Lessons in Crisis Communication from Chicken Little

How to Deal with Stop Signs, Acorns, and Alien Invasions

The Sky’s Falling…What’s Next?

Crisis communication is an important part of Public Relations. Knowing how to pick up a situation and—for lack of a better word—spin it in an ideal direction is invaluable. PR professionals have to be quick thinkers—quick to respond to the situation, quick to address any inquiries from the media or the public, quick to plan a come-up.

Say Sorry and Sound Like You Mean It

Most of the time, a crisis originates from within the organization. Somewhere along the line, someone made a mistake. It is now up to the PR professional to handle it. The first step for many is to apologize. It’s humbling and difficult, but necessary. Take the fall—it’s uncomfortable (especially if it’s done by someone who no longer works for the company), but it’s best to get it out of the way and take more responsibility than needed. Be sincere, or at least sound like the apology is genuine. The apology should come from a CEO or whoever is at the top of the organization. This shows that administrators are aware of what happened. A spokesperson can make the apology, but it means more to the public if it comes from someone with power.

Make Changes

Conduct investigations if needed, but the organization needs to change something. Maybe it’s updated customer service training or an issued pink slip. Regardless of the change, something has to shift in order for the public to even consider giving another chance to the organization at fault.

Move Forward

After the customer service seminars and the weekend-long trainings, it’s time to get back out there. Some organizations don’t get a chance to breathe; that is normal. However, if an organization like Chipotle can take a revenue break in order to please its consumers, there is a way to prove dedication to fixing the mistake.

If It Happens Again

Too many crises—especially back to back or in the same quarter—are not beneficial. Reputations will falter and the public will no longer take an organization seriously if it is under scrutiny for its actions. Repeat the process: Plan, Apologize, Change Something, Move Forward. It’s possible for organizations to make a Britney Spears comeback, but don’t land in hot water to begin with.