By Red Shoes PR

When “it” hits the fan

Today’s presentation you will learn:

Basics on how to prepare for a crisis What to do when “it” hits the fan The importance of consistent messaging The important role social media plays The speed of communications and

sequencing After the crisis

The question is …

How many of you have a crisis plan in place?

Flickr photo by comicsrainbow

It’s not a matter of if …

It’s a matter of when

Flickr photo by AlanCleaver_2000

Before “it” hits, you need to:

Determine or define what a crisis is to your organization Accident? Issue? Emergency?

Time is on your side …

BEFORE a crisis hits

What a crisis is

An action or event that has the impact to stop your business in its tracks and the potential to shake your organization’s long-standing credibility

The situation has the potential to “bring the brand and subsequently the company down.”

The many faces of crisis

Layoffs Employee embezzlement Workplace violence Bomb threat Disgruntled customer Accident/injuries And the list goes on Because of the speed of communications,

something seemingly benign could get the best of your organization. Oftentimes through misinformation

From Social Media to Mainstream Media and beyond

Video found on The Consumerist

Domino’s Response

YouTube video from president

Video found on Vojtech(PR)

Typically …

An organization wants to duck and cover hoping the situation blows over

An organization is unable or unwilling to see the situation for what it is … or could be (they are too close to the situation)

Unable to deal with or recognize the speed of communications today

Some other recent crisis

Toyota and sticking gas pedals Japan and earthquake BP GAP logo change RIM (Blackberry) Former congressman Anthony Weiner

How to plan

Draft a simple yet impactful plan Solicit others involvement in

development of plan, this encourages awareness and discussion (include other departments)

How to plan

Identify a core group to handle crisis communications/operations

Identify outside resources you may want to use for planning or when “it” hits the fan

Have simple statements drafted so you can fill information in when the time comes (if possible, identify crisis scenarios and write to those)

Develop or participate in a drill

How to plan

Have working knowledge of communications platforms now … don’t wait until you are under fire Twitter Facebook YouTube Dark website

How to plan

Identify a spokesperson (have a plan B, C, too.)

Have a contact list of your key stakeholders, executives, etc (from electronic to printed)

Outline your target audiences (staff, vendors, public at large, board members, etc.)

How to plan

Have a discussion with key leadership before a crisis hits

Walk through the plan and process Build relationships with local fire, police,

OSHA, etc.

How to plan

Raise difficult questions and try to find answers (better to be aware now of potential pitfalls than later when the media calls)

Have ways to monitor online conversations and coverage Monitoring software Google alerts

How to plan

Remember, crisis communications begins with you and the team!

Communications should be centralized … this means all communications need to be reviewed by central team

Communications team/specialist distributes all messages (internal and external)

One spokesperson Identify individual(s) who will handle all media calls Notify organization of point person and process

Put yourself in the shoes of your audience(s)

And remember …

Media train! Tips such as:

Relaying factual information Paying attention to body language Answering questions succinctly

The impact of social media in today’s crisis communications

Many organization’s focus solely on media

You need to remember social media channels can work in your favor … or against you

Make sure your messaging is consistent You don’t have the luxury of time today

like you did a few years ago

Sequencing of communications What do we mean by sequencing? As much as possible, time the

communications 8a.m. internal all staff memo 8:15 board members 8:30 media

Tip: Keep in mind that once you send an e-mail to internal audiences, the media is only one click away … be ready to roll

What your audiences expect today

Transparency Honesty Listening Response Humility

When “it” hits the fan

Have you ever surfed?

Surfers know that to ride a wave, they have to think ahead and catch the wave … before it catches them

Think of your communications the same way

Flickr photo by casch52

Be proactive in your communications

As much as possible, be proactive in your communications (even if there is no new information, let them know that)

If you have any sense that a story is going to break, get ahead of the communications

Be proactive in your communications

Anticipate questions you might be asked and the responses you are going to give

Project confidence, manage your messaging

You should consider calling a press conference before they call you

Develop key messages

Determine three to five key messages you want your audience to know

Utilize key messages as often as possible in communications

Make sure your messaging response is appropriate (and not way out in left field)

What you send internally should closely match what goes externally

What happens if you wait for the media to call you

You are scrambling to grasp the situation The right people to answer questions

might not be available Your organization looks like it is trying to

“cover” something up Ultimately, your audiences might doubt

your credibility

Organizationally you need to be prepared

Make sure “front line” is set up to handle on-going questions from customers

What you are promising publically to change, your organization needs to live up to these promises

After all, you can’t put lipstick on a pig

Flickr photo by Yann Ropars

Even after a crisis, there’s work to do

Pull the team together to go through what worked and what didn’t work

Discuss what you could do differently next time

Figure out what steps need to be taken to regain trust again

Remember …

Like snowflakes, no two crisis are ever the same

And always have your finger on the pulse of trends and public sentiment

The Golden Hour of communications … the first 60 minutes set the tone

Flickr photo by James Clarke

Questions?

Contact Lisa Cruz, President 920-574-3253 920-205-9796 (the bat phone!) Lisa@redshoespr.com