Crisis Communication

The success of any business is based on its reputation. That's why most businesses hire public relations professionals to portray them as beneficial, trustworthy, and concerned members of the community. However, the positive creation of image can be destroyed by one poorly handled negative crisis. A "crisis," in public relations terms, is any event that draws intense, negative media coverage to a company. Crises can cost organizations millions of dollars to repair or can potentially put them out of business for good. A crisis communication plan is a type of “insurance policy” for the long-term health of an organization. Failure to address and contain a crisis can have lasting consequences for the company. Creating a plan before a crisis happens will help to avoid chaos and more danger.

A crisis communication plan is designed by upper-level management, publicity, and public relations professionals to reduce the potential damage caused by a crisis. Crisis communication refers to the flow of information during a crisis among an organization, its employees, the media, and the general public. The work of crisis communication is based on preparation and response. To prepare for a crisis, an organization must assign a crisis communication team to execute the plan. With a plan in place, an organization is more likely to respond to a crisis quickly, take immediate steps to control the message and successfully regain their customers, stakeholders, and the public's trust.

The job of the crisis communication team is to create and execute the overall crisis communication plan. Team members are assigned specific roles, such as gathering contact information from all employees or establishing relationships with members of the local media. The first job of the crisis communication team is to select an official spokesperson. The spokesperson will be the primary contact for all media inquiries. They will run all press conferences and give most interviews during a crisis. They should be very experienced in working with both print and broadcast media. A member of the crisis communications team needs to establish and maintain relationships with the local media before a crisis occurs. Media relations are one of the chief responsibilities of public relations.