Lexington, KY - Although most organizations develop strategic plans, marketing plans and yearly budgets, many neglect one aspect of business that could cause all of their other plans to become moot. What they are forgetting is a crisis communication plan. For those who have spent the time to create a plan, some have put it on a shelf and let it gather dust for years. That's probably because deep down, most people don't think their companies will ever face a crisis.
What defines a business crisis? A textbook definition is: A significant business disruption that has become known to any key audience, such as employees, investors or regulators. It could have a political, legal, financial or governmental impact on an organization.
Americans have seen the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to communicating during a crisis. Not being prepared when a crisis hits could wipe out all the good feelings consumers have about a company, especially if the crisis is not handled well by management. Remember Exxon? It fits into the bad and ugly categories.
A crisis communication plan is one of those things managers sometimes don't think about until they need it. That may be because they think of a crisis as a sudden event, like a fire or flood. Research shows that's not true.
Most crises are simmering in the background for some time and are caused by some type of mismanagement. They often are overlooked, or unknown, by those who could do something to stop them. At some point, the simmer comes to a boil and then a full-blown crisis erupts. The banking and housing debacles of the last year are excellent examples of this.
Although businesses can't plan for a crisis the way they do for other matters, they can prepare. There are three steps to crisis communication: preparation, priorities and process. Here are a few ways any organization can make sure crisis communication is handled well.
Preparation