Sooner or later, even the most successful organizations encounter a crisis. How one reacts to this breaking situation—in the first 12-24 hours especially—is crucial. And Travers Collins has the instincts, experience and PR smarts necessary to defend your company and your reputation.

With an effective crisis plan, virtually any situation can be dealt with and the damage minimized. In fact, when handled properly, such situations can actually be opportunities to improve your reputation.

Here are some guidelines that will help you survive a crisis:

1.    Be prepared. Have a flexible, written crisis communication plan and team in place, in advance.

2.    Initiate the plan at the first hint of a problem.

3.    Don’t panic. Gather as much initial information as possible and establish a chronology of events.

4.    Determine what messages need to be communicated, identify your spokesperson (if needed) and draft a preliminary media statement.

5.    Don’t hide. “No comment” will just fan the flames and delay the inevitable.

6.    Respond quickly, honestly and consistently. When you don’t know something, say so. If you can’t comment on something, explain why.

7.    Log all action items and keep a detailed list of phone calls and/or media inquiries, and where they fall on the priority list.

8.    Continue to monitor the situation and update key publics as needed.

9.    Correct false reports, rumors or misinformation immediately.

10.    Evaluate the results of your efforts and begin developing a follow-up strategy.