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Developing

CrisisManagement Plans

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THE BEST DEFENSE IS A WELL-

PLANNED OFFENSE.

A crisis management plan

is designed to provide guidelines for apractical communications system that isadaptable for any crisis situation. It should bea working document continually updated asthe industry, the world and your companychanges.

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A crisis management plan

should be part of an overall safety andemergency preparedness plan and astandard part of the overall strategic

planning process. As important as dealingwith any emergency situation .This shouldbe planned in the same way you wouldplan for damage to property or injuries topeople. Planning for perception will alsoprotect your companys image/credibilityand its ability to recover after a crisis.

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Too often, companies make the mistakeof waiting until a crisis occurs to plan a

reaction. This gives the company thesmallest chance of surviving the crisiswithout damage.

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EASY-TO-REMEMBER GUIDELINES FOR CRISIS

MANAGEMENT PLAN:

Predict Anticipate everything that could go wrongwith the company.Identify the issues.

PositionDecide what companys position will beon these issues.

Prevent Take preventive measures. PlanIn case prevention doesnt work, prepare a

plan for dealing with thecrisis. Persevere Follow the plan and stick to the

positions have been taken. Seethe crisis through ina thorough and professional manner. Evaluate If the plan is enacted, review the results

to determine if there areother steps that can betaken to prevent the crisis from happening again.

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ISSUE IDENTIFICATION

Crisis issues can generally be put in twocategories:

Manmade issues: include violence,

vandalism, accidents, operator error,negligence, defective equipment, poorplanning and scheduling, strikes, fire, andillness such as food poisoning.

Natural issues: include things such asweather, earthquakes and communicabledisease.

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CRISIS TEAM

The establishment of a crisis team is the firststep. The team prepares the plan and meetsregularly to update and test it. If a crisisoccurs, this team will be prepared and incontrol.

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Crisis Team

PublicRelations

Experts

LegalAssistance

InsuranceCarrier

OperationsPersonnel

TopManagement

A crisis teamshould include:

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The team, regardless of size, will be

responsible for:

Identifying all audiences that may be

affected by each crisis situation.Designate contacts to gain specific

information on each situation as needed.*identifying various scenarios that couldadversely affect the company

Developing a model or plan to follow in each.

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POLICY PREPARATION

When preparing policy statements, thefollowing general principles can help:

When responding to a crisis situation, the

response should be honest, timely and direct Incorporate your ethical standards into the

policy. Do the right thing, being fair to all

parties to the best of your ability. Think now about how business practices will

be interpreted by the media during anemergency.

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INITIAL CRISIS RESPONSE BEST PRACTICES

1. Be quick and try to have initial response within the firsthour.

2. Be accurate by carefully checking all facts. 3. Be consistent by keeping spokespeople informed of crisis

events and key message points. 4. Make public safety the number one priority. 5. Use all of the available communication channels including

the Internet, Intranet, and mass notification systems. 6. Provide some expression of concern/sympathy for victims 7. Remember to include employees in the initial response. 8. Be ready to provide stress and trauma counseling to

victims of the crisis and their families, including employees.

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MASTER LIST OF REPUTATION REPAIR

STRATEGIES

1. Attack the accuser: crisis manager confronts theperson or group claiming something is wrong with theorganization.

2. Denial: crisis manager asserts that there is no crisis. 3. Scapegoat: crisis manager blames some person or

group outside of the organization for the crisis. 4. Excuse: crisis manager minimizes organizational

responsibility by denying intent to do harm and/or

claiming inability to control the events that triggeredthe crisis.

Provocation: crisis was a result of response to someone elses actions.

Good intentions: organization meant to do well.

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5. Justification: crisis manager minimizes the

perceived damage caused by the crisis. 6. Reminder: crisis managers tell

stakeholders about the past good works ofthe organization.

7. Ingratiation: crisis manager praisesstakeholders for their actions.

8. Compensation: crisis manager offers

money or other gifts to victims. 9. Apology: crisis manager indicates the

organization takes full responsibility for thecrisis and asks stakeholders forforgiveness.

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POST-CRISIS PHASE BEST PRACTICES

1. Deliver all information promised tostakeholders as soon as that information isknown.

2. Keep stakeholders updated on theprogression of recovery efforts including anycorrective measures being taken and

the progress of investigations. 3. Analyze the crisis management effort for

lessons and integrate those lessons in to theorganizations crisis management system.

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REFERENCES

Crisis Management and CommunicationsBy

W. Timothy Coombs, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Communication StudiesEastern Illinois University

A Guide to Developing Crisis Management PlansDeveloped by NTAs Market Development Council