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Hot Water
If your organization doesn’t have a crisis communications plan, now is the time to draft one. We all like to think “that will never happen to me,” but that is usually when a crisis hits. And, drafting your crisis plan while you are smack in the middle of a crisis is never a good idea. You’ll have more important things to do.
Your crisis plan doesn’t need to be bigger than the phone book; it just needs to include the basics to get you out of hot water and back to business as usual.
The first step 20 Hats takes when developing plans for clients is to create a crisis inventory. We brainstorm all the crises that could possibly happen to your organization (yes, even the really bad ones). Then we rank each one according to how likely it is to happen and how damaging it would be to your organization.
Next, we select the three or four crises that ranked the highest and consider things like warning signs for that particular crisis, how you would respond to media questions about the situation, what immediate steps you would to take to minimize damage and the key messages your organization would want to stress.
Next, we advise clients to create a crisis team, which is usually made up of four to six people who are decision makers in the organization. For a non-profit, the manager of the team would likely be the executive director; for a corporation, the director of public relations or communications.
We also suggest selecting a media spokesperson. This person will handle all media relations during the crisis. It’s best to only have one spokesperson during a crisis; this ensures consistency and reduces confusion.
Next, we identify your target audiences, both internal and external, and determine the most effective ways to reach each audience during a crisis. After that, we develop detailed strategies and tactics for each audience.
Of course, the size of the organization and the situation dictate the detail of most plans.
So what’s the minimum planning your organization should do? If nothing else, consider what information you would want to have handy during a crisis, such as sample statements to the media, bios of key people in your organization and background information on the organization. And make sure you keep those materials up-to-date and ready to use.
Build Your Brand
When Partners HR asked 20 Hats to create a new brochure promoting its services, the company didn't know it would receive a new look that would not only help increase awareness among potential clients but also differentiate the company from its competitors.
20 Hats' goal for this project was designing a consistent image for Partners HR by using a cohesive look throughout all the company's pieces. In addition, 20 Hats wanted to create an unusual, creative image that would get people talking about Partners HR.
20 Hats used similar imagery thoughout each piece created. For example, the same graphic elements are featured on all marketing collateral including brochures, proposals and PowerPoint presentaions. In addition, the brochure is 6x6” (not 8.5x11”) and has a contempary look that is very different from most of Partners' more traditional competitors. The size and bright design reinforce Partners’ message that it is an innovative and progressive player in its industry.
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