Crisis Communication Plan

A crisis can occur at any time, place and within any given organization. An organization relies heavily on the communications crisis team to apply their skills and knowledge to formulate an all-encompassing crisis communication plan. Communication professionals constantly have to sort out the issues and find a resolution that works well for the organization and the public. A crisis can escalate into a disaster in minutes, and could cost significant loss of life and create a bad reputation for an organization. This paper will discuss the importance of creating a crisis communication plan, and the purpose of being transparent with the public to resolve a crisis. The purpose of a crisis plan is to maintain good communication when a critical
situation arises by establishing effective guidelines and procedures, assigning responsibilities for leadership, protect the public involved and to preserve or restore the organizations public image (Coombs, 2007, p. 164). Consequently, good preparation and formulation of a crisis communication plan helps to overcome the obstacles that are presented in order to cope with an imminent crisis. The eyes of the world are placed on the individuals and organizations that are undergoing the crisis; therefore, useful and timely information is essential. In the midst of a crisis, fear is one of the first things that appears within the public. If sound advice and a sound plan are not disseminated to the public in a proactive manner, the crisis will eventually turn into a disaster causing overreactions, fear, and anger from the public. The actions taken by crisis communication experts can either worsen or improve the situation. By determining the potential threats that a crisis can cause, an organization can take preemptive steps to target the internal and external public involved, and find a suitable resolution (Fink, 2013).
The formulation of a crisis plan requires countless hours of preparation and strategizing with organization leaders, and enables all individuals involved to attend the media, employees, stakeholders, etc., in a professional manner (Fink, 2013). Conversely, deficient crisis communication plans and inadequate management skills can cause permanent loss for the organization while undergoing a crisis, and could trigger distrust from the public, loss of employees and a tarnished reputation for the organization. The public will remember how the organization dealt with the crisis after it is over (Fink, 2013, p. 9). Therefore, a good crisis communication plan must be placed to coordinate various responses and rescue activities in order to solve the crisis and meet the needs of the public and the
organization.
Various organizations experience different types of crises. As a result, PR professionals are left with the responsibility of regaining public trust, pacifying the situation, and regenerating credibility by facilitating communications between the organization and its public (e.g. audience, stakeholders, employees, etc.). From an organizational standpoint, transparency with the audience and all public involved is a vital ingredient when facing a crisis. Maintaining transparency is necessary for all organizations who seek to be effective with their stakeholders (Fink, 2013, p.10).
An organization shows transparency when they make important information accessible to the public, while maintaining their stakeholders aware of what is going on.
Withholding information can cause dire consequences for an organization. During a crisis, the whole story should be shared with the public. Information should be shared depending on what can help solve the crisis, not what can generate a larger predicament for the organization. An explanation of what caused the crisis should be shared with the public, as well as the steps that will be made to find a feasible resolution. If a mistake was made, it is important to admit fault and tell the truth, rather than hide it or blame others because it could give the organization a negative image once the truth is exposed. Being transparent avoids rumors and erroneous information from circling the crisis and making it more harmful. Establishing key facts and providing appropriate and truthful information in a timely and transparent manner is crucial to an organization’s success. Sharing information as soon as it is available and being accessible to answer questions from the audience shows
transparency.
Creating an environment of trustworthiness, transparency, and confidence is essential for an organization that wants to come out victorious during a crisis. Being transparent shows empathy, accountability, and an interest in helping stakeholders face the crisis. Having transparency leads to building credibility with the audience and helps the organization traverse through moments of chaos and instigation, especially when the media targets the organization, initiating negative publicity. Transparency helps the organization respond to challenges due to the unanticipated emergence of a crisis.
Providing updates and prompt information to the public while answering tough questions directly, establishes transparency and encourages public trust. Timely information via press releases or social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) are tools that should be used by crisis experts to pacify investors and persuade the public to trust in the organization. To resolve tough situations, communication professionals must strive to understand the public’s opinion, share the whole story, provide information in a timely manner, and work to defend the organizations image by being transparent with the public.