Crisis Communications Plans

Effective crisis communications plans are built on immediacy, accountability and transparency. An organization’s response during a critical time can make the crucial difference between success and failure. To survive a challenge with its hard-earned reputation intact, an organization must respond swiftly, act decisively, and communicate clearly – not easy things to do when the world seems to be falling apart around you.

But with effective crisis planning, training, and management, an organization can not only survive a trying time, it may emerge from it stronger and with new opportunities.

The veteran crisis counselors at Furia Rubel can help your organization plan for and navigate different types of crises. We handle crisis communications, crisis planning and crisis management for many organizations from a wide range of industries. We take pride in our relationships and always maintain strict confidentiality, including any information related to crisis management and the development of incident response plans.

Crisis Communications Services

Crisis Planning

• Identify crisis scenarios and risks
• Develop a crisis communications strategy
• Draft a crisis response plan, also known as a crisis manual or incident response plan
• Implement protocols for crisis response

Crisis Training

• Prepare mock crisis scenarios and develop key messages
• Test the process, plan and protocols
• Train the internal crisis response team (CRT)
• Provide media training to designated representatives

Crisis Management

• Implement the crisis response plan, including drafting holding statements, press releases, social media management, online monitoring, and media relations
• Manage the crisis response team
• Communicate with key stakeholders: employees, customers, shareholders, community and media
• Monitor and manage reputation impact

Crisis Evaluation

• Perform crisis response S.W.O.T. analysis
• Monitor and analyze media coverage
• Hold debriefing and discuss change management
• Recommend improvements to response plan
• Maintain and update crisis plan

Most of the time, we are working to get attention for our public relations clients. For crisis clients, the opposite is true. Therefore, most of the incident response scenarios handled by our marketing and PR agency, listed below, do not include client names or specifics, in order to protect confidentiality.

• Managed the crisis response plan and served as the facilitator for a professional service firm that has more than 1,000 employees and often has the majority of its senior officers travel to and attend executive meetings at the same time in the same location.
• Advised various law firms about reputation management in high-profile litigation and representation of clients in controversial matters including but not limited to national elections, environmental issues, mass shootings, international conflicts, wars and political unrest.
• Assisted a nonprofit agency in a major metropolitan area with its internal and external messaging during a high-profile crisis.
• Planned and executed a mock bomb threat drill for Oxford Valley Mall. The drill provided emergency response and security teams with an opportunity to rehearse emergency protocols and procedures in the event of a real bomb threat, mass shooter or terrorist threat.
• Handled crisis communications during public rallies, protests and demonstrations for retail facilities, municipalities, and legal matters including death penalty cases.
• Oversaw messaging and internal management in several matters after it was discovered that senior officers had embezzled client and/or corporate funds.
• Provided crisis management when a senior executive was accused of divulging confidential client information to a whistle blower – leading to a multi-billion-dollar qui tam lawsuit.
• Provided crisis management for a public-facing business when a senior executive was arrested for a sexually related crime.
• Handled employee and client communications for various clients who lost power and/or facilities during Hurricane Sandy and other natural disasters.
• Provided crisis planning and management for law firms, banks, nonprofit associations and biotechnology organizations.

Your reputation is your lifeline. Everything in your business depends on it. We believe in planning to protect a reputation. We can help you minimize damage from a public crisis or negative media coverage and to manage your company’s hard-earned reputation. Our strategic counsel allows you and your organizations to keep your reputation intact, while responding to every incident proactively and capitalizing on the opportunities.

Now is the time to contact Furia Rubel. Our communication and public relations experts can help your business plan ahead. Your reputation matters.

You may also be interested in:
Should You Hire an Agency, or Go It Alone? Here’s What to Consider in a Crisis [article]
Resilience in Times of Crisis and Calm with Renee Branson [podcast]
Our podcast, On Record PR, addresses business management issues, media relations, and leadership opportunities. If you’re interested in media training, take time to listen to the interviews with today’s journalists.