In case you missed it earlier in the week, this insightful article from Peter Goodman (@petersgoodman) at The New York Times is on my list of recommended weekend reading for anyone in the communications field. Goodman examines PR in times of crisis and "real reputational implosions," evidenced most recently by the likes of BP (@BP_America), Toyota (@Toyota) and Goldman Sachs. Whether addressing urgent crises or slower burn issues management, the lessons still being learned by these examples are extremely relevant.
"The calamities have served up a lifetime supply of case studies to be mined for lessons on best practices, as well as pitfalls to avoid when disaster arrive. As conventional wisdom has it, the three companies at the center of these fiascos worsened their problems by failing to heed established protocol: When the story is bad, disclose it immediately - awful parts included - lest you be forced to backtrack and slide into the death spiral of lost credibility."
Here are 5 nuggets of wisdom all of us in communications circles would do well to keep in mind when the crisis engine turns on:
1. Move swiftly and be forthright
"In the view of many who are paid to extract corporations from terrible situations, Toyota, BP and Goldman exacerbated their woes by either declining to fess up promptly, casting blame elsewhere or striking adversarial postures with the public, the government and the news media."
