Why You Still Need a Crisis Communications Plan (TUES 6/2)

We all know that good communication in a crisis can make or break a reputation. But as PR News recently stated, “the old crisis communications playbook is dead.”

Still, some associations executives might be tempted to think they’ve made it past the toughest part of this pandemic and might not need to worry about a crisis communications plan at this point.

“Not so fast,” says Alex Plaxen, vice president of experience strategy, Nifty Method Marketing & Events.

Plaxen has been talking about this topic for years in the events industry and he says knowing the principles of great crisis management isn’t enough. He also knows that there are many organizations that aren’t ready for another crisis.

Plaxen will be sharing more about this topic on an upcoming episode of the Association Chat Podcast on Tuesday, June 2 from 2 to 4 pm ET.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-you-still-need-a-crisis-comms-plan-tickets-106942692472

We asked Alex to answer a few questions to share with people why they should listen to this episode.

AC: Why is it important for people to attend this interview?

AP: As the world begins to open back up again and in the coming months there will be face to face events, hybrid events, and virtual events, understanding how to communicate to your stakeholders will be critical. Unexpected crises will happen. It’s not a matter of if, but when. Less than 10% of events have a crisis communications plan, and there will be a lot of organizations that fail to communicate effectively and will open themselves up to criticism and possibly worse outcomes.

AC: What are most people missing when it comes to this topic?

AP: A crisis communications plan is different and should exist separately from your crisis management plan. Too often organizations will attempt to turn one into the other. Time and energy needs to be devoted separately to the crisis communications plan to make it robust and effective. It should not be one page in a 20-page crisis management plan.

AC: What have you learned about crisis comms since COVID-19 hit the industry?

AP: Crisis Communications is not a mad lib. You should not be copying and pasting another organization’s messaging.

As you can probably already tell, Alex isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.

Please join us for the Association Chat Podcast live episode with Alex Plaxen on Tuesday, June 2 from 2 to 4 pm ET.

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-you-still-need-a-crisis-comms-plan-tickets-106942692472

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