Brett Banter

Major, unpredictable events can and will happen to good companies, strong political campaigns and solid organizations. These looming threats usually catch you off guard and offer very limited reaction time.

Cross your fingers that your company or campaign will never have to manage a crisis, but part of the responsibility of staying away from that risk is keeping constant tabs on what your organization and the people within it are doing.

Want some practice in crisis management? The following advice virtually guarantees your organization will run into a crisis. (Note: these are practices you want to AVOID)

1. Practice indifference to public concerns.
2. Keep a low profile. Communicate with the public only when you absolutely must.
3. Don't trust any of your constituent groups - employees, community leaders, etc.
4. Ignore the feelings and opinions of the key groups you deal with.
5. Treat the media as the enemy and don't talk to them at all.
6. Blame any problems on people and practices outside the organization.
7. Don't acknowledge any potential public dangers caused by your organization that will "only alarm people unnecessarily".
8. Keep potentially embarrassing information top secret.
9. Don't look for areas where you may be vulnerable to a crisis.
10. Don't waste time planning for a crisis before it happens.

Brett offers training in Crisis Management as well as Spokesperson Training to prepare your organization to talk to the media and others. For more information, contact us.