Leonard Heng Nan Kiat
Bachelor of Communication (Hons) Public Relations
Class of August 2007

Before I set to the main point, I have to say that, one may need to read this article or column, with the frame of mind that this article is a personal point of view, and you need to read it with a sense of humour and a pinch of salt. While all care and precaution is taken into consideration while writing this article, please feel free to give feedback to me at leonardbpr@gmail.com.

Do we need a Crisis Plan? The answer to the question is simple; Yes - It is a NEED. Synonym to this four-letter word is MUST, a four-letter word too. And, I will try to keep it short and simple (KISS), another four-letter acronym again.

Every organization or even government body should have a crisis plan, which is specially designed to respond to specific crisis or, unfortunate event: the point is that we should not wait for a crisis to happen. Instead be prepared, is aptly pointed out in the Malay proverb, 'sediakan payung, sebelum hujan'.

While reading and writing this article seems to be simple to many, it is in fact hard to practice or even to persuade people or an organization that a crisis plan does work to prevent a bigger problem. Or rather, it is actually the attitude of 'I-don't-know-what-is-crisis-and-I-don't-have-a-crisis-now...' that invites crises your ways.

According to Leonard Saffir, a renowned PR practitioner, also a recipient of the PRSA?s prestigious Silver Anvil Award, a crisis plan (a program to respond to crisis faced by organization) usually consists of three phases; identifying the problem, developing the solution, and communicating the action to all public.

Although I may not be able to summarize all that I have learned in class, I do agree with Leonard Saffir that, a basic crisis plan, must have, at least those three phases.

Here, I would like to further elaborate on the first phase. To identify the problem, is to spot potential threat or problem that the organization may face in the near future that, if left unattended, may evolve to something big and even more terrifying.

As for the second phase, developing the solution, once the problem is identified, a set of solutions and ways will be created to neutralize the problem. When I use the word neutralize, it does not mean that our role is to shun responsibility or to pacify those who are angry. The keyword here is to solve the crisis, with an open mind and full responsibility. In this phase, we also need to identify with the public as well because, in order to communicate, we must at least know who are we communicating with.

Next, with everything ready in hand, and everyone is clear of their own responsibilities, the best thing is to shout, 'Action!'- Timing and accuracy in communicating the right message to all identified public is vital and it is the primary aspect in this phase. Nevertheless, knowing what information to release is equally important too. One should make the effort to release the information on time since making the team that handles the crisis the 'one-stop' hub of getting credible information or the reliable source of information, especially for media will reduce the possibility of rumors spreading. This provides more control in managing the crisis.

In short, a crisis plan is like a 'know-how' manual book when crisis starts to roll, and when it does, we have something to fall back on so that we don't start to panic and turn hysterical, or worse, cause the fall of the organization. Bear in mind that a crisis, begins fast and may hit you so hard, if unprepared, you may never get up again. Yes, it is that hard.

Leonard Saffir pointed out some basic steps for crisis management in his book, PR on a Budget, and I quote;

1. Draw up a comprehensive crisis action plan.
2. Isolate a crisis team from daily business concerns to focus on the problem. Centralize and control the flow of information through the crisis team. Only designated and well-prepared people should talk to the media. Train spokespersons in advance on the company's posture and its message strategy.

3. Develop a strategy based on a worst-case scenario. Think of the worst things that could happen, then gear your strategy to those eventualities.
4. Aim at containment, not suppression. Local crises may become national and even international problems because of a failure to handle communications effectively at the local level. Put the problem into proper perspective for the media.
5. Know potential allies in advance and call on them. Identify public and private groups whose interests may overlap yours in a time of crisis. Line up third-party support.
6. While most crises, even if severe, break fast and are over fast, have long-term crises plan ready.
7. Rehearse the crisis team, hold periodic workouts. Occasionally test the system with a "fire drill". (He meant having a rehearsal and trying out the crisis plan to see if everyone knows what and how to do it, according to the crisis plan - just like the fire drills you have in high school, this helps a lot.)

Personally, I favor the third and fourth steps. Go and ask some major companies or organizations. They may not have a crisis plan, and even if they do, usually, it is designed in such a way that it doesn't represent the worst scenario that they may encounter. Hence, what is the point of having the crisis plan?

I also agree with him on the fourth point that a crisis plan is aimed at "containment and not suppression". There are many plans that are not designed to contain or control the situation but to suppress the scenario, which eventually makes the situation worse. Not only would we fail to control the crisis, but it could fuel something bigger; which is the "worst-case scenario" that the crisis plan did not adopt in the first place.

Although we may realize that there are a lot of benefits of getting ourselves ready for crises, my main concern is that, many CEO or heads of the companies, basically the management, fail to identify the need to have a crisis plan, or to have a team of people who are capable of handling crises. As the wise saying goes, "failing to plan is planning to fail..." - how true!

How Johnson & Johnson handled the Tylenol crisis is a classic example of handling a crisis, and the best that I have heard of so far. They indeed have raised the bar for crisis management up, not one, but a few levels. There are many more exemplary cases of good crisis management. It is always good to learn from others, since learning from mistake (especially from others' mistakes) is beneficial - what you need to do is just 'Google' it.

So, be prepared for crises because crises strike when you are least aware. They hit you without prior warning, anytime, anywhere, and whenever they wish to. You have no control on this. However, some crisis can be avoided if preventive measures are taken. Get ready for the worst. If you were to ask my opinion, having a crisis plan is like buying your company an insurance policy. It gives you the feeling that 'I am ready for anything that may come...' - lame as it is, but nevertheless, the truth.