It is a sad fact, but almost every week we read about some tragic incident, be it an airline crash or an unexplained explosion in the workplace. From a professional viewpoint, it reiterates the need for companies to be fully appraised of the situation before they make any decisions or announcements which could have an effect on a wider audience.
In today’s 24/7 news environment, there is always a need for speed, but that must never be at the cost of taking a measured assessment of the long term impact of the situation.
How you respond to a crisis within the first few hours remains crucial, and that is especially true when there is the potential for a fatal accident inquiry further down the line.
Nobody likes to plan for a crisis, but one of the best ways to test your company’s response is by staging a crisis scenario. Tailored exclusively to meet the potential issues your company or organisation could face, the plan tests the procedures and response mechanisms of your top team.
It’s something we did regularly in the Scottish Office (back in the day) and it was a valuable tool in highlighting any gaps in skills, knowledge or procedures, which – if the unthinkable did happen – will help ensure that you are better prepared and covering off all aspects of your communication needs from the outset.
