C4CS® - Leaders in Strategic Communication and Crisis Management

Crises for a company can take many forms. But whether they are accidental, financial, legal, or otherwise, there is one thing that all affected organizations have in common: a critical need for a successful managerial and operational response as well as effective communication with external and internal stakeholders.

And while many just talk about it, we have actually been there and done it. Be it crisis communication planning, training, testing, or incident response, C4CS® has guided the efforts of many well-known client partners on their way to more effectively communicating in times of crisis.

Our expertise includes all facets of internal and external crisis communication with an emphasis on social media monitoring, analysis, and utilization. It is our goal to maximize our client partners´ crisis preparedness through the development, implementation, and ongoing optimization of customized strategies before a crisis occurs. Trust us, as we know from experience: organizational survival and lasting business success depend upon thorough crisis prevention and preparation.

Regardless of a company’s size, reputation, or industry, preparing for effective communication in times of crisis inevitably calls for putting the proper organizational structure and processes in place. This includes assigning responsibilities, training employees, and establishing instruments that enable seamless communication including via social media, even in the face of extreme stress.

We have worked with a host of corporate, nonprofit, and government client partners determined to ready themselves for managing potentially crippling events. From a thorough initial capabilities assessment to crisis communication team member selection, and from the necessary crisis communication training and incident response testing to crafting a customized crisis communication plan and Internet strategy, our team members have the critical knowledge and expertise you are looking for.

Our firm regularly conducts scenario-based crisis communication training. We always customize the training content, include multiple on-camera exercises, and use both a pre-training questionnaire and post-training evaluation tools to continuously improve our training services.

If you would like to read a C4CS® Crisis Communication Case Study, please click here. A "Q&A on Social Media and Crisis Management" includes additional advice that is applicable across industries and geographies. A PR Profiles interview on crisis management and crisis communication is available via this link.

C4CS® Crisis Communication Laws

1. Effective crisis communication is timely, truthful, empathic, consistent, and coordinated.
2. If an organization handles the managerial and operational details of its response to a crisis well but ineffectively communicates with its internal and external stakeholders, the entire crisis response may fail.
3. A botched communication response not only leads to negative traditional and social media coverage and stakeholder scrutiny, but it may cause lasting damage to reputation, stakeholder trust, and the bottom line.
4. Developing, testing, and delivering effective stakeholder messages and the proactive monitoring, analysis, and utilization of traditional and social media are keys to successful crisis communication.
5. Effective communication at all times critically enhances stakeholder as well as traditional and social media understanding and cooperation in times of crisis.
6. Preparation is at the core of successful crisis communication and involves the development and implementation of a customized crisis communication plan that includes a social media component and recurring on-camera spokesperson as well as scenario-based crisis communication training.