Turn on the news any day of the week, and you’re bound to hear about someone or something having a crisis.
It may be the beleaguered BHS with their liquidation and pension woes. Maybe it’s Apple vs the FBI that has the media’s interest. More often than not, somewhere there’s a politician having a very bad day.
And what’s the thing all these events have in common? They all seemed to come as a surprise to those involved. My father, I am told (mostly by him) is a very wise man. One of the mantras I heard throughout my childhood lends itself well to crisis communications: proper planning and preparation prevents p*ss poor performance.
Things go wrong. As leaders, as communicators, as employees, we all need to be prepared.
Emergencies can come in many different shapes and sizes and, in a world of 24-hour news and social media, at any time. While traditionally, a business crisis may have come in the form of a product failure or poor results, in the world of 24-hour news and social media, reputational issues are more likely to cause panic.
Traditionally, a business crisis may have come in the form of a product failure, redundancies or poor results. Now, with consumers demanding more and holding businesses to account for their actions, it’s your business’ reputation that is more likely to come under attack.
As tempting as it is to think crises are something that happen to other people, it’s no good burying your head in the sand. No matter the size or industry of your company, you should have procedures in place. I’ve put together my top eight tips to consider when you’re in the middle of a (business!) crisis.
If you’d like more specific insight on how to develop your own crisis communications plan, why not get in touch?
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