From Laura Lake,
Your Guide to Marketing.
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In light of recent political events and the highly publicized situation with New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, I thought it would be a good time to discuss crisis communication and the importance of having a plan in place.

In recent weeks a sex scandal story broke regarding New York Governor Eliot Spitzer broke. The media flocked to the story and national coverage erupted. First public relations mistake made in this case was a 45 minute delay between the scheduled 2:15 pm press conference by the governor and when he actually showed up at the podium. Why was this a mistake? This gave new commentators time to speculate and provide impromptu comments to the public. This wasn't the time to develop the crisis communication plan; I certainly hope it was already in the hands of his PR experts and they were only working on deployment.

With all of that being said, let's step to the heart of this article which is crisis communication. Whether you are a public relations representative or a marketing manager of a corporation a crisis communication plan is a necessity. We never know when we will be placed in a crisis situation that threatens the integrity or the reputation of a company that we represent. It's important to be prepared. How do you prepare?

• Step 1: Plan Ahead of Time and Create Your Crisis Communication Plan
  We never want to think that a crisis can hit our organizations, but it can. Anticipate it, be prepared. Don't wait until the last minute.
• Step 2: Put your Crisis Communication Team in Place
  Your crisis communication team should include at a minimum the CEO/President, Public Relations Representative, Vice President. It is the job of this team to come up with a plan of action and decide who the spokesperson should be.
• Step 3: Manage the Message and the Media
  What is the problem? What is the nature of the crisis? Develop the message and keep it clear and consistent. You are at the mercy of the media meet their needs and their requirements.
• Step 4: Communicate Early and Often
  It's important in this situation to be proactive. If you hide, it's not going away. It will only make it worse. Determine what communication methods will be used. Distribute prepared statements to media outlets.
• Step 5: Prioritize Your Audiences and Cater the Message
  This includes externally as well as internally. You must address both audiences with specific information regarding the crisis and the plan of action that is being put into place.

A crisis communication plan is not a guarantee that you will recover. Truth be known if I were to give you my honest opinion even if the plan were in place it was too late for Governor Eliot Spitzer. The damage had already been done. The best PR couldn't save his career. He had contradicted himself with his political stance and his private life. Despite whether or not we believe that private should remain private it is our responsibility when in the public eye to live the life we talk behind a podium. If we do not, it is inevitable that eventually it will all come to the surface and our laundry will be aired in public.

The key is avoid and protect yourself from the crisis. It doesn't mean you won't face it, but at least if you do you will be prepared.