| Crisis Communication Planning IS essential to the trust-centric Arab business environment
There is an old saying that spreading a nasty rumour is like ripping a feather pillow apart: while you may be able to gather back a majority of the feathers, some remain lost and floating around. The same may be said for crises in today’s highly-competitive markets; a sensitive issue, a scandal, or hints at corruption can leave doubts, criticisms and allegations floating around long after the situation has been resolved. Today’s PR firms must prepare strategies to swiftly and properly address and contain crises to avoid clients from drawing themselves into a protracted and unwinnable pillow fight.
An effective tool for cushioning the blow of a crisis is a well-prepared communications plan. This plan outlines policies and procedures for the coordination of communications within the organization and between the external forces involved, such as customers, media, regulatory agencies, suppliers, and the public, in times of an emergency or the appearance of a controversial issue. An emergency may range from fires, bomb threats, natural disasters, or major crimes, while a controversial issue may include police investigations, corruption scandals, protests or other situations that demand public explanation.
The success of any business, utility or organization, especially in trust-centric regions such as the Arab World, relies greatly on reputation. PR professionals are precisely hired to portray their clients as beneficial, trustworthy and concerned members of the community. A poorly-handled crisis has the potential to swiftly and irreparably damage a carefully-crafted image and, consequently, either impair organizational activity or lead to closure altogether. This is why a crisis communication plan is a must, as it addresses media relations and communications issues while more importantly facilitating the rapid assessment of potentially harmful situations and the methods for responding quickly and effectively.
A crisis communication plan has two key elements: the crisis plan itself, which sets the tone for how a company deals with a critical issue to minimize loss and downtime; and the crisis communication plan, which outlines how the company will communicate with media and the public about the crisis that is occurring. Its purpose is two-fold: preparation and response.
To prepare for a crisis, an organization must create a detailed crisis communication plan with a crisis communication team assigned to execute the plan. With a plan in place, an organization is more likely to respond to a crisis quickly, take immediate steps to control the message, and successfully regain shareholder and public trust. The seven critical dimensions of an effective crisis communication plan include Operations; Victims; Trust/Credibility; Behavior; Professional Expectations; Ethics; and Lessons Learned.
Proper crisis communication planning is especially relevant in the Middle East, where trust is a vital element in doing business. In many Arab dealings, formalities are often set aside in favor of establishing a foundation of credibility and comfort with prospective partners or clients. In fact, sincerity and trust are the primary factors considered by locals and expats in this region when assessing a company. Loss of any one of these can easily result to the termination of even highly profitable relations; a crisis is exactly the type of event that can undermine one or both of these elements.
In an age where everything is defined by a list, from the Top 10 Pop Songs to the top 20 Movies, perhaps it would help if we laid out the Top 6 Things NOT To Do in crisis communication planning and execution, based on real-life industry experiences:
1. Acknowledge and act on the crisis only when it becomes public; sustain this reactive rather than proactive stance throughout the damage control process
2. Rely solely on client reputation and facts to resolve the situation
3. Be defensive and aggressive against the media
4. Limit the involvement of the client and other stakeholders
5. Ignore consumer / public sentiments and opinions
6. Release vague messages to obscure attention to the issue
Yes, many organizational crises never get press coverage. Sometimes this happens because the story was not newsworthy, but oftentimes it can be attributed to a skillful handing of the situation. In cases where a crisis may be significant enough to attract media attention, the frenzy either lasts briefly or is so well addressed that the organization involved actually benefits from the positive public perception of how well they managed the issue. The latter can be achieved through the execution of a solid crisis communication plan.
Many PR professionals serve organizations operating in the Middle East that still do not have a crisis communication plan in place. It is imperative that they convince management to amend this situation given both the unique value placed on trust in this region and the highly competitive nature of modern Arab markets. For starters, PR professionals should insist on putting together a basic strategy to effectively communicate with the press and the public when the inevitable crisis occurs; a more comprehensive framework could then emerge.
An old Chinese proverb says that “A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind.” A crisis communication plan channels this wind so that it propels an organization to safety and even success, rather than towards a rocky fate.
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