The art of crisis management Move Fast To move quickly, you've got to have a pre-set plan. Know which teams need to report first and to whom. Forbes.com

The art of crisis management Be Visible The CEO is the head of a company and needs to impart the message that the buck stops with her. That means the CEO must speak and appear publicly. Forbes.com

The art of crisis management In-House Red Cross Have people who can show up and help customers in a time of crisis. In the case of Con Ed, they should have had company representatives on the ground to hand out water and keep customers informed of ongoing repairs. Forbes.com

The art of crisis management Investigate Have an internal team in place to find out exactly what went wrong and how to fix it. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Don't Hide The Bad News Let the public know exactly what they should expect. In the case of Con Ed, they should have told people exactly how long the power would likely be out. That would have enabled customers to plan better. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Set Up A Command Center This is a clearinghouse for any news about what's going on. "What we understood is reporters were interviewing people going into manholes and got contradictory information from the company," says Scott Tangney, executive vice president at the public relations firm Makovsky & Co. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Communicate Frequently Have daily press conferences. This is a way to avoid rumors and build credibility with the public. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Perception Vs. Reality Understand the difference between the two. "Maybe Con Ed was fixing the problem, but externally it didn't look that way," says Robin Cohn, of Robin Cohn & Co., a Manhattan-based crisis management firm. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Be Sincere Be sincere in your apology. CEOs should express that they have put themselves in customers' shoes and understands how bad the situation is. Cohn says it's even acceptable to say that you actually can't imagine how bad the situation must be. New York City's Mayor Bloomberg showed he understood the plight of New Yorkers during last winter’s transportation workers strike. Instead of riding a limo to work, he walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in freezing cold. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â

The art of crisis management Be Smart And Empathetic Don't do anything to make people angrier. The Con Ed CEO enraged New York residents when he called the power outage an "inconvenience." It certainly was more than that since so many shop and restaurant owners lost tens of thousands of dollars in business and inventory. Forbes.com © Dale Rutter                         Â