A
crisis is any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of a company
or individual, usually resulting from a legal dispute, theft, accident, fire,
flood or manmade disaster, product defect or other situation attributed to a
company or individual, which is escalated by adverse or negative public opinion
or media attention. It can also be attributed when in the eyes of the the public
a company or individual did not act or react in a generally perceived
acceptable manner. To understand how to
control character and personality of a crisis and deal with the media and public
it is important to be prepared, have a strategic plan and a complete
understanding of media communications, PR teams, and how to utilize and manage
all of the tools at your disposal.
A
crisis situation, puts a great deal of
pressure on organizations to respond with complete and accurate information as
quickly as possible. How an organization responds in the first 24 hours,
experts say, often determines whether the situation remains an “incident” or
becomes a full-blown crisis. (Public
Relations Today: Managing Competition and Conflict)
Public
Relations professionals need to act quickly and use all the traditional and new
social media tools at their disposal to control information and distinguish
fact from rumor and fiction. When working on a crisis consider what the most
effective method of communication would be for each group or individuals
affected. As the PR specialist, you determine the most effective method of
communication
Today's business environment
requires a vigorous plan to deal with unanticipated crises. The company’s
reputation and brand, as well as the trust and loyalty of employees and
shareholders, are all critical factors in the background of crisis management. (Business Publications Dec, 2005 by Nancy R. Lockwood http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_12_50/ai_n15976152/
If
handled properly the damage can be minimized and in some case turned into a
positive. When a crisis rears its ugly, head immediately contact the President
and or CEO or the company. The sooner you get the top management involved the
sooner you can implement a plan to deal with the crisis.
As
a PR specialist, it is essential to identify what actions should be taken and
form a PR communications group. The group should be comprised of individuals
who are knowledgeable to the situation. They should include the President, CEO,
chief of public relations, the Vice President, Senior manager, the safety
and/or security officer, the organization Lawyer, and anyone else who might be have
crucial and or relevant information.
The
purpose of this group is to come up with and agree on a plan of action and
designate a spokesperson. Each member of the Crisis PR group should have
cellular phone numbers and email addresses of each team member so immediate
contact can be made should new information or circumstances arise. Crisis has a
unique way of not happening at the most convenient time or place.
One
major question is should the CEO act as the spokesperson, the answer is generally
no. The
CEO is the company's most powerful, authoritative
voice. Using the CEO in such a recurring
role will dilute his or her influence in the same way an overexposed elected
official loses credibility. (ProQuest Document ID: 2166615801).
In
addition, if CEO spends significant time interacting with media it becomes the
media and the public believe they are not fulfilling the primary responsibility
of overseeing efforts to resolve the crisis. It is better to use a company
executive several more positions lower in the management chain of command as a
primary spokesperson. This official should be an executive team member, have
knowledge of what is in progress to mitigate and resolve the crisis He or she
should be a trustworthy voice to deliver timely information and respond to the
media’s challenging questions. (ProQuest Document ID: 2166615801).
This isn't to imply the CEO should remain completely distant. Crises
can pose considerable risks to reputation, or profits so they command a clear display
of leadership and understanding from the head of the organization. In these
situations, the CEO should be part of the communications process through a
periodic public briefing/ news conference. (ProQuest Document ID: 2166615801).
The
Public Relations specialist should designate personal to answer phones and escort
media into conference areas. At the very beginning of a crisis, a prepared
statement should be developed. The statement for example should state "We
are still being gathering the facts, there will be a press conference scheduled, please
provide your contact information including email address and we will contact
you to let you know exactly when."
One
of the first responsibilities of the crisis communication should be to
determine the position of the company or individual will take and the message that
will be given to address the crisis. The best course of action is Tell it all, tell
it expeditiously, and always tell the truth. Do not guess or speculate.
Take immediate action to
minimize any potential danger to human life. If for any reason, any reason at all there are lives
are in jeopardy, be sure to immediately address those principal concerns. The
PR specialist must convenience the media and the public the company is in fact
doing this by the best available means. Tell the media, all affected and the
public how, what, who and when you sprung into action. Negligence with human
life is unforgivable by everybody. Do your very best to understand what the
public's concerns, put yourself in their shoes and address those concerns without
delay, resourcefully and completely. Show you are serious and sincere anything
less will be harmful to your efforts.
Gather
as much information about the situation without delay from a variety of
sources. Then talk with legal counsel to see what information can be released
and what if anything needs to remain confidential. You will need to share
crucial information while ensuring that you do not jeopardize the corporate or
individual image. Persistently talk through the situation with your trusted
counsel and remain in constant contact with the senior management.
