Case Profile: Timing
Crisis management plans
Identify first response steps
Tactics used in crisis/ issue response
Timing and message response
Module 5 Overview
This week we address what to do when the storm hits…as we explore how to engage – Give yourself freedom to adjust as needed to what comes your way…
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Crisis Assessment
Who has keys to the office at 10 PM on Sunday night? Who has passwords to take down website photos, social media posts on Saturday night at Midnight? Do you have numbers for these contacts?
If this is in your Go-Bag you’re already way ahead of what’s coming.
Do you have numbers for these contacts? If this is in your Go-Bag you’re already way ahead of what’s coming. On questions to ask---
Who is in the control tower? What is out there already? What needs to be corrected? Who are hateholders? What are their first, last name, city …comb through social media …google alerts.
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Crisis Trajectory
This is typically how crisis move….If general the worst heat of a crisis comes in the first 72 hours…after the first week things move from the ICU to rehab--- USUALLY1
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Natural disasters
Protests
Suicides
Cyber-theft attacks
Sudden deaths leaving vacuum in leadership
Allegations- ‘left field’
Sudden facility closures
Twist in ruling, interpretation
Online smear campaigns
Innocent mistakes
Unexpected, Ambush Crises
Let’s take a quick refresh of the types of crises….
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Potential
Filed lawsuits
Unhappy employee leaves
Firing of popular employee/executive
Announced investigations, audits
Mergers or acquisitions
Innocent mistakes (accounting errors)
RAINY DAYS
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Entrenched
Other side has dominated the narrative for a sustained period of time.
You're on defense
Issue dominates online search results of entity's name
Causing continued business disruption, loss of influence
Requires sustained effort to change, re-establish better, accurate image
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Stop credibility bleeding
Control and or participate in narrative via consistent messaging
Avoid further damage
Restore confidence
Reactive Overcoming
Objectives in Crisis PR
Imagine an accident on a busy highway. Police rush to the scene and cone off the area to protect the injured from oncoming traffic; paramedics arrive and move the injured ASAP…same is true in crisis work: Immediately find out if Comm Policy/Protocols in place. If so, may need to send gentle reminder of where inquirises should be directed. WHY is this Critical? If someone comments who is NOT in the ATC – not aware of the position it can make things explode. Imagine a manager at a Colorado office not knowing what or why the situation occurred at the company’s Nevada office begins to speculate or worse, take blame for whatever occurred. This not only compounds the crisis it now sets the company up for legal liability.
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Crisis Assessment
Verify legitimacy of claim, source.
Assess accuracy of all points claimed, magnitude of impact: internal/external.
Assess internal bandwidth.
Determine objectives, prioritize for initial and secondary phases with caveats for surprise flare ups.
Review scenario plans for holding language.
Assign monitoring: Story, key individuals.
This is the “typical” process when assessing a situation and engagement begins.
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No place for egos
Titles count less
Can do attitude
Know what you don’t Know
Everyone in the ATC is united in getting the same results: Do not shoot your own planes down, have all land safely. Even great news can be sabotaged as in this example: A company’s Washington DC office was gearing up to announce a nationwide initiative …in the works for three months. The manager of the LA office who loved publicity about himself, called the top tier media outlet for the company’s industry and told them about a collection of antiques in his office. Intrigued, a reporter and photographer arrived. The day before the DC office was set to roll out the massive media campaign – a cover, feature article appeared on the cover about the LA Manager and his collection of memorabilia. Naturally – the media was not going to run two large stories about the same organization in the same week. Results? The national inititave was reduced to a small blurb buried in the publication.
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Encourage a culture of reporting in order to head off any crises—know your company's vulnerabilities!
Trust your internal experts and hire external experts to address any vulnerabilities
Crisis plans need to include the Crisis Management Team: leadership, communications, legal, and departments core to company's mission
Crisis Management Plans: Tips from Readings
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Train members of the CMT in media relations before a crisis
Have procedures for activating the CMT and response team
Keep your messaging clear and simple
Have remote operations plans in place in case of a crisis that disrupts the office (COVID-19, workplace violence, etc.)
Crisis Management Plans: Tips from the Readings
Crisis Management Teams operating in the ATC should have basic media training and be equipped to work quickly with access to any other decision makers around the clock.
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Structuring Crisis Response: Proactive and Reactive
The Book of Crisis Management Strategies and Tactics, PRNews
Here is a different way of viewing the engagement process when an issue presents a threat
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In Their Shoes…
What first steps would you take?
Who are the impacted audiences?
What response comes to mind for someone needing to respond in 30 minutes?
As you read these series of cases affecting various entities stop and try this experiment. It will not be graded so RELAX! Read each case and stop before going the next. Give yourself 5 minutes and ask these questions. Don’t write them down – Trust what you’ve learned so far and YOUR GUT. Go with it, think quickly and don’t judge yourself. Learning to process several steps at once will happen…HAVE FUN DON”T WORRY! YOU GOT THIS!!!
