Over the years, our team has conducted dozens of crisis and issues management trainings and managed hundreds of client issues and crises. One of the most critical learnings has been the importance of identifying and addressing the issue before it escalates into a full-blown crisis.
But…what if you don’t – what’s the playbook? How do you control the crisis before the crisis controls you? While there’s not a lot you can do to control the public response, here are three essentials that every organization should have in their crisis response plan:
- Identify a go-to team. No doubt about it – crises can be overwhelming and all-encompassing. By having a crisis team in place, with specific roles and accountabilities, navigating the storm becomes a lot more manageable.
- Have a media action protocol for what someone should do when the media calls or shows up. Your team has to have a response plan and everyone needs be educated on it when a member of the media is on the other line calling or knocking on the door.
In this ever-evolving digital age, anyone with an iPhone can turn a small matter into a viral moment. So, it’s vital that you prepare your team on how to respond whenever someone whips out a phone. - Be on the same page. Everyone on your leadership and crisis team should be rowing in the same direction as it relates to messaging, decisions and action steps. Consistency from the top sets the tone for your entire organization.
If you’re truly looking to soften the blow of a potential crisis, creating a culture of issue-identifiers and problem-solvers is the key. Not sure where to start? We’ve got a plan for that.