The Green Tie – The Official Blog of NAEM

Finding time for a crisis

September 2, 2010 at 9:00 am Leave a comment

“There cannot be a crisis today; my schedule is already full…”  So said Henry Kissinger — who saw his share of turmoil as National Security Adviser and Secretary of State.

If only it were true that we could choose the timing for adverse events.  Crises happen to every organization and can take many forms.  Leadership changes, litigation, adverse regulatory action, as well as an operational crisis such as a spill, pollution, fire, accident or deaths are not only an immediate threat, but they also pose the broader long term-threat of tarnishing a company’s reputation.  Or as one of my clients said, “It takes a long while for a community to forgive a company for covering the sky with plumes of orange smoke.”

Complicating the crisis landscape is the immediacy of information distribution.  Within moments of an adverse event, information gets Tweeted or posted to Facebook, and often video of an accident is uploaded onto YouTube before the crisis management team has even had a chance to schedule a conference call, much less, meet.  With the Internet and Social Media making it difficult to contain negative stories, communications planning becomes all the more important.

As an EHS manager, there are already a number of things that that keep you up at night.  The best hedge against a crisis is to ensure that an up-to-date crisis plan is in place for your company.

Some simple steps…

• Have a crisis management team in place.
• Ensure there are clearly articulated roles and responsibilities:  Who speaks to the media, employees, families?
• Understand who your key stakeholders are:  Don’t forget to communicate with employees, customers, the community, the media and other important audiences.
• Materials:  Be sure you are not scrambling on the day of a crisis for materials about the company.  Have draft talking points, Q&As, fact sheets prepared and accessible.
• Invest in media training for designated spokespeople:  A little practice can go a long way.  Especially in a high pressure situation.
• Keep it fresh: Once a year, brainstorm with your colleagues to anticipate problems that could arise. Use this annual meeting as a chance to update materials and to ensure that designated persons are still with the company, trained, and up-to-date on messaging.

Remember that during a crisis, the world is watching.  This is not only a time to respond to the crisis at hand, but also to be seen in a leadership role and to disseminate key messaging about the organization.  Additionally, after the crisis has concluded, be sure to initiate a proactive communications plan to advance the company’s next positive development.  Don’t leave the turmoil as the last communication you’ve had with key stakeholders—especially government and media.

So check that already full calendar, and even though you can’t control the schedule around a crisis, you can control your planning.  It will help with those sleepless nights.

Guest blogger Jessica Berk Ross is a Managing Director with  Ruder Finn Public Relations in Washington, D.C.  She has more than 20 years of experience with crisis management, brand management and helping clients  navigate the political, policy, regulatory and business landscapes.

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