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A company headquartered in Australia has to close an operation in the states. They must lay off half the people in 48 hours, the other half will be asked to stay through end of the year--and then operations will be moved to Mexico. There is tremendous anger in the news over jobs being shipped overseas.
Lay Offs and Moving Offshore
Severe sleep deprived college senior stressing over finals in wee hours of morning, posts words from violent rap music playing in the background. Friend who knows him texts “What??!” Senior, utterly shocked he posted the message, quickly takes down post... but not before another student takes a screen shot and sends it to campus police. They notify city police, which the media overhear on the police scanner and drive to campus immediately.
Accidental Social Media Post
Fired employee steals client list, creates fake studies, writes key clients about incorrectly installed underground pipes hinting public danger element.
Client‘s Clients: Cities
Targets of fake studies: Mayor, City Manager, City Attorney, PIO, media
Manufacturer Issue: Cyber Assassin
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Internal implosion of family business
(national chain valued at $1.2B). Internal war attracts hostile takeover attempts, senior management making raid on brain trust for competing businesses. Same time IRS and state tax audits start while competition launches online and print campaigns hinting at dirty laundry in effort to woo clients.
Family Business
Storms
An upset parent complains to the media about a school. Reporter contacts the school. Spokesperson delays response and finally asks their attorney to handle. Attorney responds in a way which further inflames the reporter, who decides to show up on campus.
School Issue: Angry Parent
The founding partners of a consulting firm have a bitter falling out. Both their names are on the building and highly visible to a major freeway. One partner says he wants to ‘retire’ but wants his name removed. “Secretly,” he begins to poach managers and key staff members to form a competing firm.
Firm Split
Strategy
Consider strengths and weaknesses of each possibility
Remember optics of each to those in your audience profile
Message
Messenger
Method
Timing
Chess moves: Will you be ‘jumped’? Can you defend your points? What will be asked 5 days from now, two weeks? What should your first move look like so your second and third are successful?
What third parties can collaborate your POV? Are there external sources you can cite for credibility?
See example…..
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3rd party commentary weaved into PR real estate
Domino messaging around hostile media
Steal the Thunder
3rd party protest, threats
Filing lawsuits
Tactics Used
Method channels -
Advertorials
Letters-to-editors, opinion pieces
Editorial boards, media tours, press conferences
Fact sheets, one sheets
Timelines
Singular, joint- articles
News releases
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Holding Statements and Q&A's
Anticipate
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Timing & Message Rollout
| Time | Task | Point Person | Description | Method |
| September 19, 2020 | ||||
| 8:00 a | Present to Board | David | Meeting with the board to discuss C-departure | In person Presentation |
| 10:30 a | Meeting with DC | Mindi & Sam | Meet with DC to discuss contract status; response options; all subsequent messaging will advance from there; listed times are estimates. | In person meeting |
| 12:45 p | Notify Board of DC’s decision and messaging | Gerald | Notify Board of DC choice; review speaking points (not to be copied, emailed, or distributed to anyone); RCC informed of inquiries to adjust message points, if needed. | Live by phone |
| 1:00 p | Notify Executive Team | David | Inform Executive Team of CEO change; review narrative speaking points; clarify media policy/guidelines; NEW C present. | In person or live by phone; no voicemail, texts or emails |
| 1:30 p | Schedule All Staff Meeting | David | Inform all supervisors to notify their departments and make a note of who will miss the meeting. Keep message to: “Please make every effort to attend an All Staff meeting today at __ pm in the ___ for a special announcement from the Board.” | Mass communications to all staff – email, supervisors to inform, etc. |
| 3:00 p | All Staff Meeting | Mindi, Veronica and Senior Team | Use scenario, appropriate narrative and speaking points; emphasize ABC media policy/guidelines in inquiry response; all staff, who oversee absent staff and/or volunteers, to be briefed on how to deliver the news. | In person meeting; supervisors to meet with all missing staff as soon as on premises (no voicemails, texts, emails to absent staff) |
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Timing & Message Rollout
| Time | Task | Point Person | Description | Method |
| 2:00 p [Messages left days 2.3; follow up can take weeks] | Notify Donors (30k+) | Cynthia K | Commence immediate outreach to Key Donors; “I wanted to personally let you know about an important development at ABC. This can wait until your return. I look forward to talking with you at that time. Thank you.” | Live by phone (no texts or emails unless using indicated message, see “Description” to left) |
| 3:00 p [Can take several business days | Notify Community Partners | Mark T Jose Veronica | Notify local community partners including ___ using scenario appropriate narrative and speaking points. | In person or live by phone; no voicemail, emails, text messages |
| 4:00 p [Can take up to a few business days] | Notify partner agencies | Jose Veronica | Notify key partner agencies using scenario appropriate narrative and speaking points. | In person or live by phone; no voicemail, emails, text messages |
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Relational Capital
Discuss the role of relational capital in crisis management – finding out if you have it or not
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