it should have senior representation from as many units/departments of the organisation as possible; any crisis that hits will eventually affect everyone. The team may also need the input of subject matter experts. Having a team at this pre-crisis stage indicates the proactiveness of the organisation. It helps identify potential crises and works out mitigative/preventive measures; and it helps in spreading a sense of preparedness in the face of crisis, instead of trying to respond just adequately when a crisis actually hits.
One job which is exclusively the responsibility of PR is the training of appropriate spokespersons who will be authorised to speak during a crisis. Ideally, potential spokespersons should be identified and trained for internal and external communications as well as for different media, to adequately cover all channels. In tandem with the crisis communications and management team, PR should develop standard initial responses in the crisis management and planning stages. These are usually general in nature, and indicate that the organisation is aware of the issue and is taking appropriate steps to manage or mitigate it. It also helps the organisation steer clear of using the “No comment” line.
Crisis communications and management continue post-crisis as well. A steady stream of information – the recovery process, corrective action or investigations, for example – should be channelled towards internal and external stakeholders about what was done, and is continuing to be undertaken, post-crisis. There should also be analysis of the way communications was handled; identification of red flags, potholes and shortfalls; and the measures necessary to correct them. Despite increasingly sophisticated methods of communication, when crisis hits, organisations still find it difficult to differentiate between crisis communications, which preserves the firm, and PR, which promotes it.
Crisis communication and management is essentially crisis management in corporate communication – it’s when corporate communications switches to crisis mode. Many things stem from inadequate communication. Confusion may arise, leading to anger and negative reactions among stakeholders. The organisation will be seen as incompetent, or trying to “cover up” – which may further aggravate the situation which needs to be managed, causing long-term impacts that may ultimately affect its bottom line and decrease its value.
26 The IERP® Monthly Newsletter September - October 2021