Crisis Communications Plans
Protect Your Brand With Professional Crisis Communications Planning from TrizCom PR
No matter how much you prepare, unplanned crises can still come out of nowhere. That's why TrizCom PR offers professional crisis communications planning services. We provide detailed reviews and updates to ensure your process for reporting, decision making and executing a crisis plan is the best. In addition, our crisis communications plans are customized according to each brand's needs, and they include media training and potential simulations, so you're ready.
With our help, you can rest easy knowing that if an unexpected situation arises, every step of the way has been thought through for maximum effectiveness. As a result, you will be able to manage most crisis incidents with confidence that every detail was noticed and prepared.
Visit our website now to learn more about crafting the perfect Crisis Communications Plan today.
Customized Solutions
Our crisis communications plans are customized according to each brand's needs. We understand that every brand has different goals and objectives, and we will work with you to create a plan that works for you. Likewise, our plans are tailored to fit your brand's unique needs, so you can rest assured that every detail has been noticed.
An Integrated and Comprehensive Plan for Any Crisis
A successful crisis communications plan should include the following elements:
Establishing Groundwork for Transparent Culture: Ensure all employees know the expectations and guidelines surrounding potential crises. This includes setting clear communication standards and protocols, such as who is responsible for providing information, when and how to disseminate it, and what type of language may be used in response to any given incident.
Developing a Crisis Reporting Process: Create a reporting process that lets internal and external stakeholders stay informed about crisis incidents. This can involve having dedicated channels or individuals designated for handling inquiries related to the crisis.
Creating an Approved Crisis Team: Identify those who will handle communications throughout the entire crisis cycle—from pre-crisis preparedness until post-crisis evaluation—and ensure everyone understands their responsibilities within this team structure. Having knowledgeable experts onboard is key for making sound decisions during times of high stress when little time exists for thoughtful deliberation on solutions or messaging strategies that might come into play later down the line during more public phases of response plans or solution creation efforts.
Process Development
When a crisis occurs, how is it reported? Who hears about it? Who is the top-tiered decision maker? Who is responsible for carrying out the plan? Best practices from our experience involve a crisis team for each issue, consisting of a consistent corporate team (e.g., legal, communications, risk, safety and operations) and local market company leaders. This helps give corporate and local perspectives a voice while bringing expertise from the support services to bear on a problem. (e.g., dealing with the media, legal exposure or insurance issues.)
Possible Tactics:
Define the crisis team composition
Regional reporting call center
Appointing a decision maker
Design an approval process.
Designate accountability
Develop technology tools – an online war room, for example, that works to keep the corporate and local teams on the same track.
The Written Plan
In the throes of a crisis, the team will be under stress and will have to move fast. The more planning we can do beforehand – in anticipation of a crisis – the easier it will be to make and execute decisions when a crisis occurs.
Possible plan elements:
Preparing for a crisis
First-hour response
Catastrophic incidents/fatality procedures
Step-by-step scenario response
Incident investigation/interviews
Dealing with regulators and local authorities
Crisis media/key messages
Correction procedures
Checklists
Telephone lists
Action flow charts
Tools and resources needed.
Crisis simulation and annual review procedures
Communication
The channels on which a brand communicates consistent, credible and authentic messages should be a priority 24/7. Whether through the media, over email, in person, in a newsletter, on the phone or over social media, a company usually has established ways to communicate with its targeted audiences, including employees. When audiences are used to receiving company communications, it strengthens relationships and makes it easier to deliver bad news, as needed, during a crisis.
Established channels for social media and the news media are especially important during a crisis. When a company has established credibly proactively, there is a history and pattern of positive news against which negative news can be shared. However, communication with reporters during a crisis can be complex.
Possible Tactics:
Review communication channels
Review key messages.
Media training
Media protocol
Media and social media policies signed by every employee
Media Management During a Crisis
Proactive PR
Ensure you have an active, positive PR program before a crisis occurs to build relationships with local reporters, maintain a robust website newsroom and make working with journalists part of business as usual. Also, all employees must sign a media and social media policy to understand who can talk to the press.
Media protocol
Especially in the event of a catastrophic event where the media converges at your disaster site, the media plan needs to outline how you will accommodate them. For example, identify a building near the site where they can go, and you can brief them regularly.
Media spokesperson training
The media needs to get the story whenever the crisis happens. If you don't talk to reporters, they will find someone who will speak– and you lose control of your message. Training will help spokespeople understand who is authorized to speak, how the media operates, what messages go out at different points during a crisis and how to control your message.
Third-party strategy
You can say your priority is safety and quality, but a third party can say it more credibly. Once you have your list of crisis scenarios, compiling a list of who might speak for you during a crisis may strengthen your position.
Especially in the event of a catastrophic event where the media converges at your disaster site, the media plan needs to outline how you will accommodate them. For example, identify a building near the site where they can go, and you can brief them regularly.
Crisis Communications Simulations
Organizations use TrizCom PR's crisis communications simulations to evaluate how they respond to a potential real-world crisis. The simulations are designed to replicate real-world crises' environment, people and complexity and test organizational readiness in an emergency or disruption.
During a crisis communications simulation, organizations can practice their crisis management strategies under realistic conditions. Participants may be expected to collaborate on decision-making to develop a cohesive response plan that addresses critical elements such as legal issues, media relations, internal and external stakeholder engagement, regulators, customer service, and product/service operations.
These simulations provide invaluable insight into how an organization can best prepare for any eventuality – allowing them to take proactive steps that could prevent costly damage control efforts down the line. By mitigating risk before it happens, organizations can confidently face any challenge while maintaining their brand's integrity.
Crisis Communications Media Training
TrizCom PR has designed our Crisis Media Training to help prepare executives, spokespeople, and key stakeholders for interactions with media that may arise during a critical incident or newsworthy event. The training teaches proven techniques for developing effective messages and understanding what questions will likely be asked during interviews.
The goal is two-fold: respond confidently when interviewed; and convey accurate, consistent messages that help protect the organization's brand or reputation. In addition, crisis communications training ensures all stakeholders understand proper practices for managing communication before, during and after a crisis develops—with proven methods for controlling damage.
Professional Reviews and Updates
The final part of the crisis management process is collecting data, reviewing how the process has worked and tweaking the plan. Simple questions like, how did it go? What could we have done better? Or what resources would it have been helpful to have? Answering these questions makes a good plan great. All companies learn by doing, but capturing lessons is important.
It's also important to track crisis events monthly, quarterly and annually with a risk assessment tool. This report should be streamlined and high-level to give senior management a view of each crisis by type of event (safety, HR, reputational), the level of risk (watch, increased intensity, near crisis or at crisis level), revenue exposure, project name and crisis team/office.
Possible Tactics:
Risk monitoring process
Crisis simulation
Analysis of resource needs
Method for modifying/improving the plan.
Tracking
Are you prepared for potential crises?
Nothing is more important than having a solid crisis plan regarding your brand's reputation. At TrizCom PR, we understand the importance of being well-prepared. We offer detailed strategies and plans so your team can stay one step ahead when facing unexpected challenges.
As an established provider of public relations services, our approach combines both knowledge and experience to help create an effective crisis plan tailored specifically to what works best for your organization. With our process and manual in place, you will feel confident that your team knows how to respond quickly and appropriately in times of need without damaging the brand's image.
