When creating a crisis management plan, it’s important to analyze the risk your organization has. Developing a crisis management plan with Tucker/Hall will help to determine the appropriate techniques to manage the types of crises you may face.

You may face a backlash from public opinion or can foresee a wave of negative criticism from your future business decisions. Developing a public relations strategy well in advance can help minimize the impact or reduce the spread of negative publicity in the months after the crisis.

Below is a description of popular techniques used in crisis management, but if you have any superfluous questions please feel free to contact Darren Richards with Tucker/Hall at 813.228.0652 or via email at drichards@tuckerhall.com.

“The best defense is a good offense”

This prominent cliché holds truth during a crisis. By developing a crisis communications plan, you are able to better handle the situation because you are prepared. In addition, preparing a plan can help you identify and avoid unmitigated risks that could result in a crisis.

Rather than defending your actions to elicit more responses from the press and public, be prepared to deliver an apologetic response – one which conveys your proactive solution to the situation at hand.

Communicate, and then Communicate More

A useful and trusted technique in a crisis is to have wide open communication channels and be honest about what you do and do not know. By being completely transparent in a crisis situation, you earn the trust of the audience that is watching your every move. This includes giving updates as you receive new information and making sure key people are being reached with each release of new information.

If there are no changes in the situation, communicate that as well. Also, do not be afraid to say “I don’t know.” Simply put, honesty is the best policy. In any developing situation, people will understand you don’t have all the answers. However, it’s important to clearly communicate your plan and then follow through.

Respond Quickly

Some companies choose to remain silent when they are under public scrutiny. In an attempt to protect their image from saying the wrong thing, they say nothing. While giving an unpopular response can be hard to recover from, giving no response is usually much worse.

Respond quickly in the face of a crisis situation. By immediately becoming a source of information in a crisis, you have the ability to become part of the solution. Even if you do not have all the facts, it can be reassuring for people to see you are aware of the problem and that you are working on a solution.