Every business should have a crisis communications strategy in place, regardless of its size, complexity or the sector in which it operates.
In today’s fast-moving world, your reputation is shaped online, and the digital ecosystem operates 24/7. A crisis can erupt and spread at bewildering pace and frightening intensity, making it difficult to control the fallout.
You may need to act quickly and decisively to protect your reputation. Without a crisis communications plan, you have no point of reference and no idea where to start.
A crisis communications plan allows you to prepare for the worst. It provides reassurance that even if you never need to deploy it, you will be equipped to navigate a crisis should it be necessary.
What is a crisis communications strategy?
There are different types of crisis communications strategies. The two most common are a crisis framework that sets out a detailed process for how the business should respond to any crisis, and a crisis playbook that prepares the business for a specific scenario or set of scenarios.
A crisis framework is a toolkit that sets out a process to:
- Identify reputational threats to your business
- Collect and collate the necessary information to respond
- Escalate severe threats quickly and efficiently
- Identify the right people to handle reputational threats and allocate roles
- Agree on a sign-off and approvals process for all communications
- Agree on media and social media protocols
- Monitor online news coverage and social media platforms
A detailed crisis framework will also include templates for responses to likely scenarios that could affect the business. These provide a useful starting point, which can be adapted if these scenarios transpire.
A crisis playbook provides more detailed planning for a specific issue, or set of issues, that you know are coming down the track. This could be specific to the business – for example, a whistleblower making allegations about malpractice – or an issue affecting the wider sector that is likely to generate media scrutiny.
The playbook sets out a detailed range of scenarios, from best to worst, predicting how the issue is likely to play out and how the business should respond depending on each eventuality. It will include:
- A detailed media relations, social media and stakeholder strategy
- Key messages for the business to communicate
- A Q&A anticipating all the possible questions
- Proactive and/or reactive media statements
- Stakeholder communications
What makes a crisis communications strategy effective?
A good crisis communications strategy should anticipate all possible permutations, but it must be adaptable. To use a military analogy, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. Media engagement is never completely predictable; if your narrative does not cut through, you may need to adapt the messaging, or you may need to take a more proactive approach than anticipated.
A good crisis communications strategy is a living, breathing document. It is constantly reassessed and updated to reflect changing circumstances. It is tested in a safe environment to ensure familiarity.
It should not be a tick box exercise. There is no point in producing a doorstopper document that no one will ever read. Process and protocols are important, but they should be simple and understandable. Agility is crucial; the strategy should not be too prescriptive.
What happens if you don’t have a crisis communications strategy in place?
It is easy to underestimate the impact of being caught in the eye of a media or social media storm. It is an emotional maelstrom, and even experienced business leaders can react emotionally, rather than rationally, when their reputation is at stake.
That leads to bad decision-making, which can be hard to reverse. A flawed decision made at the outset can set off a chain reaction, which exacerbates the crisis. Having a crisis communications strategy mitigates against that risk because there is a clear process in place.
Who implements a crisis communications strategy?
In a crisis, it is advisable to bring in external support to provide strategic counsel and help to execute the crisis communications strategy. To avoid a bunker mentality, you need dispassionate advisors who will see the problem as the outside world is seeing it. You may also need experts to handle media relations directly, as this is a complex area. Good external advisors will become an extension of your team: a sounding board; an emotional crutch; a source of practical support and reassurance that your reputation is in safe hands.
More from us
At PHA, we support organisations and individuals through every stage of a crisis — from preparation and prevention to response and recovery. Our Crisis & Reputation Management team, led by former national newspaper editor Tim Jotischky, combines deep media insight with strategic counsel to help clients protect and strengthen their reputations when it matters most.
We work as an extension of your team, providing clear thinking, calm guidance and hands-on support in high-pressure situations. To learn more about the benefits of crisis management and prevention, continue reading:
- How to create a crisis communications plan
- Why proactive crisis management PR matters
- Essential crisis management strategies for businesses
If you would like to strengthen your crisis preparedness or need support navigating a live issue, get in touch with our team of specialists today at hello@thephagroup.com to find out how we can help.