{"id":1274,"date":"2022-04-12T09:51:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T07:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/?p=1274"},"modified":"2022-11-03T09:06:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T07:06:52","slug":"the-ultimate-pr-crisis-management-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/the-ultimate-pr-crisis-management-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate PR Crisis Management Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>You might ask, what exactly is crisis management? Simply put, it\u2019s \u201cthe process of having a business continuity plan in place in the event of a crisis.\u201d <sup>1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crises can range; one extreme example is COVID-19. The global pandemic caught businesses unprepared with no plan or strategy to navigate the changes. Organizations should be more equipped for internal crises though, in the event their servers get hacked, there\u2019s an office fire, or private customer information is leaked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crisis management and communication aims to minimize the negative risk impacts and maximize the potential opportunities that times of difficulty often present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to become a successful public relations manager, you need to include risk prevention and preparation in your crisis management strategy. Without this, threats will escalate to crises, and brands and businesses will potentially fail to save their reputations from becoming tarnished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Want to become a valuable public relations manager?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Public Relations (PR) online short course from the University of Cape Town (UCT) equips you with the latest PR management best practices for the digital age. Over the course of eight weeks, you\u2019ll learn how to manage a brand, business, or individual, build influential relationships, and plan for crisis management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"related-programme-block\">\n<div class=\"related-programme\" onclick=\"window.open('https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/products\/uct-public-relations-pr-online-short-course', '_blank')\">\n    <div class=\"row\">\n        <div class=\"col-12 col-md-11\">\n            <div class=\"related-programme__school-logo-container\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/universities\/university-of-cape-town\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"related-programme__school-logo-link\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/UCT_logo.png\" alt=\"School Logo\" class=\"related-programme__school-logo\">\n            <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n            <div class=\"related-programme__copy\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/universities\/university-of-cape-town\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"related-programme__school-name\">\n                University of Cape Town (UCT)            <\/a><br>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/products\/uct-public-relations-pr-online-short-course\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"related-programme__programme-name\">\n                Public Relations (PR) online short course            <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"col-md-1 related-programme__chevron-column\">\n            <div class=\"related-programme__icon-container\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"add-btn\" src=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/blog\/assets\/icn_arrow-circle_right.svg\" alt=\"Read More Icon\">\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:19px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are five key steps to setting up a crisis management plan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Start your crisis management plan by identifying potential risks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Identify<\/strong> potential crises for your brand<\/li><li><strong>Conduct<\/strong> an internal vulnerability audit<\/li><li><strong>List<\/strong> best-case\/worst-case scenarios<\/li><li><strong>Develop<\/strong> holding statements and responses<\/li><li><strong>Practice<\/strong> social listening actively<\/li><li><strong>Locate<\/strong> customer dissatisfaction<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Define your communication guidelines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Communication is key within a crisis. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/future-of-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">future of work<\/a> is changing to be more technology-heavy and that includes digital communication. As a PR professional you\u2019ll need to navigate various platforms, channels, and audiences. Generally, be sure all messaging addresses:<\/p>\n\n\n<div>\n            <!-- Responsive picture tag -->\n        <picture class=\"picture-block\">\n            <source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/the-five-ws-blog.png\" >\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/the-five-ws-mobi-size.png\" alt=\"The Five W's: Define communication guidelines for your PR crisis management plan.\">\n        <\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>By having these planned out ahead of time, you\u2019ll be able to act swiftly in a crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Have a set of key actions for implementing your crisis management plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important that the organization is able to react fast and speak with one voice, which is difficult to achieve when multiple people begin to speak on its behalf,&#8221; says Evan Nierman, founder of Red Banyan, which specializes in strategic communications and crisis PR.<sup>2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In times of crisis, key actions include an ability to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2013 Address perceptions.