ReadingTench & Yeomans, Chapter 20, Crisis Public

Relations Management

Murphy’s Law

If something can go wrong, it will!

Crisis PR is one of the most critical aspects of modern communications

Helps to protect companies, their reputations and sometimes their survival

Lerbinger (1997)Eight types of crises1.Natural (e.g. Asian Tsunami)2.Technological (Mercedes A class crises)3.Confrontation (Shell Oil & Brent Spar)4.Malevolence (product tampering, animal rights

campaigners)5.Skewed management values (Barings bank crises

– rogue trader)6.Deception7.Management misconduct (Enron scandal)8.Business and economic crises

Where do crises come from?“It is not what you now, but who knows

it.“ (Information age makes it impossible to keep things confidential)

e.g. Lost government disks with peoples data on it /

Tax scandal in Liechtenstein

“You won’t believe what so and so just told me” (rumours by employees are one of the largest sources of crises)

The cost of a crisisEmployee concernLegal actionsCustomer reactionsMarket confidence and reputationManagement distraction

Why the media love a crisesCrises fits news values of the media (Drama,

excitement, surprise, people, controversy)

THIS MIGHT LEAD TO: Initial media reports might be speculative,

infactual, exaggerated and sensationalisedExperts will be called in to comment on why things

went wrong, they’ll speculate on possible causesOpinions and rumours Someone might say this was a disaster waiting to

happen

How organisationsprepare for a crisesConduct a crises audit (for your

organisation/event /campaign)Prepare a crises manualConduct crises simulation and

training.

Identification of crisis existing situations and problems that might develop

into a crisis.

crisis and problems the organisation (or the industries e.g. competitors) may have had in the past

planned activities that might lead to opposition from groups within society such as pressure groups

Two important questions to ask when planning for crisis management are:1) How likely is a crisis to happen?2) How disastrous is this crisis threatening to

be?Fearn-Banks recommends to use two scales

to answer those questions (Fearn-Banks, 1996: 20).

Probability O-Impossible, basically no chance of occurring

1-Nearly impossible 2-Remotely possible 3-Possible 4-More than possible,

somewhat probable, has happened to competitors or similar companies

5-Highly probable, may or may not have previously occurred in company, warning signs are evident

 

Potential damage to the company: 0- No damage, not a serious

consequence 1-Little damage, can be handled

without much difficulty, not serious enough for media concern

2-Some damage, a slight chance that media will be involved

3-Condsiderable damage, but still will not be a major media issue

4-Considerable damage, would definitely be a major media issue

5-Devastating, front page news, can put company out of business

Crisis contingency planA contingeny plan's aims and objectives are

mainly to: remove ambiguity and confusion during a crisis by

determining response and communication procedures and responsibilities

provide guidance for personnel who manage major crisis events

offer guidelines for company spokespeople who communicate with the media and key publics during a crisis

state the organisation's policies towards its publics

Identifying Key PublicsWhich audiences are the most likely to be

affected by a potential crisis?

What are we going to do to communicate effectively with them during the duration of the crisis?

Crisis teamPR people need to identify a group of people (with

backups) who will be dealing with the crisis. This includes

crisis communications manager plus assistantscrisis communications coordinator (control

room???)spokespeoplemedia contact people legal advisors External personnel (fire brigade,

police, paramedics, hospitals, health and safety people, government officials and union officials)

Selection of spokespersonComfortable in front of a TV cameraPreferably skilled in handling mediaAble to speak without using jargonRespectful of the role of the reporter,knowledgeable about the organisation and the

crisis at hand Able to establish credibility with the media,Suitable in regard to diction, appearance and

charisma, Sincere, straightforward and believable, Able to remain calm in stressful situations.

Problem of RegulationUnregulated nature of internet gives

concernRumour mill and free for allMobile phones allow for footage

direct from the scene to journalists or the Internet

Dealing with the media "no comment" to the media is a bad stepGetting the message out quicklyThe need to be assertive with the media“Tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth”

3 ways of dealing with the media1. We know what happened and here is all

the information2. We don't know everything at this time.

Here is what we know. As soon as we know more we will let you know.

3. We have no idea but we will find out and tell you.

Dealing with the mediaRemember: journalists have the right to interview

anyone they want to If they don't get the answers they want from you they

will get them somewhere else. They all want a different angle than the reporter

standing next to them. They will try for that scoop with you.

If the possibility is there to provide them with what they want, consider it very carefully.

All media should be treated equally. What is given to one (such as access to an area effected

by the crisis) should be available to all media.

Testing the crisis planPlaying through scenariosGetting all the people togetherChecking whether you are reaching publicsUpdating crisis scenarios in light of

environmental changes

Key principles of crisis managementBe sympathetic / apologeticCentralise or manage information flowGet together crisis team to focus on the eventAssume the worst case scenarioHave a media trained spokespersonResist the combative instinctUnderstand why the media are hereRemember all audiences (different types of

communication)Recognise the value of short-term sacrifice

ReferencesCutlip, Scott M., Center, Allen H. and Broom, Glen M

(2005) Effective Public Relations, London: Prentice-Hall.Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (1996) Crisis Communications: A

Casebook Approach, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Grunig, J.E. and Repper, F.C. (1992) 'Strategic

Management, Publics and Issues' in: J.E. Grunig (Ed.) Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 117-157.

Lerbinger, Otto ( 1997) The Crisis Manager: Facing Risk

and Responsibility, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.