As news headlines show us on an almost daily basis, many companies still neglect to prepare detailed and workable crisis plans, hindering their ability to react when disaster rears its ugly head. If your organization believes itself ready to actively engage in crisis management, go through this list of questions from former Presidential communications director Anita Dunn, published in a PR Week article:
When crisis hits, who sent the first tweet you must respond to?
How quickly will your response website be launched?
Who is your public face in the first 24 minutes, let alone the 24 hours, of the crisis and when was he or she last media-trained?
How will you communicate with employees to stop false rumors and leaks – and how quickly?
There is no time to search for the answers to these questions after a crisis has broken. At that point most any delay in communication will lead to further reputation damage, warranted or not. Proper planning, though, sets up the right moves in advance, holding them ready until a crisis breaks.
The BCM Blogging Team
https://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/