Crisis Communication Checklist

What exactly would one term as an online crisis? A crisis online could refer to any major, unpredictable event or change. It often poses a risk to an organisation’s reputation and threatens to harm an organisation or its stakeholders. A common element of any crisis is that, more than often, the timing and scope of it is unexpected.

A crisis can often have negative effects and shift the views/opinions of customers or followers – in these times communication is key! Many companies have unfortunately experienced the negative repercussions of failing to respond appropriately to a crisis due to lack of communication.

Our fearless CEO, Rob Stokes has written up a list dealing with overall corporate communication for brand recovery. However, it is far less costly to constantly manage a reputation than to deal with crisis management only when the situation arises. Planning and preparing ahead buys time- in this post we’ll discuss a simple crisis checklist of key preparations and a communication plan of action that can make all the difference.

•  It is vital to monitor and participate in all media coverage of your company. I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s better to know who you are talking to and who is talking about you than, as Marvin Gaye says, to “hear it through the (cyber) grapevine”.
• Who you gonna call? Ensure all mailing lists, databases, key clients and opinion leaders are up-to-date, so if a crisis occurs, you’ll be able to contact key people directly. It is important to know who to contact first and foremost depending on the nature of the crisis.
  
• A designated spokesperson: This is important for maintaining company transparency and having a designated voice instills more credibility and trust in the company. While we believe that employees should be able to communicate with reasonable freedom, there should be an internal communications plan for times of crisis to ensure there is no confusion with different information coming from different sources. This designated spokesperson should also have some formal training in message management. A good example of this was the response of Patrick Doyle, CEO of Domino’s to their latest potential reputation crisis.
  
• Plot the landmines: A good idea is to anticipate the effects of the specific milestones that may trigger action and public disclosure.
  
• Say what? A golden rule- never say “no comment”. This leaves it up to the (very creative) public to conjure up their own theories. Always say something.
  
• Timing: Is everything! Getting the above done in advance will allow more time for focus to be shifted to more important aspects such as creating fact sheets, news releases, talking points and briefing third parties who might speak in support of the organisation/company.
  
• Use of Language: Be sure to use language that is both respectful and appropriate in content. Remember, you are talking to a vast demographic group so it may be helpful to customise your content to suit all audiences.
  
• For the cynical: Any major crisis can be turned around and made into an opportunity. It allows a company to reacquaint key audiences with the values and missions of the organisation. One can create “boilerplate statements” in advance and when the need arises, they can be applied to event-specific communications

Something to keep in mind is that these crisis communication tactics are much more effective when considered as part of a larger reputation management plan. Your crisis communication checklist shouldn’t be solely for short-term benefits and positioning, but also for the organisation’s long-term reputation. As a wise man once said “If you fail to plan, plan to fail”.