Nobody wants to deal with a crisis; however, they are a reality of life. In most cases, organisations that are adequately prepared for situations are those that are able to navigate them with the most success. Whether large or small, organisations need to have effective crisis communication plans in place for events and functions. Let’s take a look at some of the most essential components of a crisis communication plan.
Anticipate Crises
In reality, there are a myriad of types of crises that may occur at an event. It is simply impossible to have a specific plan for each and every type of issue that may occur. Thus, it becomes increasingly important to identify and plan for the scenarios that are more likely.
Crisis management involves carefully anticipating what situations are more likely to develop. Anticipating crises is a process through which organisations typically brainstorm risks and rank the likelihood that they may be incurred. Afterwards, a decision is made as to which ones should be planned for.
Once these potential events are identified, plans are developed as to how to respond to each situation. While this does not ensure that every conceivable situation is anticipated, creating a crisis communication plan and training staff on it makes it more likely that even unanticipated situations can be addressed effectively.
Identify Stakeholders
When dealing with crisis management, the next step of an effective crisis communication plan is to understand the various stakeholders who will want information. This should include communication both during and after a crisis.
There are various stakeholders that should be considered. Obviously, attendees at an event are one of the primary groups. However, other groups of stakeholders can include employees, investors, media, and the public depending on the severity and public nature of the crisis.
Understanding the different groups of stakeholders will help in the creation of crisis management communication protocols. Ideally, there should be a plan in place for how to best communicate messages to each group.
Identify Communication Protocols
When dealing with crisis management, having clear communication is absolutely essential. When an actual crisis occurs, there often is not time for collaborative decision-making. Instead, leaders of organisations often have to respond quickly.
Therefore, an essential element of an effective crisis communication plan is establishing protocols regarding messaging. It is important for there to be pre-established methods of getting information out to different groups. This will help alleviate the stress of navigating a crisis.
Specifically, a crisis communication plan should note the different methods to be used to reach various stakeholders. This should include traditional communication methods as well as more novel aspects such as social media. Additionally, the people responsible for communicating information should be clearly noted in the plan, typically members of a senior leadership team.
Communicate Early
For many people, the unknown can be much more difficult to weather than the truth. One of the best practices when it comes to crisis management communication is to communicate early and effectively. There are a number of benefits that come with taking this approach.
First, communicating early helps to prevent speculation and rumours from developing. This can help an organisation to better control the narrative and create an effective flow of information. Additionally, communicating early helps your organisation to take control of the crisis response.
There are some important considerations that come into play as part of this strategy. First, in order to ensure that messages are uniform, early communication should stick to facts. Secondly, the most important stakeholders for a particular type of crisis should be prioritised in early communication.
Anticipate Questions
When dealing with crisis management, one of the most important aspects of an effective crisis communication plan involves anticipating potential questions that an organisation will receive. This is particularly important when it comes to working with the media.
Anticipating questions can help your organisation to have more time to create ideal responses. This will help you appear more polished and in control when it comes to responding. Additionally, this can help prevent you from being caught off guard at a difficult time.
This is often one of the most overlooked components of an effective crisis communication plan. However, it can greatly enhance your ability to take control of the narrative and ensure that you control the information flow.
Final Thoughts
Planning for crisis management is interesting as it is something that is incredibly important, yet something that you hope you’ll never have to use. Creating a detailed crisis communication plan is an important step for organisations particularly when securing very public events.
A great way of minimising your risk when it comes to potential crises is having an effective professional security firm on hand for events. Trained and licensed staff members can help mitigate risk and position your organisation for success, should the unexpected occur.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can best help you at your next event.
