By Angela Kambarian, Founder, Essential Communications
Evidence suggests that a lot of executives and business leaders have been going off-message recently, and as a result, landing themselves in hot water. Remember Elon Musk unexpectedly getting rid of his PR team or Howard Schultz potentially violating union bargaining laws? Even when communication professionals put a lot of time and effort into training executives and prepping them for interviews, some business leaders have a tendency to go rogue, disregard the rules and stir up controversy.
Oftentimes it happens just because they feel like they are the only person who can handle crisis communications, resolve problems and nail the most challenging interview questions. Sadly, this is not always the case.
There are a few crucial strategies to keep execs on track and out of trouble and prevent potentially embarrassing missteps in the face of a crisis.

PR is a discipline steeped in psychology. That’s even more obvious when you are working one-on-one with an executive. It is important to know what makes them tick, how they are likely to react and respond to stressful situations and how you can help them position themselves in the best light possible through all the turmoil happening around them.
It is crucial that a PR professional takes time to get to know that CEO and build trust. After all, business leaders usually regard PR representatives as the safety blanket. It is important to find out what the CEO’s main triggers are, the hot buttons, potential reactions, emotions, concerns and how they are likely to respond to a sticky situation.
The time to do this, of course, is not in the middle of a crisis. It’s long before. In other words, the time to start preparing for a crisis is now. A crisis professional can simulate various high-stress environments and run his/her executives through scenarios intended to mimic upcoming disasters that would have them interfacing with the public. This is a great exercise and a valuable strategy that will enable crisis professionals to understand their executives and figure out what their biggest strengths and weaknesses are.
While it is very important for PR pros to get to know their execs, they should also make sure that execs have an opportunity to get to know their reps. Why? Simply because a crisis communications specialist does not want to be some nameless, faceless flack giving urgent advice once the calamity strikes. He or she should become a trusted advisor long before crunch time hits. In fact, it is critical to organize regular meetings between PR specialists and business leaders, even when times are good and everything is under control.
Putting that time in advance can make a huge difference, and business executives will be better prepared to share all the crucial insights as well as the pros and cons of addressing challenging situations.
Ready to reignite your PR, marketing and social media campaign? Please email: angela@kambarian.com, visit http://www.kambarian.com or call (516) 724-4372 today. Let’s connect and find new ways to build your business. Looking forward to speaking with you!