It’s not if. It’s when. 3 things to know about crisis management.

Prepare

1   It’s better to be proactive than reactive. If you don’t prepare, you will incur more damage. The crisis could be prolonged, the financial burden could be more extreme, or your organization could be wrongfully perceived as inept or negligent. Anticipating crises before they happen can ensure a logical, appropriate, and effective response. When preparing for crises, you may notice two things: some situations can be prevented by simply modifying existing methods of operation and thinking about possible responses/ best- and worst-case scenarios that can better prepare you in the event these crises occur. Better now than when under the pressure of the actual situation.

Train Your Team

2)   It’s important to have a properly trained spokesperson. With the rise of new forms of social media and a 24/7 news cycle, a statement taken out of context can easily get out of hand and portray your organization negatively. A properly trained spokesperson representing the organization can mitigate these possibilities and allow the organization to be properly represented in the media. While the right skills and position are necessary for the job, the right training will protect you.

Leverage Technology to Keep People Informed

3)   Establishing a notification and monitoring system can help you efficiently communicate with your stakeholders. While the benefits of smartphones are insurmountable, there is a specific obligation that comes along with them. Today, it is necessary to have the means to reach your internal and external stakeholders using multiple methods. Some stakeholders can be best reached through text or email, while others are best through social media.Therefore, it is essential to set up a notification system that will allow you to rapidly reach your stakeholders using multiple modalities. Nowhere does news of a crisis spread faster and more out of your control than social media, so it is better to get ahead of the problem than it ahead of you.

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