At a recent crisis management seminar before the Chicago Chapter of the Turn Around Management Association, the discussion turned to whether the chief executive of a company should be its spokesperson in a crisis.

Having your top exec as your spokesperson in a crisis depends is generally good, but there are factors to consider. In a make-or-break the organization scenario, the CEO must to be front, center and in control. It's critical for the public and stakeholders, such as your customers, employees, directors - even your competitors - to realize your organization is taking the situation seriously with top management attention. This is especially true when the crisis involves a death or injury. Not having your CEO as your spokesperson will make your organization appear insensitive. When the crisis is less than a bet-the-company magnitude, lesser executives can be called on as spokespersons. In these instances, having the CEO seen worrying over small potatoes gives the message he or she is too consumed by lesser issues to properly focus on the big picture. It also makes the crisis appear larger than it really is. An exception to the rule should be considered when the CEO is already the spokesperson for other on-going endeavors.  Such would be the case at Sprint, a cellular phone company whose commercials feature Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. A sudden disappearance of a CEO in this instance would be negative. The CEO would be viewed as running from the crisis, exactly the opposite of what's needed.

Regardless of who speaks for your organization, the spokesperson must be knowledgeable, provided with proper media training and at ease with the media. Expertise isn't nearly as important as demeanor. A comfortable spokesperson, in calm command of the situation, is perceived as honest, in control and taking whatever necessary steps are needed to mitigate the crisis. However, an ill-at-ease spokesperson w will be seen as nervous, untruthful and ineffective. An adversarial spokesperson will also be suspect. A combative spokesperson represents the worst type of spokesperson. You might as well hand each reporter a hunting license and post signs saying it is open season on your organization.

The time to determine whether your CEO will be your spokesperson is before the crisis, when the pressure is off and you can consider all issues. Proper crisis planning with a seasoned crisis management professional is essential for all organizations. Unfortunately, too many companies have no crisis plan in place, falling victim to the biggest and most common mistake, the belief that "It can't happen here." Bad things happen to good people and good organizations. Generally, it's not a matter of if, but when. Putting a crisis plan into place should be done before the crisis, so that when the crisis does strike, full attention can be given to the most important task:  containing the damage.

Dennis Dean is an Emmy-winning journalist, public relations consultant and media trainer.
He can be reached at dennis@deangroup.com or 262-238-8740.