Dealing with a sudden PR crisis?

Briefs, prepared responses and key messages are wonderful tools help gather curate and communicate a consistent narrative for multiple stakeholders. Ensuring everyone has access to the agreed messages is vital to managing any public relations crisis. Naming focal points or spokesperons is also essential since it helps people not comfortable answering questions redirect people towards a person who is prepared to answer on behalf of the organization

1. Prepare in advance: Have a crisis management plan in place, including a team, protocols, and messaging. 2. Act swiftly: Respond quickly. 3. Assess the situation 4. Communicate transparently 5. Take responsibility: Own up to mistakes, apologize sincerely, and explain corrective actions. 6. Show empathy and compassion: Demonstrate concern for those affected, and offer support. 7. Monitor and adjust: Continuously assess the situation, and adapt your response as needed. 8. Maintain consistency: Ensure all messaging and actions align with your brand values and crisis response plan. 9. Foster transparency: Provide regular updates, and be open to feedback and criticism. 10. Review and learn

A key part of this is to work together. Crafting the message in isolation is a risk that can further complicate the issue or crisis.

I choose not to use the word response. It implies being reactive. It’s just a message whether you have had a chance to be proactive or not. I was also fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with a legal team who understood the court of public opinion. If you have access to legal team such a team this relationship is one of the most important because any serious incident, issue, crisis or emergency will ultimately have a legal implication when the matter gets replayed in the courts.

Handle a crisis situation as soon as possible. Delays will leave your audience making their own assumptions which makes the situation even worse. Engage your audience with a clear and concise message that addresses the matter at hand.

It can’t wait until morning. The news-cycle is 24-7. Social media is 24-7. When the rest of the country wakes up your message needs to be out there. Many issues evolve over the day, week, etc. Keep your website up-to-date by the minute if that what it takes. Staff, customer service board members, politicians etc can direct the public to the website or reiterate what is there. It also saves time and avoids constantly sharing updates with departments and stakeholders within your organization. And finally the media. Having established a single contact for the media on a day-to-day basis pays dividends in a handling a crisis situation. Media don’t like it but if they keep being directed to that single contact they will eventually relent.

Being flexible and adjusting to a situation as it evolves and develops is also a way of showing you are open to change and progress. This in turn can help restore trust.