Don’t wait for a crisis to happen. Be prepared.
You never know when a crisis will happen, but you can bet it will at some point in your career. There are two main types of crisis – operational and communication. Operational crisis include things that disrupt normal business operations. These can include physical injury or death of an employee, a chemical spill, an active shooter, fire or weather event. A communications crisis includes any threat to your brand. It can basically be summed up as anything that hits the media you didn’t plan for.
When a crisis hits do you have a plan ready? You’ve got to be ready to get information to your stakeholders, employees and the public.
Here’s a quick checklist to make sure you are prepared.

1. Make plans based on different types of scenarios that could affect your industry. Know why each matters and how it would impact your business.
2. Do you have a team in place? Who is the spokesperson? Who will handle social media? Who preps the CEO? What happens in each department?
3. Do you know your public? Make a list of stakeholders, vendors, families. Anyone you might need to reach depending on the crisis.
4. Make sure your media list is up to date.
5. Are their outside resources who can lend a hand?
6. Review and Revise the plan often. A plan is only as good as the last time your used it. Make sure your review quarterly so that you will be prepared when a crisis hits.