Above
all else, be sure that any information you release to the media or the public
is truthful. If lie you will be found out and your credibility and that of the
company or individual will be irreparably damaged. If the information you have
is potentially damaging to your company, or individual and no one has
specifically asked about it or it has not yet been made public, you do not necessarily
need to divulge it immediately. This is sometimes referred to as not asked not
divulged and sometimes referred to as plausible deniability. It is not
necessary to throw fuel on the fire. If, however, the information is in the public
domain, or generally available you must immediately respond with the truth. If
you do not know the answer, say that you do not know and that you will try to
get the information as soon as possible.
If
a error has been made admit it up front, and begin doing whatever is possible
to re-establish credibility and confidence with the media and the public. When
lawyers are involved it is their job to minimize the eventual legal impact. They
will likely have some influence on what you can or cannot admit to. A PR
specialist must remember first and foremost the goal is protecting the integrity
and reputation of the company or
individual. As a PR
specialist involved in a crisis remember the following:
A)
Never
lie, deny, or hide the people or company involvement.
B)
If
you ignore the situation, it will get much worse.
C)
Don't
let the lawyers make the decisions for you. While they mean well, their
decisions may cause the crisis to go from bad to worse.
D)
Carefully
consider what happened, the facts and what strategy your will take.
To
decide on a position, it is important to step out of your role as the public
relations specialist and view the crisis from the viewpoint of the others and
the public. Put yourself into their chair. Ask yourself what would you want to
know, make a list of those questions, you will likely be faced with them and find
the answers.
Select
a suitable and convenient place to be used as a media center. Locations for
interviews and press briefings should be held at this location. Establish rules
for the media, do not change them or make exceptions. It is important the media
feels that you are not trying to hide anything from them or play favorites.
Reporters
will get very pushy; it’s their job so to speak, they want the scoop or
exclusive. Remember that reporters have the right to interview anyone they want
to and if they do not get the answers, they want from you they will get them
somewhere else even from inaccurate or unreliable sources. Remember the
reporters are all after the scoop. They all want a different angle to
distinguish them from the reporter standing next to them. They will try to get
that scoop from you. If the possibility is there to provide them with what they
want, consider it very carefully there are pros and cons to exclusivity. All
media should be treated equally. What is given to one should be available to
all media.
The
media may ask to speak to those who are directly involved with or have been directly
affected by the crisis. Restrict all interviews to the primary spokesperson or
back-up spokesperson. Controlling the interview process is essential to
managing character of the crisis.
A
crisis is always difficult when dealing with the media. It is important, at the
beginning of the crisis, that the spokesperson and their backup rehearse the prepared
statements and answers to possible hard-hitting questions that will be asked by
reporters. It is better to over-prepare than to be flustered by the questioning
by the media. Most people do not find out whether they
can cope in a crisis until they are in the centre of the storm.
Communicate
immediately and as completely as possible, if you do not you may lose the best opportunity
you have to shape the character of and control the events. Prepare a press
release immediately and get it out to all media outlets. The first press
release should include the who, what, when and where of the situation (Proquest Document
ID: 2126331281).
Give
facts from confirmed reliable sources and never speculate. There is a limit to
your role. If you do nothing more than show concern for the crisis and its
effect on the public, employees or consumers with your first press interaction,
you are already on the right track to controling opinion. Expressing concern
and generating good will with the consumer will help secure the loyalty of your
customers and employees. Share information with them honestly and promptly. This
will make your employees and customers feel like insiders and far less cynical.
When they feel and act like outsiders, they are unconvinced and skeptical. As
the crisis progresses and new information and facts will become available, keep
the media informed through updates, media conferences, and do not forget about
social media networks.
Provide
and or make available to the media electronic media kits. Information and fact
sheets about the company regarding the crisis are also helpful in informing
reporters or anyone else seeking information. Always appear to and cooperate
with the media. This is all about maintaining creditability and image. Always
do what you can to make a complicated issue as simple as you can for reporters.
If the crisis was caused by something very technical, provide a schematic or
drawing and experts to explain it. You are in the eye of the
storm you can control the damage.
New media including blogs, text messaging, Twitter, social sites, and video sites are changing the dynamics of
communication and, subsequently, crisis management.Social media can ruin your crisis management plans. (Spaeth, M.. (2009, March). Crisis Control in A
YouTube World. ENR, 262(10), 75. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from ABI/INFORM
Global. (Document ID: 1681064901).
