My second task was to handle a crisis that injured people because of our equipment. What message did the company want to communicate about the crisis to the public? Prior to reading week 4’s text, I chose that we would say “No comment” because I thought it would be better to gather all the facts first then go to the public with the information. I will explain later in the paper why I should not have chosen that route. My third task was deciding on whether to come clean about what really happened on how those people were injured by the equipment. I decided to use great publicity choosing to do a major communication exercise and come completely clean which was the correct choice because that act alone could help restore credibility for the company.
Handling a crisis can be very difficult for a company – but what exactly qualifies as a crisis? According to Seitel (2004), a crisis is a “situation that has reached a critical phase for which dramatic and extraordinary intervention is necessary to avoid or repair major damage.” How an organization handles itself in the midst of a crisis may influence how it is perceived for years to come. That is why it is so important to handle a crisis in an appropriate way.
Being proactive is definitely a great way to manage crises because there is always a plan on how to handle situations as they arise. One of the elements issue-management encompasses is anticipating emerging issues 18 months to three years in advance – this is considered pre-crisis planning (Seitel, 2004). By anticipating what crises could arise in the near future this helps the organization be more prepared for handling it appropriately. An organization can only influence a few issues at a time – good management process will select several (around five to ten) specific priority issues with which to deal (Seitel, 2004). They will focus on the most important issues affecting the organization then work their way down the list.
Planning for a crisis is very important for the PR manager – as stated above, future crisis planning is integral. There are several steps in which a PR manager should take for planning a crisis. First, they must define the risk for each impacted audience, and the risk must be understood – or at least contemplated before framing crisis communications. For example, “the contaminated meat will make you sick.” Second, for each risk defined, describe the actions that lessen the risk (“do not eat the meat”). If the PR manager does a good enough job defining the risk, the public will more closely believe in the solutions. Third, identify the cause of the risk. If the public believes you know what went wrong, they are more likely to accept that you will quickly remedy the problem. Fourth, demonstrate responsible management actions and appear in control of the situation. Letting the people know the organization has a plan and is implanting it helps convince them that they are, in fact, in control. (Seitel, 2004)
In the simulation, I chose to handle the crisis communication by saying “No comment” to the public because I thought it would be more important to go to the public once all the facts were gathered. Once reading the text for week 4, I soon realized that this was not the correct approach – at least in relation to public relations. In saying nothing, an organization is perceived as already having made a decision. When “no comment” is said most people (around 65%) perceive the no-commenter as guilty (Seitel, 2004). The most effective crisis communicators are those who provide prompt, frank, and full information to the media in the “eye of the storm” (Seitel, 2004). Silence not only angers the media but also compounds the problem. The quick rule to effective public relations communication is to “tell it all and tell it fast” (Seitel, 2004). When information gets out quickly, this stops or minimizes rumors and nerves are calmed. The basic goals of crisis management are: 1) terminate the crisis quickly, 2) limit the damage, and 3) restore credibility. Following these goals will ensure a successful public relations plan for any organization.
Crisis management definitely needs to be addressed in any organization – although it is usually not a fun role for the public relations manager. However, if the appropriate steps are taken on how to handle crises, this will ensure the public that the organization can still be trusted no matter the situation. In the end, that really is the ultimate goal – to be sure credibility is restored in the organization.
References
Seitel, F. (2004). The Practice of Public Relations, (Ninth Edition). Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.