Crisis Communications Master Class Austin February 15, 2019 Nick - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Crisis Communications Master Class

Nick Lanyi Ragan Consulting Group

Austin February 15, 2019

Agenda

9-10:30 Crisis planning: How to lead the creation of an effective crisis plan 10:30-10:45 Break 10:45-noon Media training for crisis communications Noon-1 Lunch 1-2:30 Thriving in the fray: Effective communications in a crisis 2:30-2:45 Break 2:45-4:30 Exercise + Restoring reputation: Repairing damage after a crisis

Things Have Changed…

2000 TODAY

Traditional news media trusted Traditional news media under attack Alternative media marginal Alternative media central Strong gatekeepers No gatekeepers Fact-based journalism Opinion-based journalism Content creation limited Content creation exploding Authority Authenticity

AUTHENTICITY, not authority ENTERTAINMENT, not information SHOW, not tell OPINION, not neutrality PEOPLE, not experts

What Today’s Media Consumer Wants

AESOP

Tell a Good Story

Stories that are emotionally compelling engage more of your brain. As the tension rises, our bodies release cortisol to sharpen our focus and maintain our attention. Our brains release oxytocin (NOT OxyContin!) and we feel empathy and generosity.

Your brain

1. 2. 3.

Your brain on storytelling

4.

Character-driven stories consistently produce more

• xytocin.

The Plan

Risk Assessment Stakeholder Analysis Message Development Approval Process Playbook Practice Benefits of Crisis Planning

Risk Assessment

Types of Crises

• Operational
• Production
• Health & Safety
• Cybersecurity
• HR
• Financial
• Legal
• Political
• Social Media

Risk Assessment

• Peers, similar industries
• Start with existing risk framework
• Use the news
• Ask around
• Risk summit
• Add what you know
• PRIORITIZE

Risk Assessment Scenarios

Risk Assessment & Scenarios - Example

RISKS Operational Gas leak Gas explosion Workplace accident Financial Earnings miss Accounting irregularities Regulatory Carbon tax Methane Gas explosion

• 1. Minor, no injuries
• 2. Major, injuries/death

Carbon tax Public affairs is managing Won’t be a surprise SCENARIOS

EXERCISE

Stakeholder Analysis Reputation management is about stakeholders.

360 Approach

Community Media Customers Shareholders Employees

“Know Your Audience”

• Who are your stakeholders?
• What motivates them?
• What questions will they have?
• Ask. Research. Put yourself in their shoes.

Stakeholder Mapping Tools

EXERCISE

Message Development

For each scenario Deliver your story to key stakeholders:

• Background information
• Talking points
• Statements
• Key messages, proof points,

examples

• Q&As

Approval Process

• Crisis time = hours & minutes, not weeks & days
• Alert legal, regulatory, etc. to potential problems
• Work out kinks before the crisis
• Make your case now
• Be realistic

Playbook Elements

For each scenario

• Crisis Management Team
• Crisis Communications Team
• Key stakeholders
• Strategic principles
• Background documents
• Message materials
• talking points
• statements (external & internal)
• social media (sample FB post, tweets, etc.)
• Q&As
• other
• Spokespeople

Crisis Communications Team

• Traffic cop
• Rapid response/messaging lead
• Media relations lead
• Social media lead
• Recovery lead
• Stakeholder liaisons
• Leader

Playbook

• No right or wrong format, but

increasingly in shared doc form

• Must be:
• Easy to understand
• Accessible by crisis team
• Updated every 6-12 months

• Internal and third-party allies

Spokespeople

• Media training
• Develop relationships with reporters

How to Get C-Suite Buy-In

• Find a Champion
• Demonstrate the Cost
• Start Small
• Simulations

How to Get C-Suite Buy-In

QUESTIONS?

Media Training

What is a Media Interview?

It’s a business meeting in which you communicate key messages by telling a story.

