Anticipation, planning and preparation the key to effective crisis communication

In October last year, the international ISO 22361 crisis management standard was published, and it outlines how effective crisis management requires, among other things, clarity, speed, shared understanding, and clear communication[i].

Put simply, organisations that have a strong crisis response capability will have the right communications systems with the right people in the right roles as a crucial part of effective crisis management.

The need for (strategic) speed

The combination of the 24-hour news cycle, and the use of social media as both a news aggregator and communications tool, has created a situation where journalists need to constantly file content and comment on news as it happens.

This means communications teams, especially those in operational environments, need strategic speed during a crisis to initiate, monitor and respond to media and social media activity constantly.

Effective communications during a crisis positions the organisation as the central source of information, the primary account of events as they unfold.

The key to developing this strategic speed and controlling the narrative is a robust and practised communications plan that outlines roles and responsibilities and establishes a close and two-way link between the communications team and the Crisis Management Team.

This two-way link is increasingly important as digital media has become a communication channel, a driver of sentiment, a source for gathering intelligence, and a key repository of risk.

To get to grips with an issue that is already playing out in the media, you need to be able to rely on the plans and procedures that you’ve put in place to guide response and get your messages out quickly.

Anticipate, plan, act

Teams who are able to act quickly are well-drilled, have prepared for and practiced dealing with a range of scenarios.

They have plans in place to ensure the fast transfer of information between representatives of the crisis management team and the crisis communications team, and have developed swift approval processes for media and social media lines.

It is crucial for all communications teams to spend time anticipating the kinds of issues an organisation might face, planning how the team will respond to them, and, crucially, practicing and testing these plans to develop and hone skills.

As the ISO 22361 standard states, although a crisis can damage a business’s reputation, a well-managed crisis can demonstrate the positive qualities of an organisation and enhance its general reputation[ii].

To do this effectively, communication teams need to strategise, plan, and prepare for crises in advance, so they have robust plans in place to move swiftly to take control of communications as an incident happens.

The quicker teams can get a statement to the media and on social media – even if just a holding statement to keep questions at bay while the full picture is being ascertained – the quicker they can gain control of the narrative.

Keep your stakeholders close

Communication is fundamental to reassuring stakeholders that the organisation has control of the situation and regular, timely and ongoing updates to the media and social media must be prepared.

The media will be hungry for information and will find other sources to publish or broadcast if regular updates aren’t provided.

This means having a clear line of communication for stakeholders who may be asked for comment is key to having the best chance of maintaining a singular voice and message.

Keeping stakeholders briefed and in the loop is especially important for organisations where relationships with partners, suppliers, and customers are decentralised.

It is crucial that effective internal communication is established, and relationship managers understand the important role they play as an extension of the crisis communications team.

Be well prepared but flexible

In the end, the success or failure to manage a crisis involves many factors, not just communications, but the perception of how an incident is managed is heavily influenced by media coverage and by social media comment.

Preparation for a crisis is fundamental to the effective management of it and, as the ISO 22361 standard rightly states, inadequate preparation can result in the escalation of an incident into a crisis. [iii]

Having a robust and tested plan allows a crisis team to be flexible and fleet-of-foot and stay in control as the incident unfolds.

Creating a crisis communications plan that aligns with an organisation’s crisis management plan is only the first step. Businesses must also continually update their plans, ensure that all team members are trained to play their role in a crisis situation, and regularly stress test their plans through desktop and full crisis simulations.

With employees located in 30 countries and 85 cities across the globe, FTI Consulting’s crisis communications experts have vast hands-on experience across all sectors, including aviation, government, energy and resources.

We have helped clients prepare and test their crisis management plans and procedures in alignment with the ISO 22361 standard and build their crisis management capability.

If you want to know whether your organisation’s crisis management system aligns with ISO 22361 Crisis Management, our newly developed FTI Consulting Crisis Management Review looks at over 500 datapoints and compares it with the international best practice found within the new standard.

[i] ISO 22361:2022 Section 4.4

[ii] ISO 22361:2022 Section 4.1

[iii] ISO 22361:2022 Section 4.3