Crisis Management

Crisis management... one of my favorite classes! Today was a very interesting lesson in the very difficult task of crisis management. As I learned today, there are many different ways for PR professionals to deal with a crisis, and even the slightest error can cause even more chaos.
The class was divided into different areas, where one group were the journalists, another the school in which a terrible problem has arisen, and another were the parents of the children going to the school under question. I was part of the journalist group, and as I learned, one of the easiest groups. We got to ask the hardest questions, and could never be placed under hard scrutiny, because we were the ones getting the answers to the public. The school had the harshest role, to deal with the press and some very angry parents. One of the most interesting parts of this activity was when Pam told the class that although the school may have answered all the questions in the right way, they had never expressed sympathy for the parents of the ailed children. Without any sympathy, the proper message would never come across.
I also learned that a definite answer should never be used, especially if no proof is shown. For example, the school was asked if the symptoms the children had could be fatal, and they answered no. The next day, a child was dead. According to Pam, this was a very very grave thing, because now the school had lied and a child was dead. The school should have just plainly replied that there was no evidence of the symptoms being fatal, but that they could not give any further comment on the matter at that time. All bases covered, and questions were put to a halt, for now.
In my opinion, every company, no matter how big or small, needs a crisis management response plan that needs to be exercised and updated regularly. A crisis team or media spokesperson must be elected or chosen to ensure that only the right person with the best communications ability will be up to the task of softening a crisis blow. This team or person must receive specific training in crisis management, as well, potential issues or crisis situations must have prepared responses. In this way, companies will be able to more easily deal with a crisis or potential hard situation in a better and more prepared way. They can also ensure that any person involved in a crisis management situation will be able to respond in a clear and coherent way, without further complicating matters.
Crisis management PR is one of the most difficult areas of this industry, and one of the most interesting. It puts PR to the test, and true skilled PR practitioner will shine when put to the test of solving a very difficult situation.