Are you preparing to emerge in a position of strength from the current recession? Reaching a national audience, Michael Snyder of The MEK Group profiled key advice for aggressively addressing critical communication issues.

The good news? More and more economists note a definite rise in key economic indicators, possibly signaling that the official end to this brutal recession may shape up later this year. The not-so-good news? The net effects of these cruel financial times may linger for months, even years.

Small and large businesses alike have already faced furloughs, payroll delays, benefit cuts and layoffs. More are promised in the coming months. With anxious employees and top talent possibly looking for a way out, will they still be around when times turn upward? Will your investors and stakeholders stay the course with you, or look for an exit strategy?

These are important questions. Here are seven considerations to ponder as you navigate the turbulent months ahead:

1. Do your customers, prospects and suppliers still know that you're a going concern? If you're like most commercial companies, you probably cut your own advertising and marketing budget in 2008 to conserve cash. Now is the time to think about positioning, but not necessarily to move product or sell services. According to national economist and forecaster Alan Beaulieu, companies today should now begin raising fresh and positive awareness of their operations. Otherwise, given the instantaneous viral nature of online communication, unanticipated rumors about your company's possible demise can shatter reputation and smack your otherwise solid bottom line in a hurry.

2. Are you operating off a value proposition created before the fourth quarter of 2008? Customers buy services and products because of perceived value creation. When sages like Warren Buffett warn that consumer behavior is changing, perhaps permanently, it's time to dust off older value propositions and re-evaluate them in the light of a changing market. The year 2010 will see dramatic differences in economic behavior. What will really differentiate your company in the coming months and years?

3. Are you communicating bad news early, genuinely and appropriately? Millions of people have been laid off in the past few months. Employees now watch closely and anxiously for signs of impending distress that may result in their own personal pink slip. Nobody likes to be the bearer of bad news, and as a result too often troublesome delays in communication occur. As Cisco CEO John Chambers said of the last recession: "Without exception, all of my biggest mistakes occurred because I moved too slowly." We tell our clients this truism: "In the absence of credible information, people will make it up." So plan it out and do it fast.

4. Is your board on board? This vicious recession has one remarkable difference from times past: Corporate boards of directors are coming under direct attack for lack of perceived guidance and bad judgment in directing strategy. If your leadership is considering selling off part of your company, seeking private equity to shore up cash reserves or another radical move, is your board fully aware and supportive? Or will they find out about their company's new corporate initiative by reading the business news? Get serious about issues management.

5. Forget the blast email—get personal. A few decades ago, executives sometimes communicated bad news by hiding behind a nameless memo copied and widely distributed. Today, some unfortunately do the same thing using emails. Getting laid off or enduring a salary furlough is bad enough. Don't violate your employees trust and enrage them by using a hired gun or a nameless online announcement to communicate bad news. Brief your managers and go person-to-person and in small groups to let people know what's going on.

6. Embrace word of mouth—anticipate and face the challenge of employee unrest and low morale. In a fiscal crisis of today's magnitude, it's not a question of whether some employees will react badly and distribute insider bad news—real or made up—about your company. It's more a question of when. And bad news travels fast, particularly when employees can simply re-distribute an internal confidential email to thousands of people, including news media, in seconds. Don't send anyone an email that you wouldn't want to later read on the front page of the business section.

7. Remember—honesty sustains brands and reputation. To survive in times like these, character and real corporate values must be front and center. When you do make promises, make sure that you deliver. Remember that consistently fulfilled promises do more to sustain brands—inside and out—than almost anything else. Also, turbulent times reveal real character. Your employees and co-workers are now making decisions about whether they still want to work for you based on how you communicate bad news and demonstrate leadership. It's windy at the top, so be prepared to take some heat. But also be prepared with genuine, compassionate communication that will foster later buy-in and rebuilding.

Like all others in the past, this recession will end. Do the right thing now to create long-term value, keep your top talent in place and your reputation intact.

Michael Snyder is managing principal of The MEK Group, a regional PR and marketing B2B firm that elevates and sustains market share, mindshare, productivity and distinctive brand awareness.