What is crisis communications?
You probably have an idea of what it isn’t. BP Global’s actions in the face of their oil spill were a perfect case study in how not to handle a crisis. When a spoof of your communications team gains 10x more followers than your real Twitter profile, it’s a sign that something has gone terribly awry. While your business might not be the size of a global oil corporation, when an unhappy customer trashes your name online or your website gets hacked it certainly can feel like your world is crashing down!
Crisis communications involves the organization’s entire approach to responding to “disaster scenarios.” It entails your communication with stakeholders: customers, investors, employees – all the people who matter most to your business. With a bit of preparation, organization and transparency, your business will be able to respond confidently during the worst of times.
Before It Happens
Identify your crisis team.
When disaster strikes, who do you want putting out the fires? Your crisis response team should include the leadership team and key members of your organization: for example, the company CEO/president, VP sales, your top IT person, etc. Every department should be represented, or at least have someone with sufficient expertise.
Organize the basics.
Share emergency contact information and set a pre-determined protocol and location to quickly gather the team if an incident occurs. Do you have a contingency plan / backup contact if one of your team members is unavailable?
Name a spokesperson(s).
In most cases, the person speaking on behalf of your organization should be your leader – if not another senior executive for credibility’s sake. With that in mind, expertise and speaking ability should also factor in your decision. If your VP Finance has an issue with excessive sweatiness and stammering, you might want to pick someone else to speak when the TV cameras are rolling.
Build a list of stakeholders.
Friends, enemies and interested parties: these are the people you know will be watching your crisis with a keen eye. Bad news travels fast, and having a critical mass of influencers on your side is a huge asset in pushing your message (whether you are responding to a turbulent situation, or spreading good news).
Brainstorm a list of the worst things that could ever happen to your business.
It might sound macabre, but use your imagination to figure out what your worst possible nightmares are. The best way to avoid a crisis is to make sure it never happens. Determine what scenarios would be devastating to your organization and how you would respond.
When It Happens
Move quickly.
The most critical time for your organization is the first 24-48 hours after an incident: you need to gather your team and respond with urgency. (This does not mean speak quickly – the worst thing you can do is give a false statement or mislead the public.)
Assess the situation.
Is the worst of it under control or yet to come? Are people jumping to conclusions or making inaccurate statements? Word of mouth doesn’t wait while you drag your heels – get online, watch the news and find out what is being said about you. Create Google and Social Mention alerts for your organization, key members, and any other phrases related to the situation – these will keep you informed the moment anyone mentions you.
Determine your response.
Do you issue a statement now or later? If you don’t yet have all the facts, you may want to continue monitoring the situation as it develops. The United States Air Forces has a very basic but useful flow chart to determine the level of response a situation may warrant.
Be accessible.
Make sure the media can reach you. One of the most damaging quotes you’ll see in a controversial story is the cliché: “… Company XYZ could not be reached for comment.” Even worse is being reached and refusing to provide a statement! This quickly leads the public to assume that your organization is inept, or even worse, guilty of wrongdoing.
If you are not prepared for full disclosure, it may be beneficial to release a holding statement such as: “At this time we are currently investigating this matter. We take this situation very seriously and will supply additional information as it becomes available.” This buys your organization time without damaging your credibility.
Act with dignity and sincerity.
Recently I handled a situation where several news outlets mistakenly implied a connection between an unfortunate event and my client. This simple, casual reference in their highly publicized stories was a potential reputation killer for the organization.
I reached out to the reporters behind the news coverage and politely explained the situation, outlining the incorrect parallels that might have been implied and noting the potential risk of harm to the organization. Each reporter was reasonable: quickly correcting the online versions of their stories and doing what they could to rectify the situation. A little honey goes much further than vinegar!
After the Flames
Take responsibility.
Basic business practices: if it’s your fault, own up! A sincere apology to those affected in a crisis is the first step towards repairing relationships and rebuilding a damaged reputation. Again, don’t take a page from BP’s playbook of passing-the-buck and minimizing liability – instead, try to be more like Maple Leaf Foods.
Monitor and evaluate.
Do an audit of follow-up reaction and overall tone. Are your stakeholders still fuming, or are they giving you the benefit of the doubt? If you’ve issued your statement and only a few stragglers are left holding your feet to the fire, it may be best to let the story die.
Leverage your allies.
If any post-communication needs to be issued, approach your friends – people and organizations you trust. Third-party credibility can help slow the bleeding, even it’s “just” a blog re-posting your letter from the CEO or a business partner re-tweeting your message.
Crisis communications isn’t rocket science: it boils down to organization, transparency, and accountability. However, it can be difficult to realize this when chaos is staring you in the face. Hopefully, this introduction will get you thinking about those worst-case scenarios your business might face one day: how you can prepare for them, and how you can handle them in a professional and ethical manner.
Patrick Lok is Town Crier at CityMax.com, an easy website builder company that has helped 572,000+ small businesses owners grow online. Read more about Patrick here.
Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book:Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.
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