Crisis & Issues Management

Forearmed is forewarned!

Crisis management is a vital pillar of corporate strategy.  Every company or organisation needs a robust business continuity plan to ensure their survival through natural disasters, pandemics, economic crises, cyber attacks, corporate misdemeanours, mistakes or flaws in products or services. What should be communicated in such situations? And what about emerging issues, such as a possible product flaw? 

Effective crisis management requires the regular, routine monitoring of all potential issues throughout the corporate ecosystem, embracing staff and all stakeholders: customers, suppliers,  the media and, if applicable, regulators and investors. Taking a proactive risk management approach, risks, issues and potential issues should be identified, documented, monitored and addressed – before they become significant problems or escalate into a full-blown crisis.

The task of ensuring that all business risks are fully anticipated and described in appropriate prepared statements and key messages is usually entrusted to the communications team, the gatekeepers of corporate reputation. A crisis communication plan and crisis communications team are essential. The crisis communication plan should outline roles, responsibilities,  communication protocols and establish who does what in in the event of a crisis situation.

Ideally, one individual should be selected to speak for the company as a whole. Other crisis team members can handle communications with other stakeholders and report their  findings back to this spokesperson. There is pressure to act quickly and decisively during a crisis. The crisis communications team should therefore anticipate and assess the needs and expectations of different stakeholders well in advance, allowing them to focus on action if and when it  happens.  When crisis strikes, employees are often the first point of contact for customers and other stakeholders. They should therefore informed about the crisis management plan during normal business times and kept abreast of the situation as it unfolds. Most importantly, employees should be instructed not to speak to any external parties about crisis situation, unless asked by the company to do so.   

Media Wise can help you be prepared for crisis situations, allowing any issues to remain issues.  

 

Crisis Communications Training

Preparation is the key to success.

At the frontline of any well-managed crisis stands a safe spokesperson who has practised and prepared and is tried, tested and trusted. The highest risk situations are best handled by the leadership team. Lesser crises and issues are more often handled by product and account managers. The communications team plays a key role at the interface between external and internal queries. Are your crisis team members up to the task?

Our advanced media training and crisis management sessions  build the skills and confidence needed to handle any crisis well. We offer a realistic simulations of potential crisis situations,  allowing participants to formulate  appropriate communications responses, and to fine-tune and test their spoken performance. The session(s) can thus be used as a testing ground for existing or potential official spokespersons. It also offers an interactive way of ensuring alignment on messaging related to a product or service.

The Programme:
Usually we build each session around one issue or crisis that unfolds in stages. The participants will deliver statements by phone, on camera and in writing, and the session will culminate in a mock media conference or interview. In the course of the session, participants will:

• Rehearse key messages needed in all media situations
• Learn appropriate response to various stages of a real potential crisis
• Anticipate questions likely to be asked in a crisis situation
• Learn how to behave in a crisis interview
• Build control in handling questions they cannot or do not want to answer
• Handle an ambush interview

For our other communications trainings click here