You grab your sweater if the weatherman says it may get cold later in the day. You have gum or a mint with you at the luncheon in case the meal has garlic or onions in it. You bring along an umbrella if they are predicting rain. You hide a spare key under a rock outside your home.

Why do you do these things? Because you want to be prepared…just in case.

In business, this is also important. Is your company ready if/when a crisis hits? A product recall. An incident at a plant. A natural disaster. An industry-wide safety concern. Whatever the crisis, it would better to have a plan in place of how to handle a crisis situation. How do you inform employees, customers and the general public? Do you have the contact information for all the key folks you need to reach? Who is your media spokesperson? Who is the backup for your key spokesperson? What is the protocol for crisis A, B and C?

Some crisis communications plans detail the protocol for different types of crises. Some are just a few pages long and contain the top line info needed to take action quickly and intelligently. No matter how long or short, it is better to have a crisis communications plan in place.

Does your company have one?