How to Prepare for Reputational Crises

I've been managing PR for the fastest-growing startups for over 12 years. 8 of the most valuable hacks we use for our clients (that you can use today): 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 • Regularly brainstorm potential brand vulnerabilities • Develop responsive strategies Mapping these out lets you act fast when challenges arise. Anticipation is your first line of defense. With it, you're not reactive. You're two steps ahead. 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 In today's digital world, perception shifts rapidly. Harness sentiment analysis tools to constantly monitor your brand's digital perception. The earlier you spot a shift, the quicker you can intervene. Real-time insights can save reputations. 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 A brand's voice can be its downfall or saving grace during crises. Train your founders, train your key staff. Implement media training focused on crisis communication. Prepared spokespeople control narratives — even in chaos. 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Society's sensitivities can change fast. Engage in social listening exercises to stay informed. • Understand the shifts • Identify potential pitfalls • Address areas of concern Don't fear cancel culture – move in harmony with societal changes. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Prioritize open, honest communication — especially during crises. • Admit errors and outline actionable steps • Release detailed, regular updates • Address rumors head-on Transparency fosters trust. It can mitigate potential backlash. 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 A PR Swiss Army Knife — your key to survival during crises. Maintain an updated set of: • Contacts • Pre-approved messages • Action plans for various scenarios When pressure mounts, this toolkit is your lifeline for well-executed crisis management. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘀 Mistakes happen. Design a framework for public apologies, ensuring they're: • Timely • Genuine • Appropriate A heartfelt apology can go a long way in damage control and brand rehabilitation. It elevates brand stature in the public eye. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 After any PR challenge, conduct a thorough post-mortem analysis: • Understand the issue • Refine your strategies • Strengthen defenses Past challenges hold valuable lessons. Use them to navigate future threats. Don't drop the ball. Enjoyed this? You’ll love my newsletter where I talk about strategic communication, crisis management and public affairs: https://lnkd.in/g8MF5-6g

I recently had the pleasure of presenting on crisis comms to a group of Central Washington University students. It’s a topic I get asked about all the time, so sharing 6 key learnings I usually highlight: 1) Preparation is key – If you wait until you are in a crisis to think about your plans, you’re starting at a huge deficit. Scenario plan early and build out as much process/content as you can so you have a running start when the time comes. With careful planning and an early warning system in place, you may even be able to intercept an issue before it turns into a full-blown crisis. 2) Stakeholders (and their roles) matter – A critical part of preparedness: who needs to be involved and in what capacity. Who is the decision maker, who needs to be informed, who is part of the working group, etc. It will vary based on the situation, so see point #1 and get this sorted out in advance. Including how to reach people after hours. 3) Get the facts first ­– Resist the urge to “message” a situation or talk tactics until you understand the facts, including what is unknown. A comms strategy is only as good as the data it is based on; faulty information = faulty strategy. 4) Consider ALL audiences – Customers, partners, employees, the local community, etc. Again, it will vary by situation but things can go sideways fast if you forget about a major audience. You need to own your story across all of them. Pro tip: If you find yourself prioritizing press as your top audience (vs. say, customers or employees), you’re probably doing it wrong. 😊 5) Third parties can tip the scales – They can work in your favor or they can keep fanning the flames. For any given situation think about who can be an advocate…and who is likely to be a detractor. For those who are advocates, remember to nurture those relationships over time vs. simply tapping them when you need something. 6) Practice, practice, practice – The best way to ferret out gaps is to do a few practice drills. But don’t pick a day/time where everyone is around, has time available, etc. Mimic a real scenario which likely includes a couple key people being on vacation, on the road, tied up in all day meetings, etc. The final bit of advice I give people: keep calm. Comms leaders have a unique opportunity to set the tone. Showing up as calm and in control can go a long way to settling others’ nerves. (And yes, it’s completely fair to be stressing out internally/privately.) Joe Tradii thanks again for the opportunity to spend time with your students! #PR #CrisisComms #VoxusPR

