Are you cool in a comms crisis?
The idea of a communications crisis can be scary. If your organisation finds itself at the centre of one, it can be relentless. 24/7 scrutiny from the media, understandable questions from angry stakeholders and the need to address whatever issue got you there.
If you are at the storm's centre without a plan, it can be lonely and challenging to get out of.
While you would never wish to find yourself in a communications crisis, the reality is they can be beneficial for communications teams for several reasons:
They demonstrate the value of good communication. Media and stakeholder scrutiny can be relentless during a crisis. If you can stay calm and navigate your organisation through it, you will be seen as invaluable.
They are an opportunity to learn. Every crisis brings its challenges, but they also teach you things. Whether it's how you perform under pressure or where there might be gaps in your skillset, there is always something you will pick up.
To be effective in a crisis, you must develop a plan during peacetime. That means thinking about what it might be like to be in the eye of the storm and whether you have the processes and procedures in place for everything to run smoothly.
You and your team may know what to do, but do others in your organisation also know? Will they come to you for advice?
Here are some tips to prepare you for a crisis (that hopefully never happens)!
Get clear on approval processes. When you need to move swiftly, this can be something that really slows you down. Ensure everyone involved knows their role and why they're doing it.
Get your spokespeople ready to go, and make sure they have backup! You don't want your spokespeople to get media training during a crisis. They may never need to get on camera, but at least you know they'll do an excellent job if they have to. You should also know who will step in if your first choice is unavailable.
What issues might come up? It's hard to think about problems that have yet to occur when you're already busy. Still, your future self will love you if key messages and Q&As are ready to go. They will likely need to be updated, but at least you're not starting from scratch!
Have an out-of-hours process. Can journalists reach your organisation's media team out of hours? If not, you might not have the chance to comment if an issue evolves over the weekend. Again, hopefully, you never need to use it, but you'll be glad you have this process in place if needed.