They say chance favours the prepared mind. Odds are high any given organization will encounter a crisis or issue at some point in their business life cycle. Don’t leave your reputation to chance - have a plan.
Griffin crisis communications plans use a proven framework, customized to your business, to guide and empower your team to respond to media, staff, and other stakeholders when things go awry. Don’t get stuck behind the eight ball. Get a Griffin crisis or issues management plan.
Prepare your organization to communicate effectively in the event of a crisis. Crisis plans outline communications roles, responsibilities, policies and protocols as they relate to different crisis severity levels. They include a toolkit to empower the team to act fast under pressure.
Need to set the story straight? Need to improve your reputation? An issues management plan will either help you anticipate and avoid, mitigate, or react to issues appropriately.
Laurie created several crisis communications plans, familiarized teams with protocols, and led tabletop crisis exercises while serving at a boutique crisis communications agency (it was later acquired by a larger firm where Laurie continued to provide crisis communications plans and services). Over the years, Laurie helped develop and evolve the firm's crisis planning approach and plan format to optimize effectiveness and ease of use. She has created crisis plans for organizations in the energy, agriculture, non-profit, and finance sectors.
Additionally, Laurie developed two proactive issues management frameworks, including one for a provincial government and one for a Fortune 500 company experiencing regular media scrutiny. Laurie also offers strategic advice, short term plans and tactical implementation in reaction to emerging issues that have included a hostile takeover bid, a plant closure, and funding cuts.
Laurie developed a stakeholder advocacy strategy in partnership with a colleague for an educational institution in response to funding cuts. Laurie penned an opinion editorial (on behalf of the institution's former Principal) that was published by the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal. Outcomes of the strategy included a mobilization of advocates, and increased stakeholder support and collaboration between the organization and the education community (school boards, trustees, and students).
Laurie developed a four-scenario communications plan as a refinery in Atlantic Canada searched for prospective buyers for its facility. The plan included contingency strategies in the event of four possible outcomes, including a full closure of the plant. The plan was used to navigate media responses, employee communications and community engagement throughout the process before and after a buyer was eventually found.