Don't forget the planning

In the final part of the review of the monthly crisis communication case studies that I have published in the last year one thing has come through in each of the examples that I reviewed. Crisis communication and issues management always needs one thing - planning.

It is a point I share a lot when I am providing training to teams and presenting at conferences. It is such a simple thing and yet it doesn't happen, we don't do it and we hope that those old plans will work when something goes wrong.

Why don't we do it? There is always something more important to do. The inbox is full, the day is packed with meetings or we have a lengthy to do list of actions we need to complete. It may be because we are confident that the plan we have written some months or even years ago will work for us. It could be that you believe crisis communication is just the same as communication just a bit more intense. It may even be because planning is a little bit dull with not much to see for it.

With every crisis I have experienced even with lots of planning I have always wished that I had done more. The more we work through what we will do when something goes wrong, the more we can iron out any problems. We can get approval from managers that will allow us to operate with delegated authority which is vital. We can put it to the test in a safe and controlled way.

So, what has the past 12 months told us about planning for a crisis? These are my top takeaways.

1. Planning is a vital part of an effective crisis response giving you the ability to move at speed.
2. Without the planning you will have to go through layers of approval which will cause unacceptable delays in communicating.
3. Crisis planning needs to be done for both operational and reputational situations.
4. Plans need to include practical details and information about how to tackle fake news, self appointed experts and the impact of social media.
5. Everyone needs to know the crisis communication plan, what it means for them and how it will work in practice.

As we head into 2024 it is a good time to reflect on the crisis communication plan you have. Is it fit for purpose if something happened today? Does it take account of changes in the world and in communication? Has it been updated in line with internal changes? If you are not happy put some time aside in the holiday period when you can and ensure your crisis communication plan is ready to use.