How a management team prepares for and manages a crisis is what sets a great business apart from a mediocre one. Here are a few steps key to PR success in the face of disaster.
One could argue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has made every public relations mistake possible in mismanaging the recent Secret Service scandal. In doing so, it has inadvertently escalated a manageable crisis to one that’s reached DEFCON 5, to borrow the military parlance, if I may.
Let’s be honest: Every organisation will sustain a crisis at one stage in its lifetime. But, how a management team prepares for, manages, and subsequently measures its post-crisis performance, is what sets a great business apart from a mediocre one. Here are five proven tips you can use to avoid public disgrace, business disruption, or some horrible combination of both.
1. Anticipate and simulate.
The worst time to test your crisis plan is in the midst of an actual crisis. Best practices call for anticipating every conceivable crisis that might threaten your organization, assembling your senior line managers and simulating how they respond in real time. We’ve worked with clients in multiple industries to simulate (and evaluate) their teamwork and effectiveness in addressing everything from a product recall and a cyber hacking to a hostage incident, and a CEO kidnapping.
…to read this article in full, visit leading US small business resource, Inc.
