Crisis communication -- be prepared

You never know when you might have a crisis communication need. By definition, you can't predict a crisis; but you can prepare a crisis communication plan. It might not be along the lines of the Tylenol poisonings or
the Illinois governor's arrest, but many small crises loom around business every day.

Last night, a local investigative news team did a piece on a local hospital where they have some issues with their in-house food prep. Scary stuff, although they did sensationalize it. Their response was not bad, but, clearly, this has been a ongoing issue that should have been addressed by now.

The local newspaper did a story about the county suing the companies who built structures at the local fairgrounds. Radio silence from all the involved parties, both local and national. Proactive crisis communication, combined with other good-faith efforts, might have averted the lawsuit altogether, not to mention the story.