Why Engage with the Media? (General)

Project key messages to important audiences Build awareness of organization, brand, leaders Foster relationships with reporters, outlets to become a go-to source If you don’t, your competitors and critics will

Why Engage with the Media? (Crisis)

Frame the crisis yourself – maintain control of story You are the best source for reporters who are compelled to cover it Amplify crucial messages: instruction, defense, apology, pivot If you don’t, your competitors and critics will

Know the Media

• Need to create content 24/7
• Fresh angles – advancing the story
• POV, emotion
• Can’t be boring
• What’s the headline?
• News, news, news

Know the Media Mindset

DO:

• Know what they do
• Be responsive
• Talk straight
• Educate them
• Give them sound bites
• Have a point of view
• Tell the truth

Know the Media Mindset

DON’T:

• Be irrelevant
• Try to “win them over”
• Use jargon
• Be vague
• Be boring
• Meander
• Lie

Interview Techniques

Before You Start…

Before You Start…

• Find out as much as you can about the reporter’s angle
• Do a pre-interview if possible
• Remember: you control the interview

Key Messages

Key Messages

• 2-3 only
• Tailored to the interview
• Internalize, don’t memorize
• Weave them into the story

Proof Points

Proof Points

• Back up each key message with proof points
• Numbers
• Statistics
• Appeal to 3rd party validation
• Short, easily digestible
• Only 1 or 2 per key message

Visualizing

Visualizing

• Painting a picture will make your message and

proof point come alive

• Human beings
• Concrete examples
• Personal experience => POV

Proof Point & Visualizing Example

Key Point

We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of everyone in the community.

Proof Point

We’ve deployed our entire fleet of emergency repair trucks and placed all repair technicians on emergency standby.

Visualization

One of our senior technicians got married last weekend. He has postponed his honeymoon to lead his repair crew during the current crisis. (We are going to pick up the tab for the honeymoon when it’s rescheduled.)

Bridging

Bridging Phrases

• “The real issue is…”
• “Let me tell you about…”
• “What’s important to remember is…”
• “Let me put this in perspective…”
• “I can’t address that. But what I can tell you is…”

Bridging Example

Question

How could you let this cybersecurity breach happen?

Bridge

This is a criminal investigation and we can’t comment on the cause at this

• time. What we

can say is this:

Key Point

We care deeply about our customers’ privacy. We take responsibility for this breach in

• ur security. We will fix the

problem and do whatever we can to help anyone whose personal information was compromised.

Flagging

Flagging Phrases

• “The key point is…”
• “What really matters is…”
• “If you remember only one thing I say, it’s this…”
• “The bottom line is…”
• “This is important…”

Flagging Example

Question

Some residents

• f neighboring

communities say the assault that occurred

• n your

property is a symptom of your turning a deaf ear to the community’s concerns.

Flag

We are always ready and willing to listen to our

• neighbors. We actually

meet with community representatives twice a

• month. The bottom line

is:

Key Point

This is our home. We love this

• town. And we are committed to

staying here, providing good jobs and being a good neighbor, for years to come.

Silence is Golden

Don’t Forget the Story

• Key messages fit into a narrative
• Who’s the hero? What is his or her goal? What is the

tension – obstacles, drama? How does your organization fit in?

• You don’t have to tell the whole story. But you have to

know it.

Tips for Crisis Interviews

• Prepare answers for the most common questions and

the most difficult questions

• Stay calm
• Never say “No comment”
• Don’t guess
• Don’t speculate
• Don’t volunteer information
• Don’t ask, “Does that answer your question?”

THE CAMERA IS ALWAYS ON THE MIC IS ALWAYS HOT THE REPORTER IS STILL ON THE LINE

Media Training Exercise

(1) FIRST SESSION: THE BASICS

• Group training: short interviews on camera (5-7

minutes) with follow-up questions

• Three questions
• Tell me about your organization
• What are your goals for the next three years?
• What is your biggest challenge?

Media Training Exercise

(2) SECOND SESSION: CRISIS TRAINING

• Solo training: one-on-one interview with crisis

spokespeople using a scenario simulation

• Start straight
• Follow up with aggressive questions
• Throw curveballs
• Critique

Nothing is “off the record”

Media training is an ongoing process

QUESTIONS?

