A “crisis” is any sudden, unplanned event that threatens a company’s reputation or undermines the trust of those who do business with it. Such an event can lead to serious consequences

issues such as declining trust, changes in the competitive landscape, accusations by employees or others, sudden government decisions, product shortages, or any other undesirable negative outcomes.

Any corporate crisis must be addressed with the media, government, and customers when the situation is precarious and calls for proactive action. “Crisis management”

is an integrated, systematic process designed to control negative effects, mitigate their impact, and prevent them from affecting the company’s financial position, while also building a stronger standing

with everyone connected to the company, including customers, investors, employees, and the community.

When managing any crisis, two goals must be pursued in parallel: resolving the problem and building effective communication.

The first goal is to identify the cause of the “problem” that led to the crisis. This is usually handled by the relevant employees within the company.

The second goal is effective communication: providing everyone connected to the company’s operations with all information related to the crisis, including the media and the parties

affected by the crisis, as well as the company’s staff and employees. Achieving this goal requires positive collaboration with the company’s “Public Relations Department” and legal experts

to prepare appropriate statements, press releases, announcements, and reports. This is where specialized public relations agencies come in.

Although most crises affecting companies share characteristics worldwide, a few years ago communication channels were limited to the mainstream media,

However, today we face a vast and growing world of communication channels that cannot be fully controlled or directed. We now have blogs

and social networks that bring together large virtual communities from everywhere. In this new environment, rumors and hearsay proliferate and spread from

a handful of people to millions. When a company sets up channels to communicate with the public, it must not forget its internal community of

employees and partners, who have their own extensive virtual communities. At times, this can undermine and diminish the impact of the company’s official messages to the public.

Crises can arise from internal causes and, at times, external ones. Some crises, such as natural disasters and rumors, cannot be avoided. That is why it is essential to always be prepared

for situations like these.

Failing to “plan” for these situations can cost companies dearly. For example, studies have shown that stock prices can fall by 15 percent.

if a company is unable to manage the crisis it is facing. Meanwhile, stock prices rise by an average of 7 percent at companies that are adept at managing

ع هذه المواقف.

According to the American Institute for Crisis Management,ت69 percent of crises are the kind that start small and take days, weeks, or even months before they

get out of control and attract public attention.

Sometimes a “crisis” is misdiagnosed or misjudged because some people think it came out of nowhere. But that isn’t true. The circumstances, facts, and data

confirm that most crises unfold in plain sight, but take time to catch fire.

Although most “crises” arise from simple, peripheral issues, once they develop into major crises, they share common characteristics

with global crisis patterns, including:

- Surprise and panic

- Misinformation

- An escalating sequence of events

-فقدان السيطرة

- Strong external intervention

- A closed mindset

- A focus on short-term solutions

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 ويمكن تقسيم الأزمة إلى ثلاث مراحل:

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1 – Preparation / Prevention

The communications plan during this phase focuses on several key areas:

- Identifying areas of risk and impact through risk audits, particularly those involving the brand name

- Guiding the crisis management team on what to do, how to communicate with the public, and what to disclose—guidance that should be included in the crisis response manual

-تزويد فريق Crisis management Providing the team with the necessary tools and skills through training courses on crisis and media management

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2 – Crisis Response / Containment

Crisis response involves efforts to minimize system downtime or shut systems down, and prevent them from reaching any other internal or external parties. It

Successful crisis management means communicating effectively—not only limiting the impact of a crisis, but also turning the outcome around to strengthen the company’s positive reputation before

تتطور الأزمة.

During a crisis, almost everyone is anxious or panicking. That’s why clear guidance on the best way to manage crises is essential to help the team responsible for

addressing the issue take the right steps. Thoughtful communication in these situations is critical. The tools used may include:

press releases, advertisements, promotional videos, the website, and more. It is essential to establish a robust system for monitoring the media, press,

الالكترونية وآراء الجمهور customers, and employees.

What should be done? It says, ” وارن بافيت “ : «قم بالعمل بشكل صحيح، وسريع لتتخلص من الأزمة سريعاً».

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3 – Recovery/Relaunch

The recovery phase refers to returning the company’s operations to normal. It is also important at this stage to understand how others view the crisis and gather their opinions

about the company. This is an opportunity to build and develop a database of information about the audiences affected by the crisis, which can then be used to guide communications

with them through appropriate and effective channels.

The scope of impact must always be taken into account: employees, the media, investors, peer organizations and partners, the government, and all other stakeholders.

ذات الصلة.

Although most large, leading companies have clear plans for managing crises as they arise and for communicating with the media,

the public, and financial markets, few have a clear plan for communicating with their employees during a crisis. Strategic communication with employees is not

only essential and important; it is also the best investment a company can make in responding to any emergency and turning its negative beginnings into positive outcomes.

A crisis can distract senior management, create confusion, and heighten emotions across the company. Strategic communication

with employees during a crisis helps reassure them and ease their anxiety, enabling them to focus on

Meeting customer needs and prioritizing performance can help the company emerge from the crisis with a positive impact. Employees can act as company spokespeople, whether

positively or negatively, through their interactions with customers, partners, friends, neighbors, and even Competitors. It is therefore crucial to recognize that how they feel

about the way their company handles the crisis can influence how they interact with others, including the media. With people—including employees—widely using modern digital communication channels, their attitudes play a prominent role in addressing any crisis the company may face.

An effective crisis communication strategy should include the following:

An effective crisis communication strategy should include the following:

Don’t act as if it doesn’t matter when it does.

Don’t designate more than one company spokesperson.

Keep the public informed regularly and accurately, using language everyone can understand and communicating through the media. If you don’t, rumors will spread and intensify.

الوضع سوءاً.

Keep government officials and the press fully informed. Don’t wait for them to contact you.

Present a perspective that serves the public interest, not the company’s interests.

Also keep your own audiences in mind: employees, the sales team, and shareholders.

Make press representatives part of your crisis management team. You need their support in getting your messages to the public.

Don’t speculate about what happened.

Don’t get caught up in blaming others.

Avoid negativity and responses like “No comment!”

Don’t criticize your competitors.

Don’t disclose or release sensitive information.

- Don’t hold back information from the press; doing so prolongs the crisis.

But can we prevent a crisis from spreading? Yes, by taking three steps: assessment, planning, and training.

First, we assess the tools, channels, and sources used to communicate during a crisis. Next comes planning: writing and preparing a crisis management handbook that covers methods for

communicating during a crisis, with clear steps and procedures to follow. Training courses and workshops are held on crisis communication mechanisms and systems,

and simulated crisis scenarios are developed to train employees on how to respond. That’s why it’s very important to develop and prepare a communication strategy for crisis management.

للموظفين.