Crisis communications preparedness & training

Every organization faces vulnerabilities, and while risk-taking is a fundamental driving force in business, it is vital that risks are understood, managed, and, when appropriate, communicated. Hayes Dent Public Strategies provides crisis consulting and training so that organizations have a crisis response plan in place.

An effective crisis communications process allows for swift communication – even as facts are still being gathered and response plans finalized – and provides an organization with valuable opportunities to reassure its audiences and reap the benefits of being more transparent, more responsive and better able to handle any emergency.

Hayes Dent Public Strategies will work with your team to identify potential risks for your business and develop and implement a customized crisis response training. Specifically, Hayes Dent Public Strategies will work with you to develop:

·      Cornerstone messaging: identifying the audience

·      Holding statements: determining what the public needs to know

·      A robust crisis plan: how to accomplish an effective crisis communications strategy

During training, we will conduct a series of exercises with your team to better prepare you for dealing with a potential or current crisis. We will share case studies showing good and bad examples of how leaders have handled their company’s crisis moments.

Our training exercises will help your team to: 

·      Identifying when a company is facing a communications crisis 

·      Triage an immediate response, if one is necessary, such as a holding statement. 

·      Determine appropriate spokespeople with experience in crisis communications.

·      Create a crisis communications plan, including timelines, messaging, designated spokespeople and recommended tactics (press releases, interviews, briefings, etc.) 

·      Stay abreast of the crisis management process and any new developments and adjust the communications plan accordingly.

·      Consult other team members outside the committee as needed for IT, legal or other areas of expertise. 

Every organization faces the risk of crisis and the responsibility to communicate to relevant stakeholders about it. Hayes Dent Public Strategies develops customized recommendations that allow the crisis communications process to take place concurrently with the crisis management process, to the extent appropriate and possible, providing an organization with every opportunity to be communicative and responsive.