ASK THE EXPERT
Peter Kerr
I
t’s a disaster—and you’re in the middle of it. How do you get yourself out
of a big PR crisis? Pulse invites Asbury University Communications
professor and KerrCommunications.com President Peter Kerr to give
insights and advice on how to prevent and handle a PR disaster.
Kerr—whose PR credentials include spearheading the Pentagon’s media
training team, leading media relations for the Reagan State Funeral, chief
media liaison for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and crisis planner for the 2010
World Equestrian Games held in Lexington, Kentucky where he is now
based—stresses the need for an indispensable crisis plan.
1.
Before a situation turns into a disaster, what
can businesses do to identify potential PR disasters or prevent a crisis?
Your business can create a crisis plan fairly easily by having your
leadership team take a mini-retreat for an afternoon and brainstorm everything that could go wrong, the probability of
occurrence for each of those things, and then deciding which
ones are most probable and critical and creating plans for handling those issues. It is also a good idea to submit your plan to
a crisis planning professional for review, or if you have the
resources, you can always hire someone to create your plan for
you. One of the best outcomes of solid planning is that you
often find ways to work proactively to prevent a crisis or at least
ameliorate the consequences of a potential crisis.
KERR’S RECOMMENDATION:
Books Every PR Executive Should Read
●
The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management
by Jane Jordan-Meier
●
Media Training 101: A Guide to Meeting the Press
by Sally Stewart
●
PRNEWS Guide to Crisis Management (latest edition)
TO GET MORE PR insights from Kerr, download his ISPA
webinar on experienceispa.com.
50 PULSE
■
March/April 2012
U.S.President John F. Kennedy once said: “The Chinese
use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush
stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis,
be aware of the danger—but recognize the opportunity.”
2.
How critical is having a crisis plan, and what
are some of the key elements that need to be
outlined in the plan?
The question is not if you will have a crisis, but when you’ll
have one—no one is immune. Therefore, it is critical that at
least some effort has been put into creating a crisis plan. The
key to surviving a crisis, and even having a chance to turn it
into an opportunity, is to create a solid plan.
A good crisis plan includes a description of what exactly
constitutes a crisis for your organization, who will be on the
team that handles the crisis with contact information, what
stakeholders need to be kept informed, and contact data for
all government, media, and law enforcement agencies that
may be needed. Your plan should also explain what threats
are possible, how you will respond to the most important
ones, and how you will train your people to react to a crisis
(typically through biannual exercises).
3.
For small day spas and businesses that can’t
afford to hire a full-time PR staff or a PR firm,
what advice can you give in terms of handling PR concerns on a tight budget?
While it is preferable to get professionals involved in creating a
crisis plan from the start, most businesses can put together a 70
percent solution with very little expenditure. Do not let budget