Live event coverage from the Future of Communications Conference.
During crises, comms pros need to plan for what could happen, not just what’s currently happening.
“You don’t want to overreact or underreact,” said Linda Barnhart, senior director at Apco, during the Future of Communications Conference. “The key is making sure everything you’re doing is proportional to the situation at hand.”
One of the most common mistakes Barnhart sees communicators make is treating every incident with the same level of urgency.
Instead, comms teams should plan for different levels of severity and impact while building credibility with media sources to curtail speculation when it becomes necessary.
“(Journalists) have to know you,” said Amanda Coffee, communications consultant at Coffee Communications and former senior director of global media relations at Under Armour. “They need to know your voice and your values, or they’ll fill in the blanks without you.”
Here’s what Barnhart and Coffee say are the key strategies to get it right.
Planning for escalation
Communicators should anticipate how scenarios could evolve. Not just operationally, but reputationally.
“It’s not just about what the issue is but what it means,” Barnhart said. “Sometimes a small incident dredges up an old narrative, and suddenly you’re dealing with ghosts from past crises.”
One of Barnhart’s manufacturing clients had a local safety issue that initially seemed contained. But once a regional news outlet reported on it, the story spread to national media within hours.
“The facts hadn’t changed,” she said. “But the scale did. That’s when the comms team realized their plan stopped at the local level. They hadn’t considered what to do if the spotlight got bigger.”
Having credibility in reserve helps organizations navigate those moments when attention spikes. This can be built with journalists by frequently engaging in off-the-record events or coffee dates, said Coffee. Every interaction shouldn’t be purely transactional, she said.
“Building reputational capital means you can’t just turn it on in a crisis. You have to build it over time,” she said. “The first time you reach out to a reporter shouldn’t be when you need something. They should already know you and want to work with you.”
Escalation isn’t just about reacting faster but being more prepared, intentional and trusted when the stakes rise, she said.
“When you invest in those relationships and authentic narratives early, it holds a lot more weight later,” Coffee said.
Establishing escalation framework
Crisis frameworks should include clear escalation triggers, or specific points where additional teams, messages or executives get pulled in.
“You can’t wait until things blow up to decide who’s in charge or what you’re going to say next,” Barnhart said.
Communicators should build tiered response plans, where each level of severity has pre-approved steps and messages ready to deploy.
Apco uses a scorecard to assess the severity level of crises. You can see how it’s organized below.
“It’s like having three versions of the same playbook,” she said. “You just pull the one that fits the situation.”
The broader message
Communicators who can anticipate escalation rather than be surprised by it will be better equipped to handle a crisis situation, Barnhart said.
“Crisis management isn’t just about putting out fires,” Barnhart said. “It’s about knowing which ones are going to spread and which ones you can contain. The better you can tell the difference the stronger your reputation will be.”
Courtney Blackann is a communications reporter. Connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at courtneyb@ragan.com.
The post How to establish a crisis escalation framework appeared first on PR Daily.
