A brief look at what should happen to go from routine communications to efficient and prompt crisis communications.
I've previously mentioned that one of the key difficulties for organizations dealing with a crisis, is to convince senior managers or executives, of the need to go into "crisis mode". There is a perception among some people that because you have to deal with an emerging incident, you lose some control and have to do things that fall outside routine operations. For some, that's a very uneasy feeling.
Well the same applies for crisis communications planning. Looking at the events in Japan, we can see what happens when operational preparedness, risk mitigation and response capabilities are not supported by a coherent crisis communications approach. More on that subject in a recent blog post here.
Organizations, big and small, private or public have to be ready to "flip that switch" and go into crisis communications mode very quickly. We no longer have the luxury of taking hours for senior people to make their minds, approve strategies or refine messaging. Those days are gone forever. We have to move at the speed of our audiences and our audiences are moving at the speed of Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. I saw a good tweet the other day:
| CBeeLaw RT @104kdrive: Crisis communications used to be judged on how you responded in the first 6 days...now its the first 6 minutes. #plc2011van #LE #SMEM Twitter - 1 day ago Nowadays, being able to "flip the switch" involves using the full array of social media tools and for many reasons. They offer the ability to reach key audiences very quickly. From media outlets to clients, from employees to suppliers. Again, a absolute pre-requisite is the ability to set things in motion. This means some delegation of authority, pre-approved messaging and key stakeholders identified and channels to communicate with them readied. A lot of activity will happen on your website. This has to become the crisis information portal, the venue of choice for people who want to get the right information. This is made easier by having taken a sound approach in integrating your social media engagement program pre-event, into your web operations. There is no doubt that the more you can offer on your website and through social media platforms, the better your communications response will be. We know this integration of social media into your crisis management planning works. In the "age of social convergence", it's really the only way to be prompt and effective. Speed is now the key consideration to be relevant, avoid getting your reputation being damaged beyond repairs and have the ability to tell your story and occupy the public space. I like this video created by the United Kingdom's Foreigh and Commonwealth Office. It illustrates how they go into crisis management mode. |
What do you think? How does your organization "flip the switch?
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