For the past few years, I’ve been going back to school in the fall – as lead instructor in University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies Digital Strategy Certificate program. You can follow our Twitter conversations #digitaledu.

This semester, I’m teaching the Advanced Practices in Digital Reputation Management course again – as well as developing it into an online format.

And one of the things I say to students – working professionals, really – is that when it comes to an online issue or crisis, the question these days is not an if, but a when. And you need to ask yourself if you and your organization are really prepared. 

Thanks to social media, anyone can have a loud voice and a megaphone (a tough combination to beat) so online issues sprout up like weeds and can hit you from any direction. And one wrong step in the wrong direction turns those weeds into poison ivy.

So when you’re in the midst of a crisis, how can you operate at peak performance, think and act quickly, and be smart, empathetic and strategic?

It all comes down to training 
I’m not a runner (and I don’t play one on TV), but I do know that all my friends who participate in marathons don’t just show up on event day, they spend months beforehand training and preparing. And that’s the same attitude we need for an online crisis.

Step one is developing an issues/crisis plan that’s updated on a regular basis, identifies who the players are, how to contact them in any emergency, when to escalate and what resources you’ll need (video, a dark site that can be activated, flow of information, etc.). And of course this begins by having a listening program in place.

Step two is hitting the communications treadmill – something we do in the Advanced Practices class when we conduct a full-blown crisis role-playing scenario in real time.

The approach we use is simple yet effective, and you can adapt and replicate it in your workplace. Here’s how:

1. Use your imagination. Create a worst-case scenario for a crisis or issue that could happen to your organization. Make it really bad. Write two or three paragraphs describing what took place and no more – in a crisis, we often have to make decisions based on limited information.

2. Set the ground rules. Bring the full crisis team together in one room and explain the process. Because my class is three hours long, that’s all the time students have to react to their crisis, develop a strategy, write messages, come up with tactics, responses for social platforms and a timeline and produce a short video and written response. Three hours seems like an optimal amount of time to get this done.

3. Consider several outcomes. Don’t just develop one approach and pat yourself on the back. Always think of a couple of alternatives and exactly what you’d do to adapt if new information came to light or the situation changed. And don’t forget to be transparent, apologize and take responsibility.

4.Bring some candy. And coffee and snacks. You and the team are going to be locked away for a chunk of time and you’ll want to keep your energy up.

5. Present your strategy. At the end of the three hours, present your full written approach and video to your PR/crisis consultants and/or C-Suite and get their feedback.  Ask them if, in a real-world situation, if they would be confident executing the strategy you created. Why or why not?

6. Be honest. Evaluate where you believe you did well, how the team performed, whether or not you kept your cool and where your weaknesses are and then adjust for the next time.

Do this twice a year and you’ll be more confident and prepared when an issue or crisis does occur.

Have you lived through an online crisis at work? Can you share any tips you’ve learned along the way?

A version of this post was originally published on Spin Sucks.

About Martin Waxman

Martin Waxman, MCM, is a digital communications strategist. He conducts AI research, leads Generative AI and digital and social media training workshops and speaks at events across North America. He's co-founder of two PR agencies, president of a consultancy and has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Martin is a LinkedIn Learning instructor, adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Business and associate director of the Future of Marketing Institute. He also teaches digital marketing strategy at McMaster University. He's a member of the Institute for Public Relations Digital Media Research Center and a past-chair of PRSA Counselors Academy. He has a Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster-Syracuse Universities.

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