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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
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