10 Steps to Crisis Communication

10 steps to crisis communication as follows:

a) Identify Crisis Communication Team
A small team of senior executives should be identified to serve as
Crisis Communication Team. Ideally, the team should be led by the
director of the department concerned and include the public
relations executive and legal counsel as his advisers.

b) Identify a spokesperson
There should be only one person who is authorized to speak for the
organization in time of crisis. Normally, the head of the Crisis
Communication Team should be the spokesperson. However,
communications skill is the primary criteria in choosing a
spokesperson.

c) Spokesperson training
The spokesperson should be given appropriate training to equip
him with appropriate skills. Through training, the spokesperson
should be taught how to be prepared, to be ready to respond in a
way that maximizes the chance of a story or analyst’s evaluation
coming out the way they want it to.

d) Establish communication protocol
An emergency communication plan should be established and
distributed to all employees, informing them precisely what to do
and who to do what if there appears to be a potential or occurrence
of a crisis.

e) Identify and know your ‘audiences’
It is crucial to identify the group of people who are interested in
seeking or bringing out the shortcomings of an organization and
make rapid contact with them, including the media, in time of crisis.

f) Anticipate crises
Be proactive and prepared for crises. Carry out brainstorming
sessions with members of the Crisis Communication Team on all
potential crises. By doing this, some situations can be prevented
by simply modifying existing methods of operation and team
members are able to think about possible responses and actions.

g) Assess crisis situation
Reacting without adequate information is not encouraged in any
crisis situation. The Crisis Communication Team should be
provided with accurate information for it to take appropriate action,
taking into account all necessary steps in curtailing the crisis.

h) Key messages
The Crisis Communication Team shall decide what or how much
information should be made public. Key messages should normally
include: “We will provide the media with updated information as
soon as it is available”.

i) Decide on communication methods
There are many different ways to communicate a crisis, internally or
externally. Employees, general public and clients can be briefed
personally or by post, newsletters or faxed messages. The media
can receive press releases and explanatory letters, or attend oneon-
one briefings and press conferences. Each of these options and
the many other available means have different impacts and must be
evaluated carefully before it is deployed.

j) Riding out the storm
No matter what the nature of the crisis, be it uplifting or derogatory,
despite it being meticulously attended to, there are bound to be
some members of the public who will not react the way we intend
them to and this can be immensely frustrating. When this happens,
the followings should be carried out:

• Take an objective look at the reactions in question. Is it our fault
or is it their perception?
• Decide if another set of communication is likely to change that
perception. Is that further communication beneficial and worth
the effort?