Whether you are putting together a plan in case of a PR crisis, or you are elbow deep in an ongoing public relations crisis, one of the most significant factors that will govern success or failure is the strength of the PR crisis management team you have put in place. To form a strong PR crisis management team, it is important to have the correct person in the right position that suits their particular strengths.
What is the purpose of a PR crisis management team?
The purpose of a PR crisis management team is to manage and lead individuals, communicate important information to all departments, analyse the problem as well as the potential damages. This core group will help to analyse the facts, put together a plan of action and then implement it in order to minimise damages which result because of the crisis
When putting together a team, there are a number of attributes that these people should possess:
Performs well under pressure
A PR crisis situation will push everyone to their limits which means that someone who is unable to perform under pressure will break and it will be a detriment to the team. PR crisis management team members need to be level headed and have the ability to remove their emotions from what is happening so that they do not feel as if they are overwhelmed.
Strong analytical skills
As these are the people who are leading the initiative, as well as solving the problem, it is essential that everyone on the PR crisis management team has strong problem-solving, in addition to, critical thinking skills. This will make sure that you come to the best conclusion in the most efficient way.
All team members should be competent at analysing and solving problems immediately as they arise. You need each member of the team to be able to solve a problem on their own so that they do not constitute a drain on your company resources.
Communicates clearly and efficiently
Each one of the PR crisis management team members will undoubtedly, at some point, be called on to address some audiences and share some information about the crisis situation. A team member who lacks good communication skills could damage to the team’s mission. It is best that your business’ leaders have the ability to communicate a powerful message and that every person on the team is clear about what that message is.
Has a shared mindset
As a team, you all have strengths as well as weaknesses. Thus, it is imperative that you all work together in order to come up with the most optimal plan and solution. Any member of the team, irrespective of their skills, will be working against the team as a whole if they are unable to work with the team. This means that in order to reach the best result, all PR crisis management team members must be working together to arrive at the same goal.
Every organisation out there should be ready for the unavoidable public relations crisis such as a data breach, executive scandal, negative review, failed event, badly planned digital marketing campaign. Yep, it happens to us all. If you’re hit by a PR crisis, you’ll need a fast and carefully crafted response. We’re talking damage limitation as it’s about protecting your brand reputation.
Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing
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