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I’m Having a Crisis
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As we’ve discussed previously, the true raison d’être behind Public Relations is to develop and/or manage your organization’s image and reputation in the eyes of key publics. Even in the best of times this isn’t always easy, and in the worst, well, it’s obviously going to be no picnic.
Thus, one of the smartest things you can do for your organization’s longevity is to create a “crisis” communications plan – well in advance of when you might ever (and hopefully never) need one.
So what constitutes a “crisis”? Well, that’s obviously going to depend on your organization, industry, geographic location, key stakeholders and the like, but the bottom line is that a crisis is any situation that can threaten the integrity or reputation of your company and/or cause harm (physical, environmental, financial, etc.) to your stakeholders. These situations can be caused or influenced by your organization or completely external, yet with significant impact on your organization, employees, constituents and/or other individuals.
From a communications and reputation perspective, a crisis is when the stakes are inordinately high and you have a chance to really shine – or fall flat on your face. If handled well, damage can be minimized and your organization can even be strengthened; remember the Tylenol tampering scare back in the 1980’s? Or Wal-Mart’s rapid response to communities in the New Orleans region after Hurricane Katrina?
Conversely, if a crisis is handled poorly, your reputation and/or your organization may never recover. Consider the current U.S. Administration’s lagging response and/or disjoined relief efforts following Katrina -- the November 2006 elections show us this has certainly not been forgotten. And the makers of Kryptonite bike locks perhaps now wish they’d not been so slow or somewhat flippant in their response to Internet videos in 2004 that showed how to easily open Kryptonite bike locks with a ball point pen. Only after tremendous public outcry, threats of lawsuits and extensive media coverage did the company issue a recall, and even then it was limited, with company spokespeople blaming the problem on the style of lock, not their company.
So how do you ensure positive crisis management? (And no, that’s not an oxymoron!). It all starts with a clear vision, excellent long-range planning, strong organizational structure and governance, easily mobilized resources, proactive communication and a cool head. I’ll provide some more specific tips for crisis management in my next post.
In the mean time, be thinking about what crises could potentially befall your organization and how they might impact you, your employees, your world… To be sure, that ought to get your creative communication skills flowing!
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Diana L. Reid, Conscious Communications
Thus, one of the smartest things you can do for your organization’s longevity is to create a “crisis” communications plan – well in advance of when you might ever (and hopefully never) need one.
So what constitutes a “crisis”? Well, that’s obviously going to depend on your organization, industry, geographic location, key stakeholders and the like, but the bottom line is that a crisis is any situation that can threaten the integrity or reputation of your company and/or cause harm (physical, environmental, financial, etc.) to your stakeholders. These situations can be caused or influenced by your organization or completely external, yet with significant impact on your organization, employees, constituents and/or other individuals.
From a communications and reputation perspective, a crisis is when the stakes are inordinately high and you have a chance to really shine – or fall flat on your face. If handled well, damage can be minimized and your organization can even be strengthened; remember the Tylenol tampering scare back in the 1980’s? Or Wal-Mart’s rapid response to communities in the New Orleans region after Hurricane Katrina?
Conversely, if a crisis is handled poorly, your reputation and/or your organization may never recover. Consider the current U.S. Administration’s lagging response and/or disjoined relief efforts following Katrina -- the November 2006 elections show us this has certainly not been forgotten. And the makers of Kryptonite bike locks perhaps now wish they’d not been so slow or somewhat flippant in their response to Internet videos in 2004 that showed how to easily open Kryptonite bike locks with a ball point pen. Only after tremendous public outcry, threats of lawsuits and extensive media coverage did the company issue a recall, and even then it was limited, with company spokespeople blaming the problem on the style of lock, not their company.
So how do you ensure positive crisis management? (And no, that’s not an oxymoron!). It all starts with a clear vision, excellent long-range planning, strong organizational structure and governance, easily mobilized resources, proactive communication and a cool head. I’ll provide some more specific tips for crisis management in my next post.
In the mean time, be thinking about what crises could potentially befall your organization and how they might impact you, your employees, your world… To be sure, that ought to get your creative communication skills flowing!
###
Diana L. Reid, Conscious Communications
