11 Tips for Crisis Prevention
By Christian Liepack
No news broadcast, no talk show, no newspaper, and no online outlet can do without them. Crises — beyond their news value — carry enormous potential for scandal: on a small scale and a large one. Every industry, every company, and every area of life holds explosive material, because crises always emerge where people meet and disagreements arise — in private as well as professional contexts. Many crises have their roots long before the big bang. One reason: our world is spinning faster and faster. The speed of change outpaces our ability to adapt. Good preparation can defuse these situations.
At the start of my group and one-to-one training sessions, I always like to ask a question that illustrates the problem quite well: When did Noah build his life-saving ark? The answer: it was BEFORE the flood.
When the spotlight suddenly turns into a searchlight and life feels like it’s happening under a microscope, the people involved quickly separate into those who are prepared and those who are not. Countless examples can be found across the web — and the internet never forgets. Anyone who fails to prepare themselves and their company for potential crises during the good times will squander one of their most valuable resources when things go wrong: time. So please, in tense situations, don’t waste time on “homework” that should have been done long ago. Here are the eleven most important items — best compiled in advance into a kind of company “crisis bible” for everyone involved:
1. What is a crisis?
Define possible crisis scenarios for your company, taking into account subjective perceptions. Every person assesses situations differently based on their personal background. Communicate the topic of crisis management to and with your employees.
2. Who communicates?
Establish a dedicated “task force” that acts specifically in the event of a crisis.
3. Create an alert plan
A list of internal and external contact details and key contacts will speed up procedures in an emergency.
4. Prepare key messaging
Develop messaging guidelines for various scenarios across different channels — such as internal announcements, intranet posts, social media, customer emails, press releases, etc.
5. Draft an initial statement
Create pre-written building blocks for the first statement and establish who should deliver it.
6. Prepare a dark site if necessary
If setting up a dark site becomes necessary during a crisis, it must be clear how this works technically and who is responsible for which tasks.
7. Define essential processes
Identify which processes must continue to function reliably even in an absolute emergency, so that the company remains operational even during a crisis lasting several weeks.
8. Decide who faces the camera
Determine who should speak publicly in the event of a crisis. Is this person equipped to handle probing questions from journalists? Keeping negative emotions in check is best achieved through solid preparation and ongoing training — practice builds confidence and composure, both of which you will need when it counts.
9. Assign responsibilities
Does everyone involved know their role in a crisis? What are the procedures? What unexpected turns are possible? To answer these questions, simulated crisis exercises are invaluable — they test everyone’s knowledge under (mild) pressure and reveal whether the emergency handbook covers all the essential information.
10. Establish issues management
Monitor internal and external processes and assess their crisis potential. Start with a simple table to cluster all topics relevant to your company (e.g. management disputes, product recalls, negative customer feedback, departures of key staff) by area (e.g. management, products, customers, employees). Flag each topic as either “acute, crisis potential present” or “no action required at this time.” Review this list regularly with all stakeholders. A positive side effect: it creates plenty of opportunity to prevent crises from developing in the first place.
11. Seek support
Relevant authorities, an industry association, or a crisis communications agency are all good points of contact. Best to start right here: https://www.mar-communications.de/krisen-pr/