We all watched with fascinated horror as the train wreck of Susan G. Komen for the Cure vs. Planned Parenthood unfolded last week. I’m not going to get into the politics of either organization or the announcement and apparent reversal of the announcement in the span of 72 hours. For us, it’s a living, breathing example of how quickly things can go from bad to full-on disaster.

Locally, we had a similar (but much smaller in scale) example of how quickly public opinion can influence a situation when Community Choice Credit Union bought the naming rights to Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

In both cases, the organizations were forced to reverse decisions in a very public way that not only changed their business plans but also damaged their reputation unnecessarily.

If I were going to make up a case study on how not to handle a public firestorm, I couldn’t have done a better job than the example that Komen gave us. Let’s dissect what went wrong so you can make sure it never happens to you.

Have a plan in place. Clearly the Komen organization was unprepared for the public reaction. It was caught flat-footed way too often for an organization of its size and scope.

Silence is never golden. In today’s 24/7 news world, silence or “no comment” just doesn’t fly. That’s why having a plan in place long before you need it is so essential. To the public, silence means “they’re hiding something.”

You can argue that the reaction isn’t fair, but there is no fair in public opinion. It’s just perception, which quickly turns into reality.

Once the snowball starts down the hill, it’s tough to reverse. The fact that Planned Parenthood has enjoyed a surge of donations (more than $650,000 in the first 24 hours of the controversy) is proof that once the public grabs hold of a story, it’s nearly impossible to get it back. No doubt some of those donors were former Komen donors who were expressing their displeasure with their wallet. It’s going to be very tough for Komen to win them back.

Avoid political or emotionally charged issues. Unless your company is involved in politics or a hot-button issue like the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate, don’t go there. Ever. Some organizations can’t avoid this; it’s part of their DNA, mission or owner’s personal agenda.

But if none of those apply to you, avoid those shark-infested waters. The risks are far too great and the consequences very real and permanent. Society has become much quicker to polarize on issues, and once organizations land on one extreme, they tend to stay there.

Get help. Professional help. I don’t know one of my PR brethren who would have recommended that Community Choice, Vets or Komen handle things the way they did.

If your organization is about to embark on something that will be observed by the public, get professional guidance on how to handle the situation. And not the day before the announcement. Let one of us help you think through what you’re trying to achieve and how to best get it without finding yourself in an unenviable firestorm.

One final note: Don’t poo-poo all of this just because you’re a small organization. If anything, you’re even more vulnerable, because you don’t have the rich resources to withstand this sort of public scrutiny and outrage. Be smart. Be prepared and don’t go it alone.