I commented in my previous post that dealing with a communication crisis is like riding a roller coaster or a runaway tiger: the emotions are strong and particularly intense. As most crises occur without warning, the initial tendency is to get swept up in the whirlwind of the moment without stopping to reflect before acting.
In this regard, it is crucial to spend a minimum amount of time reflecting on the nature of what we faceits scope and implicationsour capacities and resources and, most importantly, corporate philosophy and mentality This is where the first dilemma arises. This is where the first dilemma arises: what is a crisis, and can what is happening to my company/organisation be classified as a crisis?
Here is one of the definitions of crisis that I find most precise and convincing: "Any situation that can attracting media attentionauthorities or the public in general, and which involves a potential reputational risk to the company's reputation".
Specialists speak of more than 200 types of crises: health and sanitationcaused by political events and social conflicts, natural phenomena, accidents, events of criminal origin, legal issues, economic issues, product recalls, cyber attacks, etc.
For me, and I speak personally, there are two main categories: no fatalities (fortunately the vast majority) and fatalities (fingers crossed that you don't get one).
And now, here are the ten questions that we should ask ourselves before facing a crisis, and which I call magical because they are the best allies of our health:
1. ¿What it represents a crisis for our company? We must differentiate between crisis, emergency e incident.
2. Do we know the vulnerabilities of our company?
3. Are we able to react immediately?
4. Do we have an updated crisis manual where the scenarios, messages y actions What are the measures to be taken to adapt them to the specific situations of a crisis?
5. Does the company approach the crisis in line with the principle of liability or fault?
6. Does the company have the capacity to efficiently define who are the main victims in a crisis?
7. Has a designated spokespersonHas he/she been properly trained, is he/she the right person to lead/manage the crisis proactively, does he/she protect the company or himself/herself?
8. Do we have the resources (humans, technicians y economic) necessary to face it with minimum guarantees?
9. Is the company's management aware of the need to assume and accept the criticism inherent in management of any crisis (no matter how well it is done)?
10. Is our company prepared to learning from past crisesHas an institutionalised learning process?
If you have a definite answer to each of them when a crisis hits you, your blood pressure will thank you for it. On the other hand, the more you leave blank or answer with a resounding "No", the more you run the risk of suffering more than just a dizzy spell.
Joaquín Rodríguez Villar