Page 187 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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1 168 Crisis Communication
spokespeople to a minimum. Having too many voices speaking on
behalf of the organization inevitably results in errors or omissions of
fact, differences in judgement or understanding, or communication
styles.
Confusion within the organization, usually caused by a breakdown
or disruption in internal communication or lack of a clearly-defined
chain of command, wreaks havoc with the efficient flow of accurate
information through the organization and out to those who need to
know. This can include the power struggle between communicators
and legal counsel over what information can or should be disclosed,
illustrating once again the need for effective planning and preparation
well in advance.
Never, under any circumstance, accept rumoured or unconfirmed
information as a premise of fact. As the old adage goes, ‘garbage in,
garbage out’, and responding to a reporter’s question based on
rumour or a misleading premise is sure to contribute to the level of
confusion or proliferation of inaccurate information.

Conclusion

Industry has made great strides in voluntarily adopting environ-
mental stewardship as a way of doing business, and experience has
shown that this new era of stewardship has been good for business and
for the environment. The challenge going forward is to encourage all
businesses – including those that are small, privately-held or are family
businesses, or which don’t have significant brand value, and even
those which are not historically considered vulnerable to environ-
mental crises – to follow a similar management model. The economics
of compliance and the impact on corporate reputation can often be a
very different equation in such cases, but the impact of an environ-
mental crisis involving such companies looms just as large.
It’s up to a new generation of managers, executives and owners to
embrace environmental stewardship and crisis management in every
corner of the business world. In that same way, it’s up to communica-
tion professionals to help these organizations adapt to the way people
in a 21st century society receive and interpret information about their
local environment.