CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

Kelli Matthews

University of Oregon | Verve Northwest Communications

WHAT WE’LL COVER

‣ WHAT IS A CRISIS? ‣ WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF CRISIS? ‣ HOW CAN AN ORGANIZATION BE CRISIS READY? ‣ WHAT IS EFFECTIVE CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS?

WHAT’S A CRISIS?

“… a significant business disruption which stimulates extensive news media coverage. The resulting public scrutiny will affect the organization’s normal operations and also could have a political, legal, financial and governmental impact on its business.”

-- Institute for Crisis Management

TYPES OF CRISES

CREEPING CRISES SLOW-BURN CRISES SUDDEN CRISES

Most of what we call natural disasters (tornadoes, droughts, hurricanes) are indeed natural, though human contributions may increase their likelihood or intensity.

But they aren’t disasters—they’re hazards. If a hurricane slams into land where no one lives, it isn’t a disaster; it’s weather.

A disaster is when a natural hazard meets a human population. And often, that intersection is far from natural.

HURRICANE KATRINA

HURRICANE HARVEY

PARADISE, CALIFORNIA

TEXT

STAGES OF CRISIS▸ Pre-Crisis/Planning

▸ Crisis

▸ Continuing Crisis

▸ Post-crisis

PRE-CRISIS

▸ Crisis Forecasting

▸ Vulnerability Audit

▸ Crisis Planning

▸ Media Training

CRISIS FORECASTING ACTIVITYWHAT KIND OF “WORST CASE SCENARIO” SHOULD (OR DOES) YOUR ORGANIZATION PLAN FOR?

VULNERABILITY AUDITS

Confidential interviews of people at all levels of the organization. Looking for: potentially harmful trends, significant inconsistencies between answers, nonverbal cues, consensus of opinion regarding certain types of crises. Allows you to anticipate actual crisis scenarios.

GET COMMITMENTS

DENIAL AIN’T JUST A RIVER IN EGYPT…

▸ Outright denial

▸Minimization

▸ Idealization

▸ Power

▸ Projection

▸ Intellectualization

▸ Compartmentalization

BUILD A CRISIS TEAM. MAKE SURE THEY’RE PREPARED, TRAINED & EMPOWERED

THE 8 PEOPLE YOU NEED ON YOUR CRISIS TEAM

Local Government

Manager

Emergency Manager/Director

Comms Director

Director of Information

Services

Public Health Manager/Director

Director of Public Works

Fire & Police Chiefs

Planning Director

YOUR CRISIS TEAM: INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE Incident

commanderIncident

containment Victim assistance Family Assistance Employee Assistance Communications

Recommends level of response

Dispatches to the incident site

Liaise with officials onsite at

hospitals, etc.

Contacts WFF and Chaplains

Assess state of employees and

ensure info needs are met

Provide comm. advice & counsel

Activates/directs CMT

Coordinates with other chiefs

Confirms emergency

contacts and next of kin

Coordinates with law enforcement

for next of kin notification

Issues pre-authorized statement

assuring support

Activates pre-authorized statement

Develops & adjusts ops

strategy Relays info to IC

Coordinates arrangements for

return of deceased or injured

Assigns family liaisons

Briefs employees within two hours

Coordinates with chiefs to gather

info; prep statements

Ensures coordination

“On the ground” lead

Coordinates with support

organizations.

Assign one family liaison to each for

assistance

Coordinates on-site counseling or

other support

Preps spokespeople for

interviews

CMT: crisis management team. IC: Incident Commander. InCon: Incident Command. WFF= Wildland Firefighter Foundation. CCofA: Corporate Chaplains of America

A WORD ABOUT ELECTED OFFICIALS

▸ Provide training about their role, the manager’s role, the overall structure of incident command center.

▸ Develop a system to keep councilors and commissioners informed.

IDENTIFY STAKEHOLDERS, KEY MESSAGES & METHODS OF DELIVERY

“No matter how much you plan, the unexpected is going to happen. You plan so that you can manage the unexpected. There’s not going to be a blueprint for it.”

Harold Dominguez, City Manager, Longmont, Colorado

PREPARE MATERIALS AHEAD OF TIME

IDENTIFY A SEQUENCE FOR INFO SHARING

IDENTIFY & TRAIN SPOKESPEOPLE

PRACTICE!

STAGE 2: ACUTE CRISIS

CONTAINMENT INVOLVEMENT OF REGULATORS INVESTIGATION CONFIRMATION

NOT EVERYTHING IS A CRISIS. AND NOT EVERY CRISIS NEEDS

THE SAME RESPONSE.

Staff Responds

Staff Responds with Manager Guidance

Manager Gets Involved Directly Create Content (Media, Social, Web) if Necessary. Provide Subsequent Monitoring.

Manager Responds. Executive Team Notified. Create Content, Provide Subsequent Monitoring

Executive Team Responds. Frequent Communication Through all Channels. Heavy Monitoring

ISSUE VS. CRISES

1. Choice 2. Certainty 3. Urgency 4. Cost 5. Continuity 6. Outcomes

VALIDATED ACCEPTED WISDOMACKNOWLEDGE

FIGHT FIRE WITH WATER BE GENUINE

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

ACKNOWLEDGEA K A , S T E A L I N G T H U N D E R

TELL IT FIRST. TELL IT FAST. TELL THEM WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT.

TELL IT FIRST, TELL IT FAST AND TELL THEM WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT!

! What happened ! How do you feel about it ! What are you doing about it ! Guidance to media

BE GENUINE. BE COMPASSIONATE. BE SORRY.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

ABOVE ALL, BE GENUINE. BE HUMAN.

HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRIBUTE TO A CRISIS?

▸Wind

▸Fuel

▸Direction

WHAT ROLE, SOCIAL MEDIA?

▸Disseminate Information

▸ Relieve media queries (via phone)

▸ Thought leadership

▸Humanize & personalize

▸ Provide company’s point of view

▸Create outlet for advocacy (if appropriate)

THE REALITY OF CRISES TODAY

▸ Erupt with unprecedented speed

▸ People have an insatiable thirst for news

▸ Anyone can break news

▸ Porous boundaries between social & mainstream media

CONTINUING CRISIS▸ Chronic Stage

▸ Ongoing Management

“The immediate crisis moment may last twenty-four hours and then you’ve got a period of four to five days cleaning up. Once that emotion dies

down, you can lose sight that this thing is here to stay for months if not a couple of years. You must remind the organization that this is a long-term

event and that we cannot let up; we have to remain focused.”

Dan Paranick, City Manager, Ventura, California

POST-CRISIS

RESOLUTION STAGE RETURNING TO NORMAL ASSESSMENT PREVENTATIVE PLANNING

“THIS IS EASY TO SAY AND CHANCES ARE IF, GOD FORBID, YOU ARE FACED WITH THE SAME TYPE OF CHALLENGE, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ADVICE. YOU MUST FIND A WAY TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF…”

Tim Gleason, City Administrator, Gleason, Illinois

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF & YOUR EMPLOYEES

QUESTIONS?KELLI MATTHEWS KELLI@VERVENORTHWEST.COM @KMATTHEW (TWITTER)