Six strategies for managing a professional crisis

Six strategies for managing a professional crisisSix strategies for managing a professional crisisAt some point in your career, you might be at the unfortunateend of aprofessional crisis. Lets say you accidentally sent out a mass email. Or worse, you committed the ultimate career suicide and hooked up with your boss. Whether it be a small or large faux pas, here are six damage control tips from two PR prosSay somethingThe first 48 hours of a crisis is critical. To ensure you remain in control of how the story is told, first acknowledge the situation. Next, youll start taking the necessary steps to shape the outcome.Create a strong response in a firm clear languageUsing weak words or phrases such as maybe and just strip your authority and make you seem powerless. Manyspeech expertsrecommend eliminating those words from your vocabulary altogether. Replace these phrases with I think, I believe, and I feel. For even stronger options use Im confident, Im convinced, and I expect.Build con sensus among natural allies potential rivalsYou may have to dig but in every situation, there are at least a handful of things everyone can agree on. Find those few things and use them as a tool to bring people to your side.Drive the storyTheres always an informationvacuum surrounding every story. Fill it or it will be filled for you. Set the record straight by addressing misinformed parties of your side of the story.Dont lie or spin the truthTheres nothing is worse than being caught in a lie. Most people have a short memory, and can be pretty forgiving if you are open and honest. Share as much information as possible todemonstrate credibility.Have a planBe prepared to communicate quickly over all forms of social and traditional media. If you usually find yourself lost for words, jot down a few talking points. This will make it easier to get your point across in a clear and concise way in high-stress situations. Have pre-developed answers to awkward questions will show that you are grace under pressure. Hesitation is death.Joy Lammie is a crisis communications expert with more than 6 years of experience in the Washington, DC social and political scene.Michael Hardaway is a crisis communications advisor who guides professional athletes, policymakers, and corporate leaders.This article first appeared on Capitol Standard.close dialogAdvertisement close dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012255 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012255-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012255 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012255 bx-creative-1012255 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012255 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color erkennbarborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whitebor der-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-group-1012255-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-element-1012255-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)