Crisis/issues management
Taking the crisis out of crisis management
At Argyle Communications, our crisis management approach reflects both “art” and “science”. The art lies in the judgment, analysis and creativity that is required to manage sensitive issues and the science involves a disciplined approach developed through our extensive experience in helping organizations in crisis.
Over the years, we have managed crisis communications for many clients in many different situations, all of them posing serious reputation management challenges.
Knowing how to react in a crisis does not come naturally to most organizations. Senior executives often disagree on what actions should be taken. Promptness of response, clarity of messaging and advance preparation of spokespeople is critical to the successful management of such situations.
There are two critical responsibilities in managing any crisis: resolving the substantive issues and communicating effectively with key audiences. Through experience we know that an effective crisis management program must have four fundamental objectives:
- Define the risks
- Describe the actions that mitigate the risks
- Identify the cause of the risk
- Demonstrate responsible action
Organizations invariably benefit from having a crisis plan in place that determines, in advance, how the organization will react if and when a crisis occurs.
Crisis planning involves an assessment of an organization's overall preparedness for dealing with a crisis; identifies strengths and weaknesses; and details appropriate responses and programs for the organization, including the roles of the CEO and other executive spokespeople.
When a crisis occurs, we immediately bring our counsel and resources to bear on the problem. We combine an objective external perspective with the ability to develop the strategies and communication materials required to position the organization in the best possible light with key target audiences.
