Crisis Communications in a Chaotic World

Throughout 44 years of Fearey’s history, it’d be an understatement to say we’ve seen our fair share of truly unique crises that require us to step in and swiftly map out the right crisis communications strategy and messaging for our client.

These crises come in all forms, whether they are officer-involved shootings, crane collapses, or data thefts; I once worked on a crisis incident where a doctor sexted while in the operating room. Of course, that one went national.

Although crises traditionally start on a negative tone, as a public relations professional, it can be one of the only situations in which you have the ears of every senior leader at the company you’re consulting with, and they’re listening to you. There’s often a lack of pushback because they trust your instincts and your experience even more so than in typical day-to-day communications support. That’s where crisis communications comes to life.

The Preparation Phase

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes or less to destroy it. The downfall can be traced back to one social media post, one photo or one word—it is in the minutia of communication that you can be most vulnerable.

Therefore, it matters who is managing that reputation on the front lines. Your online reputation is your storefront, especially in today’s culture of virtual business. Not only that, but our digital world works quickly, and once there is a hint of a problem, misstep, or crisis – it is amplified by the minute.

Thinking ahead to be able to act fast when crises occur can be what makes or breaks the success of an organization. So, I encourage them to invest time, energy and resources to hire someone, whether it’s in-house or externally, who can be dedicated to evaluating the business, thinking through all potential crisis scenarios, and documenting them.

You’re not going to be able anticipate all of them, but you’ll be more likely to prevent them once they’re mapped out ahead of time. When a crisis hits, you don’t have the gift of time.

A lot of companies run to agencies once the incident has occurred. While that is still obviously worthwhile, those strategies would be even more effective if a team and plan was already established.

Face-to-face time is important. Meeting regularly allows our agency to gain a full understanding of the business, who the key executives are, and develop a strategy to manage crisis situations from start to finish.

Fully establishing the players involved is also essential. Who is a stakeholder? You want to know the police, the fire department, the public information officers and build those relationships so when something happens, you’re able to help manage the situation efficiently and effectively rather than going in cold.

Keeping a finger on the pulse shows you’re in-the-know and invested in your client. Find out what the community is saying in that industry so when you respond to that community, you approach it with understanding and empathy.

All these components fit into a seven-step plan companies should use to jumpstart their crisis planning.

Seven Steps to Shape Crisis Communication Strategy

1. Appoint a crisis management communications team.

2. Determine what types of problems may come up and develop what those situations would look like.

3. Identify goals and objectives.

4. Design how the crisis will be communicated internally.

5. Get to know your key audiences.

6. Develop key messages.

7. Create that crisis communication plan.

Sometimes it’s a five-page plan. For other companies, it’s a 50-page plan. It depends on the size and scope; whether they’re local, global, or regional—we’ve done it all.

Practice Makes Progress

Once that crisis communications plan is created, don’t let it sit in a file until it’s needed. Crisis communication plans are living, breathing documents that shift and adapt to the changing world around any company.

Make sure you pull out that plan every single year (or even quarterly), look through it, ensure that personnel named in it are up-to-date, and document the updates. Then practice it with leadership to make sure they know what’s going to happen in a time of crisis.

Use all the tools available to you, including investing time into media trainings and prep sessions, and doing them consistently so that you have an on-camera spokesperson at a moment’s notice.

It all comes down to fundamental communications, and that applies on a personal level as well as on a larger, organizational scale. You shouldn’t change the way you operate or think based on the values of someone else.

You’ve got to stay true to your values, integrate your objectives and go from there. It’s the same with all companies and organizations—those that stick to their guns are the ones who succeed.

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