Prepare for the Crisis - Crisis Communication Strategy 1

In an attempt to respond effectively to crises and emergencies, one of the most important steps is the creation of a crisis communication strategy is preparing for the crisis and being ready for it ahead of time, regardless of what type of crisis it is. Planning for various scenarios can help you be ready to act when needed. Planning assists in charting a course for the possibility of a crisis. The process begins with reviewing where your communications plan is, and then identifying what needs to be improved.

Managing your crisis communication plan is essential to an organization’s success. Regardless of your situation, no one can be in complete control of things. Unforeseen events occur that must be dealt with quickly, before negative consequences from these events become severe. Planning encourages the development of “what-if” scenarios, where managers attempt to envision possible risk factors and develop contingency plans to deal with them.[1]

Part of the difficulty surrounding communication is that based on the multiple variables at play, things change and the best way to connect also changes. While almost impossible to create a single strategy for crisis communication, you can create a set of crisis communication guidelines based on the steps you take prior to the event.

[1] http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-planning-organization-1137.html