Crisis starts before the blow up. So should your comms plan.
A lot of crises start with a missed warning sign, a weak explanation or a gap between what an organization says and does.
Gregg Feistman, professor of practice for PR in the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, said communicators need to think about crisis work before they are in the middle of one and it’s too late.
Feistman compares crisis preparation to taking care of your health before you get sick.
“Think of inoculation like a vaccine,” Feistman said. “You take preventive measures. You exercise, you don’t smoke, you eat well. That is inoculating your system against potential diseases.”
Here’s what he said to think about before an issue pops up.
- Look for the warning signs early
Crisis prep starts with listening. The earlier communicators see a problem, the more options leaders will have to handle it.
These are things like noticing repeated customer complaints, employee frustration after a layoff or AI rollout, early backlash to a campaign, or similar questions coming from reporters, Feistman said. A pattern is a warning sign that, if spotted, can give leaders time to explain, adjust or act before the issue turns into something else.
“Most crises, you can see it coming,” Feistman said. “They don’t just pop up overnight. They build over time, and if you understand how to deal with them, you can prevent them from ever becoming a crisis.”
- Get communications in the room before decisions go public
Communicators need to be involved in discussions before big decisions are made, not after backlash begins or there’s a sign something bad is happening, Feistman said.
When they’re involved from the beginning, they can help leaders understand potential risks earlier.
Communicators can bring questions people may not be asking yet, like what could people misunderstand? Who could feel left out or harmed? Does this match what we say our values are? What proof do we have to back up the message?
“That is the communicator’s job. Not to say no to everything or slow down everything. But to help leaders see what could happen next,” he said.
- Reputation gives you credibility in times of crisis
A company’s reputation is built through every interaction people have with the organization. Crisis planning cannot live in a separate file that only gets opened when something goes wrong, Feistman said.
“It has to connect to how the organization behaves every day,” he said. “Reputation is built on not what you say about you, but what other people say about you.”
That means customer service, employee treatment, product quality and vendor relationships matter. So does how an organization handles bad news.
“If you say people are our most important asset, then you better prove that people are our most important asset,” Feistman said.
On the other hand, a strong reputation can give organizations more room to recover when something goes wrong. People generally understand that “there’s always problems in business or crisis,” Feistman said. What matters is how the organization responds.
- Treat AI as a crisis risk
AI is also becoming part of crisis planning because AI decisions can quickly become reputation decisions, Feistman said.
A lot of organizations are focused on how to use AI tools, but not enough are asking why they are using them or where they should draw the line, he said.
“Where’s the strategic thinking behind it?” Feistman said. “Why are you doing this? What risk are you trying to reduce by using AI?”
This is especially true as companies use AI to create content, change workflows, cut jobs or make decisions that affect real people, he said. Without rules and human review, AI can create new problems.
“We know AI can get you into trouble really fast if you’re not careful, if there’s no human overseer,” Feistman said.
Use AI, but ask better questions about it, he said. Is the content accurate? Is it fair? Should we disclose AI use? Who reviewed it? Does this decision match our values?
This should make human judgment even more important in crisis prep, he said.
While a crisis can damage trust, the more companies are prepared to handle the situation, the better the odds that trust can be rebuilt, Feistman said.
“Things happen. We all understand that,” Feistman said. “But organizations are being scrutinized. How did you handle that? And did you reestablish or even strengthen the relationships because of the way you handled the crisis?”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
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