Does Your Firm Have a Crisis Communications Plan?

The recent events in Orlando are tragic reminders that all businesses must have a crisis communications plan in place.

While a strategic crisis communications plan takes time and commitment to develop, here are a few best practices to get started:

• Analyzing Potential Consequences of a Crisis: What is the worst outcome we could experience?

• Crisis Communications Team: Assembling a strong and knowledgeable group with experience in reputation management and disaster response. The team should include the company’s top leadership, and professionals from the HR, IT, legal and marketing/PR departments.

• Consider Client Communications: How are you going to get the word out to clients if something goes wrong?

• Review Lessons Learned: Consider examples from businesses in your industry to determine the vulnerability of your company and what you could learn from others’ experiences.

It is nearly impossible for a company to never experience a crisis; some of the most successful and well-respected companies have been left to face significant challenges. Although you can’t always stop a crisis from happening, you can approach it in the most strategic and appropriate way. In this day in age, it is a requirement to have an outlined plan for when the unexpected occurs.

Elizabeth Proctor s an assistant account executive for Poston Communications, based in Atlanta.