Help for When You Must Think on Your Feet

Although some crisis situations can – or at least should – be foreseen, many cannot.

Several years ago we created a four-sided, wallet-size card with important tips on how to communicate when hit with a sudden crisis. Many excellent leaders and managers can freeze or panic when confronted with a threat they weren’t counting on.

We recently updated the card, which is a quick way to focus on what needs to be done in the early moments of a crisis. The advice it contains can help avoid a disastrous public gaffe.

Here are some excerpts from the card.

The first page offers “Quick Crisis Communications Response” tips, including:

• Make sure you understand all the facts that are knowable at the time…
• Think through what you want to communicate…
• Develop an Internet strategy that includes paying attention to…what’s being said online

Pages two and three provide DOs and DON’Ts such as…

Do:
• Select one or two message points that must come across
• Take your time answering questions…
• Challenge misinformation or obvious bias in a reporter’s questions

Don’t:
• Guess or speculate about anything you’re not sure of
• Point fingers or assign blame…
• Use technical terms or industry jargon

To get free copies of the card, send an email request to furlow@furlowcommunications.com. We’re happy to send you a few sample cards or tell us the full quantity you need and we’ll send more. All we ask is that you include a little information about who you are and what kind of folks will be using the cards. For many years, our clients an