Communication Tools

A crisis communication plan is both necessary and dangerous. It is necessary because without one a company is frozen in indecision when a crisis occurs. No one knows where to begin. A crisis communication plan is a template. It specifies needs – the need for a spokesperson, for training, for message development, for identifying key media contacts, for recruiting supportive third-party media spokespersons.

But a crisis communications plan is also dangerous if it creates the illusion that the company is in full preparedness mode simply because the plan is in place. A crisis communication plan is a living, changing, developing organism. It needs to be constantly revisited. Reporters change jobs. New intelligence is gathered on journalists and their publishers. There is always new information to input, to measure, and to act on.

A crisis management plan should draw on the diverse backgrounds of diverse crisis team members. Not just the general press, but trade publications are often crucial during a crisis. Lawyers have their own contacts in the legal press. Company marketers as well as internal communications professionals will likewise add their own knowledge of the industry trades. The collective experience and knowledge fortifies the crisis management plan on an ongoing basis.

The crisis management plan is a strategic document rich in tactical detail. How do you get the press to ask you the questions you want them to ask you? How do you establish rules of engagement for every press contact? When are leaks in your interest? When should you attack your attackers? How do you generate editorial-page support? What kind of online resources will leverage your position?

The crisis communication plan is the blueprint for a public reputation bank.