Think in Advance

Your corporation has just announced a major product recall after several child deaths. TMZ has just published a photo of your client and his girlfriend on vacation. The only problem is, your client has a wife and five kids. Your number one selling Disney actress has been accused of cocaine use, she is only 15; What will you do?

Seasoned crisis managers never operate in panic. This is because the above scenarios have been planned for. Press releases, news conferences, the entire blueprint is waiting for deployment. This doesn’t mean every word is planned, it means every strategy point is. The plan must be flexible as to language, timing, and of course legal considerations. But a crisis, like everything else, can be managed into a successful event.

The biggest mistake made by those in a crisis is based in speaking. What you say, how you say it and when is critical. One may think this leans toward contrived phrases to accomplish a shrewd objective. It is the opposite. Honesty, authenticity and ethos is powerful. The public will forgive and move on if at anytime they perceive the “violator” is just like them. The best crisis management strategies are not perfect, they are real.