Issues & Crisis Management & Conflict Communications
Managing Under the Glare of Public & Media Scrutiny
Prague, Thursday, June 24, 2004
Mike SeymourInternational Director,Crisis & Issues Management
September 11, 2001
Where were you?
Why should we remember this date?
September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001
Le contexte
September 21, 2001
Where were you ?
Why should we remember this date?
Dynamique de la crise
Un accident industriel
Une entreprise dénoncée
Raft of Corporate Disasters
Bali BombingOctober 2002
Paradise Hotel at Kikambala Beach November 2002
Madrid BombingMarch 2004
Saudi Arabia BombingApril 2004
Terrorist Hostage Situation in Saudi Arabia – May 30, 2004
War in IraqMarch 2004
War in IraqMarch 2004
SarsFebruary 2003
Charles de Gaulle Airport DisasterMay 2004
Assessing our Post 9/11 World
Unique set of circumstances pushing issues & crisis management onto news levels?
More of the same – but more extreme & faster?
Assessing our Post 9/11 World
Unique set of circumstances pushing issues & crisis management onto news levels?
More of the same – but faster?
Some key factors:
Growing media hunger for news & competitive edge
Potent power of media to speed, distort or escalate crisis situations
Capacity of public to develop worries into full scares
Difficulties of communicating complex detail & risk
Collapse of crisis borders
Power of rumour & speculation
Issues & Crisis Management & Conflict Communications
Managing Under the Glare of Public & Media Scrutiny
Prague, Thursday, June 24, 2004
Mike SeymourInternational Director,Crisis & Issues Management
Normal Management
Com
pany
Crisis Zone
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pany
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Issues Zone
Com
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What is a Crisis?
Your problem or issue in the public domain
When perceptions become more powerful than reality
When communication vacuums are filled with rumour, speculation, allegations & accusations
Characteristics of a Crisis
Increased NoiseIncreased Noise
Lack of realInformation
Lack of realInformation
SurpriseSurprise
Crisis Management Challenges
Defining the problem in the short term
Then assessing possible long term impact
Crisis Management Challenges
Identifying and planning against worse case scenarios
Information Handling Challenge
Centralising and controlling information flow:
Coming in Coming in
Going out Going out
48%
49%
55%
39%
40%
49%
57%
62%
41%
49%
45%
35%
36%
47%
56%
59%
38%
43%
40%
31%
33%
44%
47%
56%
40%
46%
36%
31%
24%
40%
43%
61%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Greenpeace
World Wildlife Fund
Amnesty International
ExxonMobil
Monsanto
Nike
Ford Motor Company
Microsoft
2001
2002
2003
2004
* “Never Heard Of % ” over 15
US Trust : NGO/Brand Highlights(Tracked 2001-2004)
28%
34%
43%
45%
57%
57%
63%
12%
28%
34%
38%
47%
51%
62%
12%
33%
34%
36%
46%
67%
76%
6%
17%
25%
26%
44%
65%
63%
75%
59%62%
62%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Monsanto
ExxonMobil
Nike
Ford Motor Company
Microsoft
Greenpeace
World Wildlife Fund
Amnesty International
2001
2002
2003
2004
* “Never Heard Of % ” over 15
Europe Trust : NGO/Brand Highlights(Tracked 2001-2004)
Credibility of Information SourcesAbout a Company
20%
22%
24%
30%
31%
44%
32%
44%
18%
21%
21%
27%
30%
31%
34%
40%
44%
24%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Information conveyedby CEOs/ CFOs
A company Web site
The Internet in general
Information conveyedby regular employee
Communications issuedby company
Communications issuedby third parties
Stock or industryanalyst reports
Colleagues
Friends & family
US
Europe
Rank order by US data
In general, how credible do you feel each of the following sources is for information about a company? Is information about a company that you get from (INSERT SOURCE) extremely credible, very credible, somewhat
credible, or not credible at all?
Percentage saying “Extremely Credible” or “Very Credible”
Rank order by US data
11%
13%
18%
24%
46%
21%
19%
25%
25%
41%
42%
51%
53%
10%
13%
17%
21%
23%
29%
29%
47%
51%
54%
20%
17%
42%
23%
47%
20%
15%
37%
6%
33%
38%
41%
43%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Entertainer/ Athlete
Company's PR rep
Union rep
Legislator / Parliamentarian
Lawyer
CEO of company
Broadcaster
Author
Regular employee of company
Religious leader
Banker
Financial/ Industry analyst
President/ Prime Minister/ Chancellor
NGO rep
Accountant
Academic
Average person, like yourself
Doctor or healthcare specialist
US
Europe
In general, when forming an opinion of a company, if you received information from (INSERT PERSON) about this company, how credible would the
information be? Would it be extremely credible, very credible, somewhat credible, or not credible at all?
Percentage saying “Extremely Credible” or “Very Credible”
Credibility of Spokespersons
The Media Context
Background points:
1) Speed and spread of communications
2) Role in increasing levels of education and thus public awareness
Conflict Communication Challenges
Understanding the media’s agenda:
Looking for a good story
Searching for cause
Seeking to attribute blame
Conflict Communication Challenges
Websites - first stop checkpoint
Appreciating the power of new communication channels – all available to the spread rumour, speculation and accusations:
Internet super highway
Chat rooms & bulletin boards
Weblogs & wickis
Email correspondence & battlegrounds
E-crime & terrorism
Conflict Communications - Rumour Control
Rumour equation (10 people = 2-5 stories)
The whispering game
Rumour will always be:
More interesting than the truth
Believed
Embroidered or expanded
Share of voice essential to combating rumour
Observe The Five “CCs”:
CCare are
CCommitmentommitment
CConsistencyonsistency
CCoherenceoherence
CClaritylarity
Communications Guidance
Communications Rules
Observe The Five “CCs”:
CCare are
CCommitmentommitment
CConsistencyonsistency
CCoherenceoherence
CClaritylarity
Credibility & trust depends on The Big Three “TTs”:
TTell ell TThe he TTruthruth
Doing Business in a Dangerous World
“Before 9/11 a poll of US CEOs revealed that:
• 85% of them expected to manage a crisis during their tenure
• 50% admitted to having a plan
• 97% were fully confident that they could handle any crisis
This sounds to me like over-confidence. I hope that more businesses are taking a hard look at their crisis plans”
Ambassador L Paul Bremer, Former Chairman,
US National Terrorism Commission
Harvard Business Review, April 2002
Crisis Readiness & Preparedness
Com
pany
Pub
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Seven Step Programme for Crisis Readiness & Preparedness Planning
1) Define risks & threats for which plans issues & crisis plans are required
2) Conduct gap analysis of existing plans, procedures & systems
3) Develop pick up, alert & crisis management & communication protocol
4) Build crisis manual off & on line
5) Awareness & team briefings
6) Specialist training & team building
7) Programme of test & validation exercises & tests
Issues & Crisis Management & Conflict Communications
Managing Under the Glare of Public & Media Scrutiny
Prague, Thursday, June 24, 2004
Mike SeymourInternational Director,Crisis & Issues Management