When Bad News Happens: tips for crisis communications

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When Bad News Happens tips for crisis
communications

• Dr. Joe Brennan, APR Associate Vice President
  for University Communications
• University at Buffalo
• June 2009

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What is a Crisis?

• Any non-routine event that
• Causes serious harm to people or property
• Significantly disrupts operations
• Threatens viability
• Or poses a serious risk of the above

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Crisis Management is a Process
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Stage 1 Prepare

• Build good relationships.
• Get ready to respond.
• Pay attention to warning signals.

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Prepare building good relationships

• Six dimensions of org-public relationships
• Control mutuality
• Trust
• Satisfaction
• Commitment
• Exchange relationship
• Communal relationship

Source L. Grunig, J. Grunig, D. Dozier,
Excellence in public relations and communication
management., 1992.
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Prepare building good relationships

• One-way models flow of info
• Press agentry/publicity
• Public information

• Two-way models
• Asymmetrical
• Symmetrical

Source J. Grunig T. Hunt, Managing Public
Relations, 1984.
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Prepare getting ready

• Write a crisis plan
• Identifies risks and responses.
• Establishes crisis team and sets roles.
• Spells out values and principles that will guide
  response and communications.
• Outlines general approaches and techniques.
• Provides authority to act and to communicate.

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Prepare getting ready

• Train your people
• NIMS/ICS courses (online)
• www.training.fema.gov
• Crisis drills (tabletop, field)
• Risk communications
• Media interviews

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Prepare watching for warning signals

• Horizon scanning
• Internal factors
• External forces
• What to watch
• Rumor mill
• Traditional media
• Social media
• Personal networks
• Enforcers (police, internal auditors)

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Stage 2 Respond

• Operational response
• NIMS/ICS
• Communications response
• Identify affected publics.
• Develop core messages.
• Select spokesperson.
• Communicate and keep communicating.

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The ICS Structure

• The public information officer is a member of the
  command staff, responsible for developing and
  communicating all external messages.

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Respond identify affected audiences

• Victims and others directly affected.
• Employees, customers and suppliers.
• Other stakeholders indirectly affected.
• The news media.

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Respond develop core messages

• First, ask four key questions
• What happened?
• How are we fixing it?
• Why did it happen?
• How is it affecting our ability to provide
  services?

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Respond develop core messages

• Then add three statements
• We are sorry about the effect its having.
• We are working closely with the authorities and
  with those who are directly affected.
• Were committed to seeing that this never happens
  again.

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Respond selecting spokesperson

• Pop Quiz!
• The best spokesperson is (choose one)
• Highly competent technical expert.
• Strongly dedicated, committed senior official.
• Professional communicator, honest and open.
• Empathetic and caring individual.

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Respond selecting the spokesperson
Four factors determine perception of
spokespersons trustworthiness
50 20 15 15
Source Columbia University Center for Risk
Communication
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Respond choosing the channels

• Direct methods (push)
• Text messaging
• Email
• Public address systems
• Signs and posters
• Face-to-face visits
• Phone calls
• Controlled methods (pull)
• Web sites
• Bulletin boards
• Social media you manage
• Uncontrolled methods (pray)
• Rumor mill
• News media
• Social media you dont manage

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Respond surviving the first 48 hours

• The first two days set the tone for all the rest.
• Day 1 what happened
• Notifying key audiences.
• Establishing the facts.
• Supporting victims and other affected audiences
• Day 2 why it happened
• Reinforcing facts, correcting misperceptions.
• Giving an expanded view of organizations
  response.
• Reinforcing relationships with audiences and
  allies.

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Respond 5 Commandments

• Communicate quickly and directly with those who
  are most affected.
• Be the first one to tell your story.
• All the bad news must come out at once.
• Speak with one clear voice.
• Keep on communicating.

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Respond working with reporters
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Respond the story triangle
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• Secret 1
• News reporters dont write articles they
  write stories.

• Secret 2
• News is what reporters and editors say it is.

• Secret 3
• Its much better to talk to reporters than to
  avoid them.

• Secret 4
• Interviews are not normal conversations.

• Secret 5 You cant whitewash a pile of manure.

• Secret 6 The news media are less powerful now.

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Responding case study
University of Houston Faculty Drinking on
Students Dime? May 6, 2009 I\documents\My
Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\UH faculty drinking
on students' dime Video abc13.com.flv
Source http//abclocal.go.com/ktrk/video?id6800
228
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Responding Univ. of Houston
Students
President
Reporter
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Responding Univ. of Houston

• University tells employees it is enforcing travel
  rules
• in response to Ch. 13s investigation.
• President Khator responds to reporters questions
  -
• by email

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Responding Univ. of Houston
University of Houston Makes Changes After
Investigation May 12, 2009
..\My Videos\RealPlayer Downloads\University of
Houston makes changes after 13 Undercover
investigation - 5 11 09 - Houston News -
abc13.com.flv
Source http//abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section
news/13_undercoverid6808062
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Responding citizen journalists
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• Hostile Blogs
• When to respond?
• When to ignore?

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Responding Social media

• Speaking is silver, listening is gold.
• - Turkish proverb

Social media let you LISTEN and BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS

• Blogs
• Wikis
• Twitter
• Social networking sites

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Stage 3 Recovery

• Rebuilding trust
• Learning from the experience

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Recovery rebuilding trust

• Seven steps are necessary.
• Candor
• Explanation
• Declaration
• Contrition
• Consultation
• Commitment
• Resolution

Source Jim Lukaszewski, Public Relations
Quarterly, Fall 1997.
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Recovery learning the lessons

• Five variables to evaluate
• Effectiveness of spokespersons
• Communication of key messages
• Containment of negative messages
• Impact on customers
• Impact on employees

Source Katie Payne, PR News, Aug. 18, 2003
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Final thought managing expectations

• Realistic expectation for crisis communications
• Your college gets the benefit of the doubt.
• Youre not cast in role of villain.
• Youre seen as honest, caring, competent.
• Unrealistic expectations
• Your college can avoid anger and scrutiny.
• You will fully control the message.
• You can unilaterally decide what, when and how to
  communicate.

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Crisis Management is a Process