons at the ready. No one in the organization should be allowed to speak to the media except for the trained spokespersons. This will ensure your organization delivers a clear, consistent message at all times. Choose your spokespersons carefully, however. These people become the face of your organization in the eyes of the public. If they come across as untrustworthy, underprepared, or bumbling, your organization runs the risk of gaining the same title. Additionally, it is important to note that the same people who are great at delivering pitches and PR messaging are not always adept at communicating messages in crisis situations.

Use the Media to Your Advantage

Once you have established your message, use the media to deliver it to the public. This can come in the form of taped or live interviews, advertisements on television, radio, and print, press releases, and opinion editorials. The more the public understands the issue and embraces your message, the easier it will be to repair your reputation.

Communicate with Stakeholders

In times of crisis, you do not want employees and other stakeholders to hear about it on the news or through the grapevine. It is important for business to flow as smoothly as possible during tenuous times. Thus, you need your employees to go about business as usual. The same can be said of customers and other business partners. If stakeholders understand the issues and feel as though they are in the loop, it is far more likely they will offer their steadfast support than if they were kept in the dark.

All companies, organizations and politicians deal with crisis at some point or another. While there is no magic formula for avoiding or handling PR nightmares, it is possible to diminish negative backlash. The key is to have a plan in place to deal with potential problems and deliver a timely, consistent, and truthful message to the public and stakeholders alike.