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­In today’s fast-moving news cycle, a crisis can come faster than ever.  How your organization responds can make or break its reputation – no pressure! A well-built crisis communications plan doesn’t just help put out fires, but it also enables you to avoid making the fires worse… sometimes 1,000 times worse. Here are five key steps every organization should consider when preparing for the unexpected.

Don’t Let Your Response Become the Crisis  

Sometimes the response causes more damage than the original incident. Overly defensive statements or rushing details, attempting to get out information quickly can turn into a reputation disaster. For example, a company might rush to calm customers after a small data outage and say no personal information was exposed only to find out later that data was compromised. The correction then becomes the headline. Speed matters, but accuracy matters more. A calm, measured response will always outperform a frantic one. 

A Crisis Can Come From… Anywhere! 

Not all crises start with a headline-grabbing  scandal. Sometimes it’s a single social post, a customer interaction-gone-wrong caught on camera, or an in-writing comment gone viral. Today’s reputation risks are unpredictable, which means your crisis plan must be flexible enough to handle both the expected and the totally surprising. Preparing for a range of scenarios allows your organization to respond with confidence instead of scrambling in real-time.  

Silence Can Send a Powerful Message… and Sometimes it’s the Wrong One 

Staying silent creates a vacuum that invites speculation. Even if you don’t have every detail, it’s crucial to acknowledge the situation. That doesn’t mean rushing to a statement with unverified facts. A thoughtful statement or public-facing nugget of info that recognizes the issue and commits to transparency can prevent super-speculation from taking the reins.

Get it Together Internally Before Going Public 

Let’s be real: employees and close stakeholders are often asked about what’s happening before that beautifully-crafted public statement ever goes out. If they are confused or out of the loop, mixed messages  can spread quickly. Before ever going public, ensure your internal teams understand what’s happening, what can be shared and who should be speaking on behalf of the organization. 

Recovery Is Defined by What Comes Next 

Ah, the adage: actions speak louder than words. It certainly applies here. You must show your audience how you’re fixing the problem through meaningful action. Showing what you’ve learned – and how you’re preventing the issue from happening again – is what rebuilds trust over time.

Final Thoughts

While you can’t predict every crisis, you can prepare for how you’ll respond when one arises. A strong crisis communications plan replaces panic with purpose and confusion with clarity. Ultimately, it helps your organization move from damage control to recovery and what’s ahead. 

To ensure your company is ready for a prospective crisis, contact the team at The Firm Public Relations & Marketing today at 702.739.9933 or newbusiness@thefirmpr.com.