When a crisis hits that could damage your reputation it is essential to act quickly and responsibly. Effective handling of a crisis can enhance your reputation but where do you start? Ideally you will have some sort of crisis plan in place – this will save you considerable time and effort when something hits. Whether this is the case, or not, each crisis is different. There are, however, a number of questions you need to get the answers to manage the communications around the crisis. Those include:

• What exactly has happened?
• Why has this happened?
• Is this an isolated incident?
• How can we be sure this is an isolated incident?
• Have the relevant facts been recorded?
• Who is involved in this incident?
• How was the incident reported?
• When was the incident reported?
• What checks and processes were in place to highlight this incident?
• What checks and processes were in place to prevent this incident?
• Does this incident show any breech of law, professional codes of conduct, association membership?
• Who knows about this?
• Who is to blame?
• How does this impact on customers?
• How does this impact on staff?
• Are there health and safety implications?
• Does any service or supply or products need to be suspended?
• Does this impact on marketing activity?
• Should any marketing activity be halted?
• Is there a need to recall products?

There are, of course, many other questions specific to the incident. If you do not have a plan in place then there are a whole host of logistical questions and issues you need to tackle too. Handling communication with regard to a crisis needs attention to detail, accurate understanding of the facts and a clear head. You’ll need to act speedily to contain rumour and misunderstanding. Getting the answers to these questions is the first step in putting yourself onto the front foot for any communication activity.

Using PR to build your profile and protect your reputation can help you influence the audiences that are important to you - I invite you to access more free articles, tips and information on this and other subjects by visiting the 'free stuff' section of the website - http://www.profilematters.co.uk/resources.php [1]

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Debbie Leven - Profile Matters - PR Consultants UK [2]