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Your company’s email suddenly goes down and you can no longer access your computer files. An accident occurs at your plant and employees are injured. Cash flow dries up and you are forced to file for bankruptcy protection. Members of your organization face allegations of unacceptable behaviour.
These are just a few examples of crises. Each one threatens business continuity, is unexpected and requires a rapid response to regain control.
No organization is immune to a crisis. Since, by definition, a crisis strikes without warning (and seemingly at the worst possible time), the only thing you can do is prepare to deal with it. A poorly managed—or ignored—crisis can have repercussions across all aspects of your organization. It can damage the company’s reputation, have legal consequences and become a media story.
Transparent communication is the key to crisis management. Even if you do not yet know exactly what led to the current situation, silence is not an option: silence will inevitably be filled by rumours and speculation. It is better to acknowledge the situation, promise to conduct a thorough investigation (and do so immediately) and commit to updating stakeholders as you learn more. You must quickly establish yourself as a reliable source of accurate information. Otherwise, you will lose control of the message.
It is important to put yourself in your stakeholders’ shoes. Show empathy. Whether a worker has been injured or is simply locked out of their computer system, they are stressed. Be mindful of their state of mind in your crisis messages.
Ultimately, the goal is a return to normal. If the path to normalcy is smoothed by clear communication and the sense that you know what you are doing, you will not only save your company’s reputation—you may even improve it.
Make sure you do not overlook any of your stakeholders:
- Your customers will want to know why deliveries have suddenly stopped and why they cannot reach you.
- Employees will be contacted by outsiders, which means they are your ambassadors: Make sure they know what is happening and how to respond to panicked inquiries.
- If you are in a regulated industry, you will need to work with legal counsel to inform government authorities.
- Your insurance company must be notified in a timely manner.
Of course, the golden rule for dealing with a crisis is to be prepared. We recommend developing a crisis communication plan and practising its implementation through regular simulation exercises.
As a rule, a crisis plan includes alternate contact information for team members in case the primary messaging system fails. It contains an assessment grid to determine the severity of the problem and the scope of the response. It will establish a chain of command: Who needs to be informed of a crisis from the start? What behaviour is expected from each team member? What initial message should be conveyed to stakeholders? Who is authorized to speak on behalf of your company? What should they say if the media call? Have they received media training?
Ideally, your crisis communication team will include both public relations professionals and legal advisors. While it is preferable to be open in sharing information, there is a risk of liability—for example, when sensitive customer information has been stolen by cybercriminals.
To learn more, we invite you to attend the crisis management and cybersecurity workshop taking place on October 19 at MTL connect, with Vincent Gagnon and Larry Markowitz from the public relations firm NATIONAL.