Managing A Crisis Using Pr

Managing a Crisis Using PR

To be able to manage a crisis using PR you need to have a proactive plan in place before a crisis strikes. Proactive planning is "a way of looking at a system's operation which views its productive and commercial interactions with at least its immediate suppliers and its immediate customers" (www.interdynamics.com). To have a proactive plans means to have a pre-thought out plan on how to deal with a crisis before it hits. Every organization should have some type of plan in place to be ready if a crisis hits. Not every crisis can be planned for, but it makes things easier to deal with, if an organization has given some thought and planning as to how to manage one.

In the case of Greenergy, their proactive planning consisted of having knowledgeable people to handle the crisis as well as ensuring that the proper training was given to the employees in regards to the equipment. As the PR manager, I choose to be honest with the public and keep them informed as to what we were doing about the incident and that the two people in chare at the time of the incident were no longer with the company.

The feedback mechanisms that I would use during this crisis would CEO address, video news release, followed by web site press release and e-mails to stoke holders and a hotline for important information. The less effective mechanisms would be intranet memo and telephone calls. The information needs to reach the public in a timely manner to let the public know that we as an organization is working hard to investigate the situation and fix the problem.

Every organization needs to have a proactive crisis plan in place even if there has been no threat of a crisis. That way if the situation ever arises the organization will be ready and not have to make rash decisions at the time of a crisis occurs. Being able to handle a crisis can make the difference as to whether or not a company