When most people think of a “crisis,” they imagine a natural disaster, imminent operational threat or major media scandal. In reality, a crisis or risk to your organization’s reputational capital is rarely so straightforward. Crises can creep up unnoticed because of this misconception.
Organizations must react quickly to challenging moments to successfully navigate them while maintaining the trust of their stakeholders. Identifying a crisis quickly can subsequently delay a proper response, so knowing how to recognize a need for crisis communication is vital.
These signs can help to identify if your organization is experiencing a public relations crisis and determine when a more strategic communications response is necessary:
A Surge in Questions
An uptick in antagonistic questions or questions surrounding a topical subject from stakeholders – internal or external – can indicate a growing crisis. Media inquiries alone do not indicate a crisis, but this attention can amplify a rumor or budding problem by drawing more eyes and awareness to it.
Routine operational challenges happen every day, especially in high-stakes environments like hospitals or senior care facilities. For instance, a one-time equipment malfunction that was not related to human error may be considered part of doing business. Events like this are unpredictable, and groups of stakeholders aren’t likely to voice doubts or concerns about the organization based on this.
However, history matters. If these malfunctions increased in recent months or caused a delay in care, audiences may start asking questions about safety, equipment oversight or pay closer attention to your response in this instance.
Your reputation, or what your stakeholders think and say about you, is a key indicator in whether problems become crises. An existing negative reputation makes stakeholders less sympathetic.
Specific “Sparks”
Crisis situations can also be prompted by a certain spark—one event with a wider ripple effect on operations, mission or organizational policy. All crises present both threats to organizational goals and opportunities for growth. Responding effectively in these moments builds on your relationship with stakeholders and ultimately strengthens your community.
For example, AKCG recently collaborated with an independent school that suffered severe structural damage during a wildfire. The fire interrupted operations indefinitely and threatened the school’s ability to fulfill a commitment to its mission of education. Leadership first quickly communicated plans for temporary educational instruction and subsequently, details on rebuilding and construction plans. A timely and well-designed independent school crisis communication strategy allowed the school to strengthen its community during a tragic accident and showcase deeply held school values.
Clear signs that crisis communication may be needed include problems that are unusually complex, fall outside routine operations or directly impact a wide range of stakeholders. These situations often carry greater reputational risk, but also greater opportunity.
Deja-Vu
If you find yourself dealing with the same problem multiple times or variations involving a certain topic, you may be facing a crisis. While not all problems rise to the level of needing public relations counseling, noticing a pattern or common theme in organizational issues indicates an area of risk.
For instance, small but repeated actions by an employee may have caused tension or discomfort among other faculty or students over time. While these instances, individually, are routine, they may suggest a larger pattern of boundary-crossing behavior.
Spotting common themes in past actions, communications and feedback is one of the easiest ways to identify a crisis. Identifying any historical risk areas is vital to developing an effective crisis communication strategy or plan.
Recognizing crises in a timely manner allows organizations to seek counsel early, maximizing their time and ensuring consistency in their response. Whether the crisis is major or minor, crisis PR can offer an objective opinion to bolster your existing strategy, speak to niche industry experience or provide an extra set of hands for drafting materials. Crisis communication is not only guidance for when and how to communicate, but how to build, preserve and restore positive reputations.
