Barely a day goes by without a business or organisation hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. And nine times out of 10, they don’t handle the exposure well. Here are seven top tips on how to handle a crisis, from PR & Marketing strategist, Rhian Williams of the PR company Be Better Known.
Here are my seven top tips for handling a crisis, based on my experience managing high-profile stories and issues for a government department in-house:
1️⃣ Always be prepared to respond to negative feedback. Ignoring it won’t make it go away and people make their own version up in an information vacuum.
2️⃣ Leave defensiveness at the door – now isn’t the time to close ranks or get overly protective about your business. Handling a potentially damaging #PRcrisis well can strengthen your reputation in the long-run.
3️⃣ Quickly establish the facts of the situation internally – creating a culture where people can own their mistakes without fear of unfair treatment is paramount.
4️⃣ Be prepared to acknowledge if a mistake has been made subject to point 5 below – we are all human and customers will appreciate honesty. At the same time establish if there are any reasonable mitigating circumstances (but be careful it doesn’t come across as justifying.)
5️⃣ Legal checks – if you work in an industry with high-risk situations and liability, you will need to check with a lawyer before responding to the criticism. However, beware, as a lawyer may tell you to say nothing and this can be just as damaging as saying the wrong thing.
6️⃣ The severity of the situation really does determine the response required and there is no one size fits all. This is where a Public Relations professional with appropriate experience really pays off.
i) At one extreme, if someone has lost their life, apologise (subject to point 5 above) and offer sincere condolences. If appropriate talk about how the company intends to ensure it never happens again, acknowledging that it won’t bring the person back.
ii) If on the other hand someone has had a unpleasant meal then decide if offering a free return visit would be appropriate or a discount.
7️⃣ Your own staff should come first – they shouldn’t learn about your response to a situation via the media. Developing an appropriate Crisis Management plan in advance is crucial so it is much easier to set the wheels in motion during a crisis.
We can help, if you need support creating your crisis management plan, or training your team how to deal with emerging situations. Get in touch with us via 020 8332 6200 or info@roughhouse.co.uk.
Ann Wright is a communications and media training specialist at Rough House Media, helping organisations and professionals communicate with confidence, clarity and impact. She writes about media training, communications, PR and effective messaging. Ann is a crisis media training expert.
