PREPARE NOW FOR CRISIS
by Virgil Scudder
For most businesses, the question is not whether a crisis will strike, but when! It is virtually inevitable that some kind of crisis will hit every type of business in the next few years.
Crises come in many forms - natural disasters, product failures, fatal accidents, disabling strikes, and massive lawsuits to name only a few. Some are predictable and avoidable, and many are not. But the way the company reacts in the first hour or two can determine how the public perceives the business and its products for years, or decades, to come.
If your company does not have a crisis plan in place now, you are risking a disaster. Surviving a crisis with your company's business and reputation intact requires advance planning and action.
It is only natural to avoid thinking about a disaster, to say it won't happen, not here, not ever. But leaders who follow this line of thinking, who say "no" to planning a communications strategy for dealing with a crisis, place their organization or government at risk.
Planning for communications in a crisis is simply good business. It is also the best example of responsible behavior by managers of an organization for the good of shareowners, employees and customers.
No excuse or explanation will suffice for failing to be ready to communicate during a crisis. Delays and denials can prolong the crisis and even increase human suffering.
It can take as little as the first hour of an emergency to recognize whether a company has a plan ready to handle a disaster. An organization on the line in a crisis that didn't plan for one usually exhibits one or more of the following symptoms:
· Response to the crisis is slow.
· The public is given little information.
· Defensive behavior, even denial and cover-up, become the first marching orders.
· Blame is placed elsewhere
When disaster hits, the news and business media that represent a worldwide audience of millions of people demand answers. Here's what the media want:
· Top executives ready to be interviewed
· Openness and candor
· Proof that the company has been acting responsibly
· An apology if one is appropriate
· Prompt, effective corrective action
· Spokespeople who speak with knowledge and authority
VS&A's crisis communications programs identify the crises a client company could face, and through the use of simulations, we teach the executives how to prepare for and handle them. Many executives have told us they had to handle a crisis soon after taking the training, and the lessons learned in the training proved invaluable.
Clearly, preparing for a crisis is not a choice. It is good business, and it is responsible behavior for the good of everyone.