The best-laid crisis management plan will quickly unravel when
information true, untrue or even malicious starts spreading on platforms such
as Twitter and Facebook. However, which social media platform requires the most
attention? Without a doubt Twitter, which is an instant news service deserves
the most attention. (PR Crisis
Management in the ‘Twitter Age' March 21, 2010 by Mike
Johansson http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/183186)
If you took a survey of Twitter users in your
organization, your industry or your community you might not think this is very
important, but do not be mislead. Twitter users are some of the most educated, active
and, possibly your worst enemy in a crisis. They are most likely to spread what
they see on Twitter in their own words, they have far reaching and broad influence on
public opinion an bear close attention. Facebook
is also a default communication platform for concerned people. Be sure to monitor
both and message to both controlling miss-information or incorrect facts that
may be posted. Note that once the heat of the moment dies down the conversation
around the crisis will likely linger longer on Facebook.
In social media, things happen at the speed of light, you will need to act fast
when dealing with the problem. Try to find the underlying cause
of the crisis, and then establish an appropriate tone and message, based on the
magnitude of the issue. Post your message and continually monitor new post and replies.
Because in social
media, a crisis can be amplified like you never dreamed, there is a larger possibility
for things to get out of hand. Do not be afraid, of people complaining about the company’s
product or services it’s not such a bad thing, at least you get the chance to
make up for the problem and get a confidence vote. (Top 7 best practices for crisis management in
social media October 28, 2010 by Alexandra Cojocaru
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/alexandracojocaru/223156/top-7-best-practices-crisis-management-social-media)
Social media is a real time and continuous platform
where companies are able to send not just one, but several different messages
to a wider, more diverse audience in a clear fashion. The days of drafting
a formal marginal apology and releasing it to the press are gone forever. Effective
crisis management today, requires swift, comprehensive action on all digital media,
social media, blogs, and websites. Companies have a unique advantage they never
had in the past. Lighting fast social media allows them to get their story,
excuse, reason, or apology to the public instantaneously, to mitigate damage to
their reputation, and avoid further embarrassment or collateral damage.
When
working on a crisis consider what the most effective method of communication
would be for each group or individual affected. Ensure that you communicate
with each group that is part of your target audience such as employee’s
management, families, unions, and others.
While
no one can predict when or where a crisis will occur or how severe it will be,
applying the appropriate foresight and thought can mean the difference between
maintaining a stellar corporate or individuals reputation and image and the frightful
alternative of a tarnished reputation or brand name that took years to create,
launch and establish. As the PR professional specialist you are in control you can
dictate the flow of information, knowledge, and more importantly the perception
and character the crisis takes on. Use all the tools at your disposal including
the new powerful social media. Get the facts, form you team, develop a
strategic plan and be prepared. Admit accountability when appropriate, and deny
when the facts prove otherwise, either way maintain creditability, and extinguish
the firestorm as rapidly as possible. As the PR professional specialist, you
have the knowledge and the tools use them to your advantage effectively.
By William Gulya
References
Cameron, G. T.,
Wilcox, D. L., Reber, B. H., & Shin, J.-H. (n.d.). Public Relations
Today: Managing Competition and Conflict.
Christine.
(n.d.). Crisis Management 2.0 [blog]. Retrieved November/December,
2010, from Rick’s FSS website: http://www.ricksrss.com/?p=3136tp://
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(2010, October 28). Top 7 best practices for crisis management in social
media [Article]. Retrieved November/December, 2010, from Social Media
Today website: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/alexandracojocaru/223156/top-7-best-practices-crisis-management-social-media
Ebersole, G.,
Jr. (n.d.). Importance of Public Relations and Crisis Management Planning to
Your Business [Article]. Retrieved November/December, 2010, from
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Johansson, M.
(2010, March 21). PR Crisis Management in the ‘Twitter Age’ [Article].
Retrieved November/December, 2010, from Social Media Today website:
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/183186
Lockwood, N. R.
(2005, December). Crisis management in today’s business environment: HR’s
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Magaizine website: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_12_50/ai_n15976152/
Magee, K.. (2010, August).
The eye of the storm. PR Week,20-21,23. Retrieved November 22, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Trade
& Industry. (Document ID: 2126331281).
Serphos, A. R. (n.d.). Effective First Steps to Counter a
Crisis [Article]. Retrieved November/December, 2010, from Marketing Scoop
website: http://www.marketingscoop.com/effective-first-steps.htm
Spaeth, M.. (2009, March).
Crisis Control in A YouTube World. ENR, 262(10), 75.
Retrieved November 30,2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1681064901).
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