When the clock is ticking, why the crisis happened doesn't matter. What you do about it is what makes all the difference.
At some point every business, no matter how small, faces a crisis, whether it's one you help create or one completely outside your control.
To your customers (and possibly to investors and other partners), why the crisis occurred doesn't matter. What you do in response--and maybe even more importantly, how you communicate--makes all the difference.
Maybe you shipped a bad batch of product. Maybe your back-end systems failed and customer information was lost or stolen. Or maybe you've just done something stupid. The clock is ticking--what should you do?
To answer that question I turned to Todd Ragusa of Ragusa Consulting, a PR consulting firm based in New Orleans. Todd specializes in crisis communication and issues management.
Like most great advice, his basic process is simple... but difficult to do well. To deal effectively with a crisis he follows three basic rules:
1. Know the issue
Gather the facts, analyze the facts, and understand the nuances. It seems obvious, but this critical first step is often overlooked or rushed when people feel they have to respond rapidly--and when a crisis occurs, you'll feel like you need to respond instantly.When the clock is ticking, even veteran communication experts feel the pressure to respond right away but that is rarely the best method. In many cases it's better to intentionally slow the pace of the story rather than release an ill-considered statement, since having to retract information is almost always a credibility killer. It's impossible to backpedal gracefully--just ask CNN regarding their coverage of the recent Supreme Court ruling--so avoid the embarrassment by getting the story right from the start.
'via Blog this'
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