crisis communications: preparation & response · • phases of crisis management ... essential...
TRANSCRIPT
Today’s Discussion
• One Painful Example of a Crisis and Response
• Phases of Crisis Management
• Crisis vs. Issue
• Six Steps of Crisis Planning
• The Legal Role within Crisis Management
• As a Crisis Unfolds
• What Not to Do
A Crisis in the Media – KTVU Newscast
Asiana Flight Disaster: KTVU Newscast “Blunder,” Later Apology – July
The Unraveling of the KTVU Crisis
14-Jul-13 24-Jul-13
6-Jul-13 12-Jul-13 15-Jul-13 27-Jul-13
Asiana Airlines announces plans to sue KTVU and possibly the NTSB for "badly damaging its reputation"
Asiana Airlines decides not to proceed with lawsuit because of the immediacy and sincerity of KTVU's on-air apology
NTSB "confirms" pilot names
Timeline - Asiana Airline Pilot Name Incident
Asiana Airlines
Flight 214
Crashes at
San Francisco
International
Airport
KTVU airs "Confirma-tion" of names during Noon news broadcast
NTSB issues statement apologizing and promising to take steps to ensure this never happens again
KTVU profoundly apologizes in two on-air and social media statements for succumbing to blunder
NTSB fires the intern who confirmed the names with KTVU
KTVU fires three producers connected to the broadcast that went awry
Crisis or Issue?
Crisis An event that can create a firestorm of harshly negative media coverage and damage the reputation, valuation or future viability of an organization.
IssueAn external or internal factor – usually lasting over a mid-to long-range timeframe – that could represent a serious obstacle to achieving an organization’s objective and cause damage to its reputation if not managed well.
Conversely, if managed well, it could represent an opportunity to further the organization’s mission and enhance its reputation.
Essential Crisis Principles
• Scenario-map; always assume the worst-case scenario
• Ensure that you have a plan; it sensitizes management to the
negative possibilities
• Don't lose precious time
• People always come first; be humane; express concern and what
you plan to do
• Learn lessons from what has happened in your sector/industry
• Consider what law suits will ensue, but not at the expense of
caring about people and safety
Six Steps of Crisis Planning
1 • Identify the Issues
2• Develop a Team
3• Develop Policies and Standards
4 • Prepare Responses
5 • Train and Practice
6 • Update and Review
Categories of Crises
• Natural Disasters
• Technological or System Failures
• Confrontations
• Malevolent Acts
• Organizational Misdeeds
• Workplace Violence
• Rumors
• Terrorist Attacks
Categories of Crises
Technological or System Failures - Exxon Valdez, BP in the Gulf,
Adobe Software breach, product recalls
Categories of Crises
Confrontations - boycotts, pickets, UPMC-Highmark, Russian
Vodka, Barilla Pasta
Categories of Crises
Malevolent Acts - product tampering, kidnapping, Tylenol,
Sandy Hook Elementary
Categories of Crises
Organizational Misdeeds - Penn State, Enron, Lehman Bros.,
Anthony Weiner, Martha Stewart, etc.
Categories of Crises
Rumors - Wall Street trading, acquisition leak, digital/social
media, P&G Pamper Drylock Diapers, Snapple
Step 2 – Develop a Team
• Define the team
CEO
Regulatory OperationsPR & Corp.
AffairsLegal
Risk Management
Marketing
• Responsible to prepare the plan, meet regularly to
update and test it
Step 3 – Develop Policies and Standards
• Guiding principles that will apply in every crisis
scenario
o Emergency response plan, policies
oMedia and social media policies
oDesignated spokespeople, trained for media activity
o Internal/external phone and e-mail contact information
oBusiness Continuity plan at the ready
• Honesty, timeliness, directness and ethical standards
• Follow and support the legal strategy
Step 4 – Prepare Responses
• For each issue, identify all affected audiences
• Define the scope of the issue and establish a unified
response
• Keep message simple, clear, consistent and tailored
• Prepare materials for each scenario
oMedia statements
oPress releases
oMedia contact information
oPotential questions and answers
Step 5 – Train and Practice
• Clearly identify all members roles and responsibility
• Train the team and other potentially affected
employees
• Practice actual crisis scenarios
• Make sure there are well-defined communication
and notification lists to ensure immediate access to
all team members
Step 6 – Update and Review
• Review and update as circumstances change
(mergers, acquisitions, new product lines, etc…)
• Review issues inventory quarterly
• Review emergency and crisis plans annually
• If crisis occurs, review and evaluate response and
modify plans and process for improvements
Legal Counsel’s Role - Planning
• Integral to crisis management planning
• Important role of communicating/sharing with Board
• Connect to Business Continuity planning
• Assemble own team of outside advisors
• Pre-designed written materials at the ready
Legal Counsel’s Role – When the Crisis Hits
• Legal counsel needs to be among first notified and plays
a critical role on the response team
• Legal counsel may lead an investigation
• Lawyers are generally not the best spokespeople
– Inherent public distrust of lawyers
– Propensity for initial reaction to be “no comment”
• Resist “no comment”… it feels defensive, suspect;
other ways to be affirmative without providing detail
Apologies & Transparency
• Use of apologies in response to a crisis creates
particular issues from a legal perspective, yet can be
important and effective
• Being transparent does not have to mean falling on
your sword or being “extreme”
• Conversely, admitting wrongdoing can help your cause
in both courts of law and public opinion
• Interests must be weighed; think “credibility” with legal
safeguard in mind
As a Crisis Unfolds…
1. Characterize that the situation is under control, protect people,
property
2. Determine news value of situation; decide if/when to go public
3. Gather all the facts; don’t speculate
4. Develop message points; anticipate questions w/answers
5. Confirm, prepare spokespeople; no such thing as ‘off the record’
6. Provide script for those answering phones; log all calls
7. Draft, distribute statement or news release; press conference if
necessary
8. Show concern for public, employees
9. Share information with employees
As a Crisis Unfolds…
10. Rehearse spokespeople
11. Give media all the news; control information flow
12. Tell it all, tell it fast, and tell the truth
13. Be honest; do the right thing; prepare for/discuss remediation
14. Monitor traditional, digital media
15. Be prepared to answer all “hot seat” questions, then bridge to a
positive position
16. Consider some act of goodwill or positive gesture in the
aftermath
17. Maintain contact with media; update as necessary
18. If a mistake is made, admit it and begin the process of re-
establishing credibility
What Not to Do
1. Play ostrich
2. Start to work on a potential crisis after it’s public
3. Let your reputation speak for you
4. Treat the media like the enemy
5. Get stuck in reaction mode versus getting proactive
6. Use language your audience doesn't understand
7. Don't listen to your stakeholders
8. Assume that truth will triumph over all
9. Address only issues and ignore feelings
10. Make only written statements
11. Use "best guess" methods of assessing damage
12. Not coordinating every major action step with legal counsel