Many people right now are singing songs of praise as football night in America returned to being one of the nation’s favorite pastimes. Journalists and bloggers have opined that the NFL referee debacle that came to a head last week during the final minutes of the Monday night game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers was definitely a public relations nightmare for the multi-billion dollar football league.
And, I would agree with that assessment. The recent three-month-long negotiations between the NFL and the referee union should teach us all a lesson in crisis communications. It should remind us to either have a crisis communications plan that we can quickly put our hands on or get started on putting a plan together. As we’ve heard so many times before when it comes to a crisis…it is not if, but it is when.
You might find yourself in the quandary that I’m in… I have a plan that is readily accessible, but it has to be updated to include social media.
Here is a link to Bernstein Crisis Management’s website where Jonathan Bernstein has listed 10 basic steps of effective crisis communications. Again, if you haven’t planned for one, you should definitely start. No matter what industry sector you work in or organization you work for, not handling a crisis in the right manner could cripple your entire agency.
Do you have a crisis communications plan? If so, when is the last time you reviewed and/or rehearsed potential situations? Have you included social media in your plan?
Again, all things to think about knowing that with the advent of social media, news travels faster and to a larger number of people than in years past. Preparation is the best tool in the toolkit.
Author: Adrienne Fairwell, APR
SC Department of Employment and Workforce
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