General Rules in Crisis Communications

In the last update we looked at the role of the senior management team in a the face of a company crisis (Invariably it is best to have a pre-agreed group of senior management who will become the Crisis Management Team (CMT) in the event of a major incident). At Loop we prefer this team to follow some very general ground rules and principles.

General Ground Rules and Principles

In general, the following principles should be applied in the event of a major incident or accident:

· Only those designated by the CMT (discussed here) may make public statements, news releases or comments and all these must first be approved by the CMT

· Any new media development or angle must be passed onto any PR advisor the company might have – if you’ve got crisis communications in place with an agency they should be available 24/7 (rolling news is 24/7 so your PR support should not be just in office hours) … if they’re not the feel free to contact Loop PR!

· Only release information which is factual, accurate and confirmed. NEVER speculate or issue any unverified information

· Be as open, responsive and candid with the media, as the situation allows

· Work co-operatively with representatives from our customers, suppliers, third parties or agencies involved

· Aim to provide an initial statement internally and externally as soon as possible after you have been informed of an incident – ideally within one hour

· Ensure that information is released, as soon as it becomes available

· Provide the latest information to your employees as quickly as possible

· Make a broadcast spokesperson available within three to four hours of a major incident.

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