Crisis Communications Plans - An Important Element of Public Relations By Patrick O'Reilly, Riverside

Introduction• Since founding OPR Communications in Riverside,

California, in 2001, Patrick O’Reilly has guided the public relations firm to national prominence. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in the communications sector, he has helped OPR Communications earn the PRWeek Public Relations Firm of the Year, in addition to achieving the Public Affairs Campaign of the Year. Under the leadership of Patrick O’Reilly, the Riverside company serves clients across the western United States in the areas of public affairs, media relations, and crisis communications.

For business leaders, developing a plan to communicate with the public following a crisis can be just as crucial as forming a plan to resolve.

Crisis Communications Plans• A crisis communications plan can protect a firm’s

reputation and brand equity, allowing it to quickly respond to and mitigate the negative press that often accompanies a corporate crisis. This is especially critical given the ever-increasing prevalence of social media. While it takes an average of 21 hours for a company to draft and release effective external communications in response to a crisis, social media facilitates the worldwide circulation of up to 69 percent of crises within 24 hours. A crisis communication plan may include a detailed social media strategy for crisis situations, helping companies to better control their public image.

Conclusion•Moreover, a dedicated crisis communications

plan allows companies to execute a premade strategy should a crisis occur, rather than requiring strategic planning in the midst of a negative press event. With such a wide variety of tasks involved in crisis management, including potential product recalls, spokesperson training, press conferences, and more, firms should ensure that they do not end up trying to put a plan in place after a crisis has already occurred.