{Today’s guest post comes from veteran crisis comm guy, Adam Hollingsworth, who offers up three rules for keeping the public’s trust when communicating in the midst of chaos.}

Toyota just can’t seem to get it right.  And every PR flack worth his or her salt knows it.

Toyota was slow to respond to initial reports of uncontrolled acceleration in some of its vehicles.  Their corporate suits have been defensive in both media interviews and Congressional testimony.  And, worst of all, they have been less than sympathetic to the victims of the malfunctions.

Taking these three major gaffes together, Toyota has struck out when it comes to maintaining public trust.  And it looks like they’ve forgotten one of life’s great lessons: You never have a second chance to make a first impression.

That’s particularly true in a crisis.

Having advised a number of Fortune 500 companies through headline-grabbing crises, I know that navigating the bright lights of public scrutiny is hard work.  It’s also an inexact science where even the best-intentioned can stumble.  However, over the years, I’ve developed a few key rules that must be followed – including, by the way, giving the PR folks an equal seat at the table as soon as a nightmare strikes. Read More…