What is Crisis Communication Planning

by Purvi Dalvi Writer

A crisis can occur at any time and in order to be able to cope with this sudden occurrence you need to know a few strategies. Of these, the most important factor in protecting the image of a brand in times of duress is solid communication. A crisis will invariably garner a lot of unnecessary public attention and negative feedback. Tackling such a situation can be extremely tricky especially if you are not prepared for it. A crisis communication plan is planning the process of handling a crisis beforehand and preventing the business or brand image from being tarnished. In order to understand what this process let us look at the significant characteristics of a crisis communication plan.

Preparation is Key:

A crisis is named such because it is unanticipated, however, saying that when it comes to corporate reputation management it is feasible and wise to be ready for the worst possible case scenario from considerable time ahead keeping in mind that a crisis may or may not even occur in the near future. When you have a special system planned out, it can readily protect the brand image should the time call for it.

Communicate Timely:

Even during a sudden crisis, a proper and positive communication strategy will help to alleviate the extent of the damage and will allow the parties concerned to consider more viable solutions to the problem. It is known by all that in the current digital world the social media is a very powerful platform to voice your opinion and anything that once reaches either one of these platforms will only take a few minutes to also spread to the other platforms and escalate in extent. When a crisis occurs miscommunication will lead to misrepresentation and that will further lead to misinterpretation of the facts. When such a complex situation arises, ensure as part of your crisis communication plan to address the issue before it grows out of proportions.

Follow Up:

After the crisis dies down a bit, do follow up with the aggrieved parties and try to offer whatever compensation is possible from your side. This will reinstate within the minds of the concerned people that you are an organization with integrity and honesty and this act will automatically help to restore to an extent the faith in your organization. When you already have a plan drawn up telling you what to do step-by-step, the process becomes smoother and faster.