Courtesy / Knight Canney Group
Felicia Knight of the Knight Canney Group
Updated: August 19, 2022
How to prepare for a crisis — or, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition
By Felicia K. Knight, Knight Canney Group
If you want a perfect illustration of how easily a crisis can materialize in your organization, look no further than Monty Python’s famous skit explaining that “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
Just as inquisitors burst unexpectedly through the door declaring their chief weapons as, “surprise, fear and a ruthless efficiency,” so can a crisis erupt in your business with the same arsenal.
The best course is to be ready for the Inquisition because it’s going to come.
It doesn’t matter what the crisis is. What matters is that everyone in the organization knows what to do when it happens, and perhaps most important, that everyone in the community already knows and understands who you are, what you do, and why you and you should be trusted.
What you don’t need during a public relations crisis is the burden of figuring out what to do, plus educating the public and the media about your organization, so there are two tracks to crisis planning.
Track one is interior
- Create a crisis team beginning with someone from senior management, communications, and legal. Consult with other departments as needed. Try to start with a small team. Large committees tend to create bottlenecks.
- Designate one person to talk with the media, one person to keep employees apprised, one person to monitor and communicate via social media (or to turn off social media channels.)
- Depending on the size of your organization and the degree to which you engage with the public, you made need other liaisons.
- Do a crisis drill at least once a year so everyone knows what their role is during the crisis.
Track two is exterior
- Build a reputation by getting involved in your local community.
- Be philanthropic within your brand. i.e. if you sell shoes, donate shoes to needy children, if you’re a contractor, donate materials to build a playground, etc.
- Sponsor local events such as Little League, concerts in the park, food drives, etc.
- Host the public for non-sales/non-solicitation tours to explain your organization.
- Invite elected officials for tours and education about what you do.
- Be familiar with local media — offer yourself/organization leadership as resources for information about your profession.
- Do regular news releases/social media posts/website posts about employee achievements or awards.
Being a good citizen means being involved in your community. Neighborhoods, towns, cities, and states are all stronger and better when more people take part and take care of those around them. That’s true of individuals and of organizations. When a business or non-profit is invested in the community, everyone benefits. When your neighbors know your organization, they’re more likely to help you in a crisis, not join in tearing you down.
As we know, we live in a time when people are all too eager to express their outrage, whether they have all the facts or not. Social media crucifixions are the rule, not the exception. Thinking that things “will blow over” leaves your organization vulnerable to a trail of negativity that lives online in perpetuity, with nothing to counter it. No business wants a crisis, but when it comes bursting through your door, it demands immediate attention.
Finally, if a crisis comes, do this
- Acknowledge what’s happened. If you don’t know the details, say so, then find them, and explain them.
- If the crisis is your own doing, own it. (Your lawyer will always have input on this. Find a way to be transparent. This is your reputation at stake and equivocating is always damning.)
- If the crisis is not your doing, explain how it came about with facts.
- If your reputation takes a hit, it will take time and effort to regain the public’s trust, but you must work at it. Words matter, but actions illustrate your intent.
The Monty Python skit on the Spanish Inquisition is funny. A reputational crisis isn’t, so make sure you’re ready with “ruthless efficiency” to rectify it.
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