Prepared for Action

        A Well Tested Crisis Communication Plan

        Defining Crisis

        Preparing Your Plan

        Facing the Media

        Risky Business

        Sandra Knight-Pogue is manager of corporate communications at Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. an international architectural, engineering, and planning firm based in Detroit, MI. She has 13 years of experience in the media and public relations fields. She is a former SMPS Michigan Chapter board member and chaired the chapters public relations committee from 1994 to 1996.

        A Well Tested Crisis Communication Plan

        Crisis comes in many forms. It can happen suddenly, without warning. Or, a crisis can develop over time--days, weeks, or months. Whatever the case, the resulting damage can unjustly mar even the most reputable company. Although crisis communication has been a topic of discussion in the A/E/C industry for many years, an amazingly small number of firms are prepared to act when disaster strikes.

        A well tested crisis communication plan can minimize the damage and help retain the firm's good standing. If such a plan is executed quickly and methodically, it can eliminate the distortion of information to clients, employees, business associates, the community, financial partners, and other important audiences that are potential victims of uninformed and speculating sources. It is best to plan for the worst and be ready to act.

        Defining Crisis

        A crisis is an out-of-the-ordinary occurrence or series of events that has the potential to attract the attention of the media and/or outside authorities. Our business is replete with tales of construction mishaps. However, it is shortsighted to limit our understanding of crisis to the jobsite.

        Financial scandal, the sudden death of a principal, the actions of a disgruntled employee who "gets even" by destroying property or harming others, failure of a structure or building your firm designed, a natural disaster--all of these things can constitute a crisis for your business.

        Preparing Your Plan

        The first step in preparing your firm's crisis communication plan is to conduct a vulnerability study. What incidents could have negative consequences for your firm? After you've made a list, categories each vulnerability into one of three areas:

        • Immediate crisis (occurs without warning)

        • Emerging crisis (brews over time and can blow up at any moment)

        • Sustained crisis (may last for weeks or months and is produced by rumor or speculation circulating among internal or external audiences)

        Assess the needs that will result from your crisis scenarios. This assessment will help determine what your firm must do to be prepared. For example, a readily accessible list of employee home addresses, phone numbers, and contact persons should be available in the event of employee injury or if off-duty personnel need to be reached.

        The legal ramifications of each scenario should be considered carefully. Other needs might include an operations plan to keep the business running (and clients as satisfied as possible), corporate safety record and documentation of safety training procedures, up-to-date media list, and telephone numbers and contact names for emergency-response and law-enforcement agencies.

        Clearly, one of the most important needs is to identify the cadre of personnel who will serve as the crisis communication team. The headquarters team should consist of composed, capable, "cool under pressure" management personnel. Likely candidates include the firm's legal counsel, business manager, and marketing or public relations representatives. This group receives and verifies information, and then supplies complete information to the firm's spokesperson. Its members also help the spokesperson prepare written statements or other communication tools.

        The spokesperson is usually the company president or other high-ranking official. This individual should be the firm's sole media contact. Limiting media interface to one person reduces the chance of conflicting reports. Every employee must understand the firm's policy on this matter, since members of the media may approach anyone for information.

        Evaluate employees for their ability to function well under stress, and then designate staff to fill other important team roles, which may include:

        • Safety enforcer at potential crisis sites who will coordinate with law-enforcement and emergency-response personnel

        • Fact finder (could be the project manager) who will gather information on the who, what, where, when, how, and (possibly) why, and feed the information to the headquarters team

        • Security enforcer to assure that unauthorized individuals are denied access to the crisis site (this is particularly important if there is the possibility of further danger)

        • Support coordinator to help organize any necessary arrangements, such as notifying families, helping families get to the hospital, bringing in food and beverages, monitoring media coverage, or arranging for additional clerical or reception personnel.

        The plan should be documented in a crisis communication manual. The procedures defined in the manual should be communicated to all employees to assure everyone clearly understands their roles and responsibilities within the big picture of the crisis communication plan. Spell out the chain of command. Consider printing and distributing wallet-sized cards with basic instructions, key contacts, and important phone numbers.

        Facing the Media

        The spokesperson should defer answering questions from the media until answers are available. Giving out partial or unverified information can cause repeated media mention, which in turn may give undue emphasis to bad news. Whether during an interview or in a written statement, the firm should provide full, factual, objective, and truthful information, with no speculation.

        The spokesperson should resist inclinations to slant, distort, manipulate, or fragment the truth. Being discovered in a lie can damage the firm more than the crisis itself. As a safeguard, firms should consider investing in media training for the designated spokesperson and a backup.

        Statements to the media will vary in content, depending on the nature of the crisis. If injury or death has occurred, the statement should include:

        • The date, time, location, and nature of the accident or disaster

        • The number of persons involved and the number injured or killed (if any)

        • What actions have been taken to care for the injured, and eliminate or reduce the risk of further danger

        • Reference to the firms safety record, assuming that it has been a good one

        • Effects, if any, to persons or property outside the firm's auspices

        • Commitment that a thorough investigation is either underway or will be undertaken, and that all pertinent facts will be released in a timely manner

        The statement should omit the names of the injured if their families have not yet been notified. Preliminary estimates of damage, either physical or financial, should be made by local authorities or the insurance agent--not the company spokesperson.

        Your firm's reputation and contributions should not be forgotten in a crisis. Media handouts could include a firm fact sheet, safety record, certifications, description of training procedures, summary of community service activities, or other positive information.

        Risky Business

        A crisis may or may not happen to your firm. If you're betting that it won't, you're playing a dangerous game that might cost your firm business--and its good reputation. Be prepared to act in the event of a crisis. Your firm's investment in a crisis communication plan will be repaid many times over if you ever need to put the plan into action.