Proactive Crisis Management
(M-I, MS&CC)
The crisis that impacts your business may be
impacting other companies at the same time,
but there will be situations where a generic
response simply will not work because of your
specific company characteristics.
A proactive crisis management plan requires a
commitment to assessment, planning, and putting
into action a crisis management plan before a crisis
begins.
Each business has unique hazards, different local
emergency services, and different cultures – all of
which affect how you plan.
All companies face management challenges each
day, but everything changes significantly when a
crisis arises.
The management of a crisis can be emotional and
stressful, but the decisions made will determine the
ultimate condition of the company on the other
side of the crisis.
Managing Crisis Effectively
One of the most effective ways to manage crisis
effectively includes the following three steps:
[Link] an Organizational Evaluation to
evaluate your current level of crisis
preparedness.
[Link] a Crisis Management Team to assist
in the resolution of the crisis.
[Link] a Crisis Management Plan to give
guidance to employees on what to do and how
to do it.
Establish a Crisis Management Team
Regardless of the analysis and planning, success
depends on a competent and well-trained team of
company professionals.
Although the team should include members from
upper management, this group of individuals
should have knowledge of every aspect of the
company and be able to provide input regarding
the area impacted.
Regardless of the size or makeup of the Crisis
Management Team (CMT), one of the most
important individuals in the group is the “point of
contact” or “company representative.”
This individual will be interacting with the public,
media, employee family members, and
governmental agency representatives.
This person will be the face of the company and
must be well informed and well-spoken with the
trust of upper management.
This individual should also be well trained in the
company’s overall Crisis Management Plan, which
we discuss next.
Draft a Crisis Management Plan
Once you have conducted your evaluation and
have your team in place, the next step is to develop
a crisis management plan.
The foremost thing is to know if the media
involved and how are they approaching the
situation?
Develop a Communication Plan
A communication plan is an essential part of the
overall crisis management plan.
Under stressful situations, the company message to
the public, or the appropriate governmental
agency, could be damaging if it is not consistent,
controlled, and correct.
Communication with media, employees,
government officials, family of injured employees,
and others will be necessary. Each individual or
group may require different information, which
must be provided in an appropriate manner.
The communication plan should identify possible
audiences, name the point of contact (or company
representative), and outline necessary details. For
example, family members will be the most
distraught, and any message must be delivered
with compassion and understanding.
Mediamen will want direct answers, but the point
of contact needs to remember to not provide more
information than is required.
Before statements are made, they should be
assessed and controlled by the point of contact or
whomever has been identified in the crisis plan as
holding this responsibility.
Anything said to anyone by a company employee
may become information that could be used
against the company later during legal
proceedings.
It is critical no one lies or makes emotional or
accusatory statements that could cause harm.
The message must be consistent, controlled, and
correct. If the point of contact (or anyone for that
matter) does not know the answer, then “I don’t
know” or “We are still investigating” are perfectly
acceptable answers.
Here are a few other rules of thumb to follow
when communicating during a crisis:
Make key message points as brief and concise
as possible.
Ask if the message points are understood. If not,
repeat.
Anticipate questions and be able to support your
statements with facts.
Do not lie, invent, or guess. “Just the facts,
Ma’am.”
Never make assumptions or guess about what
happened when talking with anyone.
If employees are approached by the media with
questions, a good response would be:
“We are cooperating with authorities on the
investigation. Any of your questions can be
answered by our point of contact or company
representative.”
Conduct Crisis Drills and Exercises
With all the elements of a crisis management plan
in place, the company should schedule simulated
drills of various crisis situations.
This can help test your communication strategy
and the responsiveness of your team, ensuring
your plan is successful.
All employees should be trained on how to interact
with media during investigations.
As with a regular inspection, employees have
certain rights during an investigation and it is
important they are aware of these rights.
Here are a few things you and your employees
should know:
Employees have the right to decide whether to
speak with a journo.
Employees have the right to ask that a company
representative be with them while being
questioned.
Company officials should never coerce or imply
that an employee should not speak with the
media; simply convey their choices.
Employees should understand that during the
interview their statements can be used against
the employer for citation purposes.
If an employee grants an interview with a media
personor engages in a casual conversation, the
interview / conversation can be ended by the
employee at any time.
Training and simulations should be conducted
frequently enough to ensure employees remember
their options and the crisis team’s skills are
current.
Resource
[Link]
management-examples
Assignment
1. What is the role of a Pont of Contact when it
comes to communicating with media at the time of
crisis in a company? Please explain with a suitable
example.
