We all know what’s been happening lately – and the Malaysia came very close to a financial standstill only a few days ago – it almost became a crisis. The days of sticking your head in the sand and hiding from the unsavory are gone. There are many case studies of what happens during a crisis and you can take your pick from Bridgestone-Firestone, Bill Clinton, Arthur Andersen, Enron, Worldcom, 9-11, The Asian Tsunami Disaster, Hurricane Katrina and Virginia Tech.
If you don't prepare, you WILL take more damage. Organizations do not understand that, without adequate communications:
- Operational response will break down.
- Stakeholders (internal and external) will not know what is happening and quickly be confused, angry, and negatively reactive.
- The organization will be perceived as inept, at best, and criminally negligent, at worst.
The basic steps of effective crisis communications are not difficult, but they require advance work in order to minimize damage. The slower the response, the more damage is incurred. So if you're serious about crisis preparedness and response, read and implement these 10 steps of crisis communications, the first seven of which can and should be undertaken before any crisis occurs.
The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications:
1. Identify Your Crisis Communications Team
2. Identify Spokespersons
3. Spokesperson Training
4. Establish Notification Systems
5. Identify and Know Your Stakeholders
6. Anticipate Crises
7. Develop Holding Statements
8. Assess the Crisis Situation
9. Identify Key Messages
10. Riding Out the Storm
4 comments:
Wow, I think these 10 tips will really be useful for anyone who needs to keep their heads above water in these trying times.
We must always plan ahead for everything. That includes a crisis. Most Malaysian companies are very ad hoc when it comes to planning ahead. And it is even worse when it comes to execution.
With the current situation in the country, each organisation should start their crisis management.
I agree with you Aneesa, the slower your respond, the longer the damage.
Early preparation is always the best and will not catch us off-guard.
A simple yet effective 10 Crisis Communication. Thanks Aneesa!
Totally agree with this. Most Malaysian totally sucks in this area. They are not prepared, get irritated easily and cannot handle the stress.
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