<\/strong> The gravity of a crisis is directly proportional to the public\u2019s perception of it, rather than to what has actually happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2013 Listen to the people who are complaining.<\/strong> It\u2019s very important to try to understand what is making people concerned before you address the issue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2013 Tune in emotionally.<\/strong> You need to know how to interpret the public\u2019s mood. Communication should not be treated as an impersonal means for spreading ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2013 Reason from your client\u2019s point of view.<\/strong> Make it clear that the company is defending the interests of the people it serves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u2013 Distinguish between law and public opinion.<\/strong> It\u2019s best to have both legal advisers and communication experts on hand to determine what is right and what is legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Establish notification and monitoring systems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Be aware of conversations taking place online and in the media to understand what topics are being discussed and how they relate to your brand. Consistent monitoring allows you to see the crisis coming by always being on the lookout for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Figure out where the conversations are happening and address it there. If someone speaks up on a different platform, redirect them to where you\u2019re talking about the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Identify and know your stakeholders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Campaigns and communication strategies depend on how involved stakeholders are in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Whatever the strategy is, the company must relay protocol to any and all persons who could be approached to speak on their behalf,&#8221; says Sabrina Gault, CEO of Konnect Public Relations. &#8220;This means informing all employees, stakeholders, board members, etc., of who is to be speaking with [the] media and how they are to direct any inquiries. This will save the company from having to explain comments from any unofficial company representatives later.&#8221; <sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As stakeholders will be discussing the matter with others, you want to ensure that they are well-prepared with a cohesive message to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Test, execute, and review your crisis management plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Publicist Josh Wilson, former communications director in the U.S. House of Representatives, stresses the importance of having a plan and reviewing the details.<sup>4<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cCompany leaders should sit down and walk through likely crisis scenarios \u2013 and even highly unlikely ones \u2013 to avoid reputation damage. Planning is never a waste of time. Indeed, discussing how to handle a major event makes a fantastic team-building exercise,\u201d Wilson says.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Constantly test your plan to ensure you have every potential crisis covered. Understand that your risk management strategy is a living, breathing document that you need to constantly adapt and rework. Start building a crisis strategy for your brand or business today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.getsmarter.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/PR-optimised.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Download this PR communication crisis template<\/a> to prepare for a crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-default\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"accordion\">\n<div class=\"card\">\n<div id=\"headingOne\" class=\"card-header\">\n<h6 class=\"mb-0\"><button class=\"btn\" style=\"background-color: transparent;\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" data-target=\"#sources\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"sources\"> <strong>Click here to view sources<\/strong> <\/button><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"sources\" class=\"collapse\" aria-labelledby=\"headingOne\" data-parent=\"#accordion\">\n<div class=\"card-body\">\n<ul class=\"mx-0\" style=\"list-style: none;\">\n\n<li class=\"mb-4\"><sup>1<\/sup> Hayes, A. (Aug, 2021). \u2018Crisis management\u2019. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/c\/crisis-management.asp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Investopedia<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"mb-4\"><sup>2<\/sup> Caramela, S. (Dec, 2021). \u2018PR crisis? 6 Steps to help navigate the storm\u2019. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/8935-recover-from-pr-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business News Daily<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n<li class=\"mb-4\"><sup>3<\/sup> Caramela, S. (Dec, 2021). \u2018PR crisis? 6 Steps to help navigate the storm\u2019. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/8935-recover-from-pr-crisis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Business News Daily<\/a>.<\/li> \n\n<li class=\"mb-4\"><sup>4<\/sup> Wilson, J. (Jan, 2022). \u2018The most common mistakes in crisis communication\u2019. Retrieved from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.qualitydigest.com\/inside\/customer-care-column\/most-common-mistakes-crisis-communication-012622.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">QualityDigest<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are 5 key steps you need to take. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":45789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[122,134],"article-format":[],"class_list":["post-1274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-advice","tag-business-management","tag-hospitality-events"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.2 (Yoast SEO v26.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Ultimate PR Crisis Management Plan | GetSmarter Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Planning your next PR campaign? 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