3 distinct—and crucial—plans for addressing particular crises
If your organization’s leaders keep referring to some vague crisis plan, you need to give them a reality check. These are the three plans every organization must have.
This piece is part of Ragan’s Crisis Communications Guidebook, 2020 Edition. Get your copy of the full book here.
Imagine this: You are eating dinner at a major corporate event. The event serves soup for dinner, and a spoon is the only utensil you need. However, the table is set with a knife and fork. You don’t have the right tool for the job, which means you can’t eat your soup.
Why do you only have a knife and fork? Because one of the top corporate officials declared that each person needed a utensil for dinner. The terminology was flawed.
Now consider this: As a public relations expert and communications professional, you might not have the right crisis communications plan and tools because of one flawed name: “crisis plan.”
Three types of documents are generically—and incorrectly—referred to as a crisis plan. This is a confusing mistake.
Every business should have three plans (with three separate names):
1. The crisis communications plan.
2. The emergency operations plan.
3. The risk management plan.
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