Headlines
Public relations tips, tactics and trends
Volume
One, Number OneWelcome to Headlines, a free newsletter published by Polaris Public Relations with practical information about the PR industry. Be Prepared In today’s business world, we should all borrow a motto from the Boy Scouts and ‘be prepared.’ But planning for a crisis can be tough. Especially since terrorist attacks, accounting scandals, market declines and the spread of SARS have changed the scope of our contingency planning. Apart from some of the specifics, the definition of a crisis hasn’t changed. It’s an event that threatens not only the reputation of an organization, but its very existence. It can be a natural event, like an earthquake. Or it can be man-made, such as a scandal or other conflict. Regardless of the type of threat, a well-managed reaction can preserve your company’s reputation and even enhance it. The key to effective crisis communications is to plan for it before it occurs. Here are six suggestions to help you plan for the unexpected: 1. Understand the issues or events that are likely to threaten your organization. Prepare position statements and messages on each one. Include a short Q&A with typical questions customers, media or other stakeholders are likely to ask. Craft honest responses that clearly communicate your side of the story. 2. Identify the appropriate spokesperson for each issue and make sure they’re trained in dealing with the media. Consider the person who has the best skills for this responsibility and identify a back up. 3. Identify members of a crisis team and appoint a crisis manager. Have a list of all office, home and cell phone numbers. Appoint someone to keep the information current. 4. Make sure you have a process for keeping employees informed. You’ll want them to get the latest information from you, not from the news or other sources. 5. Determine other audiences with whom you’ll need to communicate in a crisis such as customers, local elected officials, board members and regulatory authorities. Have current contact information on hand and update it regularly. 6. Create fact sheets that include information on your organization and key executives, including your designated spokespeople. In a crisis, media often want to know the backgrounds of the people who are dealing with it. Crisis preparedness can be the defining factor in how well your company weathers a crisis. Since none of us can predict what might happen tomorrow, a good plan provides the foundation on what to do and how to do it. © 2003 Polaris Public Relations. All rights reserved. Shelley Pringle is principal at Polaris Public Relations, an associates-based PR agency that offers a full suite of communications services. She can be reached at 416.597.1518 or shelley@polarisprinc.com. 
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 A crisis can happen at any time and without warning. The best defense is to prepare in advance. While no one can thoroughly plan for every conceivable risk, Polaris Public Relations can help your organization with some likely scenarios. And through this process you’ll learn some important principles to deal more effectively with the unlikely scenarios. If you need help in expecting the unexpected, Polaris Public Relations can: 
Develop policies and procedures for dealing with a crisis before it
occurs
Create user-friendly manuals, crisis management plans and support
materials
Media train your spokespeople and teach them effective techniques
and strategies for handling issues
Provide ongoing counsel and implementation Call us at 416.597.1518. We’d be pleased to discuss your needs and develop an affordable package for your organization. If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future newsletter, or have a comment on this one, email us at info@polarisprinc.com.
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