Here are a few aspects organizations need to consider when there is some hot water for an organization or an individual:
Who will be the speaker? — Will the individual represent him- or herself or get a spokesperson? For an organization, the spokesperson will be the face of the organization within the firestorm. What is most important is the individual must be calm, cool and collected to deliver whatever bad news is about to be delivered.
Be direct. — No matter how bad the news is, it is important to not go around the facts. Instead, organizations should identify the goal they want to achieve: Address an allegation? Plead the fifth? The spokesperson must be able to deliver a concise message and answer common public questions. Sometimes, not all information is known, but the key here is to make a stance known. Is the news true or not?
Honesty is the best policy. — If the pressure becomes too much for a spokesperson or an individual within an organization, they tend to make lies. This immediately not only causes public doubt but begins to tarnish an individual and/or organization’s image. This not only is a crisis, but it has turned into an image problem as well. Before you know it, resources are being wasted and then organizations or individuals collapse. Organizations need to limit the damage and show the public they aren’t lying and what the plan of action is going forward.
Have a game plan. — “The action,” as I call it. Okay, there is bad news, and now what? An organization or an individual must have a course of action ready immediately, as we live in a fast-moving society that wants immediate answers to issues. Sometimes, issues cannot be resolved overnight, since certain bad news can involve investigations, litigation or other situations that cause the issue to slow down. This is where the previous tip of having a spokesperson becomes critical; to ensure the message doesn’t get mixed and foster further public doubt, all information should flow through this individual.
Be open to feedback. — This is one of the most crucial tips. Organizations will want to utilize public responses and feedback in their planning or organizational/individual responses to change an approach reactively. Sometimes, a crisis PR plan within an organization will drift into unknown waters, and the better that organization prepares the public with answers, the better an outcome it will have in a bad news situation.
Thomas Mustac is a medical and health industry PR specialist with Otter Public Relations. He previously held positions at the “Dr. Oz Show” and New York Medical College. He has his master’s degree from Iona College and received an Advanced Certification in Nonprofit Public Relations. He has a diverse background in healthcare, pharmaceutical, telehealth, tech, cosmetics, sports and interior design public relations. Otter, a PR agency creating thought-leaders of tomorrow, is one of the top 100 PR agencies in the nation and has been featured in Yahoo Finance, Forbes, Entrepreneur and many more.