I’ll never forget the day Chase’s downtown offices reopened in New York after 9/11. There was a welcome package on every desk. It was thoughtful and intentional — a clear acknowledgement of the trauma we experienced. That’s the power of handling political or traumatic events proactively as a company and leadership team. This Fall, we’re going to the polls. Polarization is already heating up. Are you ready to address any internal impacts? Just like you plan for financial downturns or natural disasters, the potential impact of political polarization on your organization demands a proactive approach. Lots of different things could happen. You could have employees having a heated debate in the kitchen. You could have a protest blocking entrance to your office. You could have animosity on Slack and digital “back-stabbing” in remote work environments. Are you ready to handle these internal and external scenarios? To navigate the complexities of political events, we suggest organizations adopt or add these 3 steps to an Incident Response Plan to avoid distractions to productivity, rifts in your culture or even throngs of departures: 1) Preparation Establish a clear policy and incident response team with defined responsibilities. For example, you may need to create or update a policy to define what constitutes political expression and the boundaries around it for your workplace, and review it with legal counsel. For the incident response team: appoint a group to decide how to monitor and handle ad-hoc events, like riots or political incidents. 2) Communication Words matter. Who’s going to speak when something happens? The CEO? VP People? What tone do we want to use? To avoid (dangerous) gut responses to surprise events, develop specific language for various scenarios and create a comprehensive communication plan. This ensures that all team members are aware of their roles and how to communicate effectively regarding an incident. 3) Testing Regularly pressure test your plan and update it based on lessons learned. This iterative process ensures your plan remains relevant and effective. These steps, combined with regular reviews and updates, form the backbone of an effective Incident Response Plan, enabling organizations to respond swiftly and efficiently to any political event that may impact their operations. Is preparing for political polarization on your mind? Are you thinking about election season and its potential impact on your team and organization?

You have to be the first person to tell your client about the screw-up. A timely #failurefriday post. Many of us were impacted by the cell outage yesterday, some lost all modes of communication, others just cell service. My life didn't change one bit. My daughter thought the world was ending. Even though nothing changed for me, I still wanted to know why I could not use the device that I paid for to access a service that I paid greatly for. I had to dig deep to find a DailyMail.com clip about the outage. When I walk my clients through their Crisis Proof Your Business checklist (link in the comments) we plan what happens when we cannot meet our clients' expectations because of a FUBAR. We plan it and we rehearse it. When we discover an event - such as 70% of our clients being unable to use the service we are paid t provide - we have one main rule: ***The Client Must Hear About the Disruptions From Us First*** The message is this: 1. There is an interruption. 2. We apologize for the inconvenience. 3. We are working to restore service as fast as possible. and then keep them updated. Our Crisis plan also includes alternative communications that happen simultaneously (in case our mode of communication is the missing piece.) 1. Update the website (that is the first place I go). 2. Broadcast the message in all formats (autodial, text, social media). 3. Issue a press statement. Let your clients know about the issue in every mode possible. Want to instill loyalty and nurture trust? Build in this practice. Those impacted will respect that you cared enough to let them know. Those not impacted will KNOW that you care for them. CTA - Practice your crisis communications (even you solos). PS - Have you Crisis Proofed your Business? Shoot me a DM.

