Chapter 12: Crisis Communication

Many times when I'm watching the news and the broadcasters report on a horrible story such as rape, murder, fire, or an accident I shake my head in disbelief, say a prayer, and then try to convince myself that it would never happen to me. Luckily, so far that has been true, but I cannot count on that continuing to be true. It is the same with companies. They must have a plan and always prepare for the worse because certain catalysts can change the course of the company. It is only through plans and training that the problems can be fixed faster or could be avoided all together.

I cannot believe that even after the events of 9/11 that some companies do not have plans for crisis. If the companies do have a plan, the employees might not know a plan exists and the company does not practice the plan. It is one thing to have a plan, but it does not do anyone any good if they do not know how to execute the plan. It is important for a group of people to get together and go through all the possible crises that could arise and to figure out a plan of action so that the company does not just wait for something to happen and then try to quickly throw together a plan before the crisis arrives. Once the group forms plans for certain situations, they need to go to employee meetings to show them the plan, answer any questions, and organize days to practice what would possibly happen in a real-life situation to better prepare for the events.