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From The Public Relations Practitioner’s Playbook for (all) Strategic Communicators: Bill Jones’ 10 Commandments of Crisis Communication* (J. William Jones – Corporate Public Affairs – PECO (now retired)
1. Perception is reality. If your audience thinks it is, it is.
2. Response is control. The community wants access to information, and
no crisis is unmanageable if you give clear, cool facts.
3. Information is power.
4. Credibility is survival.
5. Body language is crucial. If you behave like you have something to
hide, people will think that you do.
6. Calmness is essential. Unflappability is your best asset. Always act
knowledgeable and calm.
7. Give a confession. The public and the media want a confession; so
don’t be afraid to admit mistakes.
8. Tell the franchise what happened. It is in the best interest of the
community to keep them informed.
9. Preparation is 99% of success.
10. Out of every crisis comes the chance to “build a better mousetrap.”
From every crisis there are major lessons to be learned.
11. Pray like hell that you never have to handle numbers 1 through 10!
[To comment: larry at larry litwin dot com]