In a recent episode of StrategyCast, I had the pleasure of discussing the pressing need for proactive PR planning and crisis communications in the face of AI's unethical uses with CMO Liza Adams. Here are some key takeaways: Understanding the Landscape: AI's impact on businesses is undeniable, but it's crucial to be aware of ethical considerations. Unethical uses like deepfakes, disinformation campaigns, and AI-driven attacks can severely damage trust and reputation. Proactive PR and Crisis Strategies: To prepare for AI-related ethical challenges, businesses should conduct regular risk assessments, develop comprehensive crisis management plans, and conduct staff training sessions. Building Resilience: Transparency is critical to building trust when addressing AI-related issues. Being open about the steps taken to mitigate risks can reinforce customer and employee confidence. Looking Ahead: Utilizing advanced monitoring tools and AI-driven cybersecurity solutions can help mitigate the need for crisis communications and reduce the negative impacts of AI. We have worked with many businesses on writing crisis plans and responding to crisis situations. Recently, a client faced a crisis when an AI-driven gift card skimming operation was uncovered. They managed the situation by swiftly communicating the breach, taking steps to prevent future incidents, and rebuilding customer trust through transparent and empathetic communication. The conversation with Liza was enlightening and underscored the importance of being prepared for the ethical challenges AI presents. As we navigate this evolving landscape, strategic PR and crisis communications will be more crucial than ever. For more insights from Liza Adams, tune into StrategyCast and this week's Home of the Brave newsletter. Your next strategic breakthrough could be just one episode or read away. Website: https://lnkd.in/gaJUjp9s Apple Pod: https://lnkd.in/dZirgNqc Spotify: https://lnkd.in/djyTb_gu... YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ezdE5XQD #AIethics #CrisisCommunications #PRstrategy #ArtificialIntelligence #StrategicCommunications #DigitalEthics #TechTrends #AIimpact #BusinessLeadership #InnovationStrategy #StrategyCast #AvocetCommunications

This is more than gossip. This is a case study in organizational trust, policy, and leadership. As a workplace strategist, I saw a leader who likely thought he was untouchable, and a company that’s paying the price. Here are a few hard truths: 1. Peer vs. Power: Just because they're both in the C-suite doesn't make them equals. If one is responsible for the other's evaluations or compensation, that's a power imbalance, period. 2. Timing Matters: If the affair began before the Chief People Officer was hired or promoted, someone else may have been unfairly passed over. That's not just drama; it's a liability. 3. Policy Precedent: If your company has a fraternization policy and someone in the company was disciplined or terminated in the past for inner-office dating, someone in HR might want to pull those files and call the attorney about next steps. 4. Contractual Fallout: They likely were not simply at-will employees but instead, hired with a contract or agreement that may have a morality clause. They exist for a reason. And if there are vendor contracts that have similar language, this goes beyond PR; it becomes legal. 5. Crisis Management Isn't Optional: Someone internal or external *think crisis management firm* needs to step up as the single point of communication with the media, clients, prospects, etc. Silence or backchannel whispering won't rebuild trust. Transparency will. This is a reminder for every leader: You need a crisis plan not just for scandals involving you but also for your team, partners, and even your family. I've been in HR for 30 years, and I promise you: it's not if, it's when. Let this be your sign to prepare. #Leadership #CrisisManagement #WorkplaceEthics #HRMatters #CultureStartsAtTheTop

How do you prevent mayhem when crises occur that affect you and your team? Bridges collapse. Criminals mow down innocent victims. CEOs have heart attacks. Contagious diseases spread. Layoffs happen. Such crises create havoc as misinformation and fear run rampant through an organization or team. So what’s your part in calming the hysteria among your team? Communication. Communication that’s current, consistent, and complete. When I’ve consulted on handling crisis communication previously, I often get this question from bosses: “But how can I tell people what’s going on when we haven’t yet investigated and don’t have the facts?” That’s never an excuse for delayed communication. Be mindful that when people don’t have the facts, they tend to make them up. In a communication void, people pass on what they think, fear, or imagine. Noise. Keep these communication tips in mind to be part of the solution, not the noise: ▶ Tell what you know as soon as you know it. ▶ State what information you don’t have and tell people what you’re investigating. ▶ Stifle the urge to comment on/add to rumors, fears, guesses. ▶ Communicate concern specifically to those directly affected. ▶ Offer tangible support when you can (time, money, acts of kindness). ▶ Communicate kudos to those working behind the scenes. Accurate, speedy communication creates relationships and cultures that build trust and encourage loyalty. Have you been affected by a crisis? Was it handled well or poorly? Outlandish rumors that circulated? #CrisisCommunication #LeadershipCommunication #BusinessCommunication #ProfessionalCommunication #DiannaBooher #BooherResearch