A Classic

The Crisis

First Steps

• Get the facts
• Assemble team
• Triage: assess needs, resources & prioritize tasks
• Internal messaging as needed
• Plan today & tomorrow
• Start monitoring
• Call in help if needed

Keep the Focus on Stakeholders

• Leadership will be freaking out
• Business & legal imperatives paramount in C-suite discussion
• Assert the need for effective communications -- not to

placate your team or the media but to shape narrative for stakeholders

• Emphasize long-term impact on brand

Messaging: Day One

• Placeholder statement

➢ “We are aware of f th the inc incid ident at t our Brentwood loc locatio ion. . We e wil ill l provid ide addit itio ional l inf informatio ion as soon as possible.”

• If necessary, correct mistakes/rumors calmly

& straightforwardly

• Provide information and show compassion
• Take responsibility as appropriate
• Remember the bigger story

Stakeholder Outreach

Work Flow/Process

• Team check-ins 2-3x day, evening email (or

whatever works for you)

• Traffic cop must set up a process
• Approvals must be expedited
• Monitor team morale, stress

Media Inquiries

• Be responsive
• If you don’t tell your story, someone else will
• Reporters need you more than ever
• Thin

ink ahead

Prioritizing Media Inquiries

• Be selective if it fits your strategy
• But don’t alienate unnecessarily
• Ignore fringe outlets that aren’t operating in

good faith

• Sow seeds for recovery

What to Avoid

• Acting contrary to values
• Lying
• Silence
• Confusion
• Ignorance
• Mixed Messages
• Defensiveness
• Combativeness

Reactive

Once the record is corrected and your narrative has been established, shift the conversation to better ground:

• Values
• People
• Stakeholders want to believe
• Use opportunities to “close and pivot”

Proactive

United Airlines

United: First CEO Statement

“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers.”

United: CEO to Employees (leaked)

“While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”

United: CEO Day Three

“The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.”

Starbucks

Apologies

Protesters

Social Media Crisis

Social Media Crisis: Best Practices

• Engage in a timely manner
• Monitor
• Landing page for extended issues
• Let allies defend you
• Establish & use social media protocols

➢ What is a crisis? ➢ Escalation protocol ➢ Engage, don’t inflame

Social Media: What to Avoid

• Delete their posts (unless abusive)
• Get emotional, defensive or abusive
• Start a fight (Rule of Three)
• Delete your posts
• “Corporate speak” or lack of transparency

Boo-Boos on Social Media

• Take it down, apologize, explain and move on

Example

@KitchenAidUSA: “Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! ‘She died 3 days b4 he became president”.”??? Wow!” #nbcpolitics

This tweet was issued from the KitchenAid twitter account during a nationally televised presidential debate in 2012:

Response: Placeholder

KitchenAid immediately took down the tweet and posted an apology:

Deepest apologies for an irresponsible tweet that is in no way a representation of the brand's

• pinion. #nbcpolitics

Response: Taking Responsibility, Apologizing, POV

KitchenAid also posted this statement and sent it to reporters:

During the debate last night, a member of our Twitter team mistakenly posted an

• ffensive tweet from the KitchenAid handle instead of a personal handle. The

tasteless joke in no way represents our values at KitchenAid, and that person won’t be tweeting for us anymore. That said, I lead the KitchenAid brand, and I take responsibility for the whole team. I am deeply sorry to President Obama, his family, and the Twitter community for this careless error. Thanks for hearing me out. –Cynthia Soledad, senior director, KitchenAid

Cybersecurity Crisis

Cybersecurity: #1 Crisis

Orgs Mobilized Crisis Team in Past Three Years For: Cyber incident 46% Safety incident 45% Security incident 35% Performance issue 34% Govt/environmental 34%

Source: Deloitte.

Cybersecurity Best Practices

• Provide frequent updates and show progress
• Disclose as soon as you can
• Before a crisis: Educate users/customers
• Create secure information channels
• Be as transparent as possible about security

precautions and be able to communicate clearly about them in a crisis

QUESTIONS?

EXERCISE

The Recovery

Think Ahead During the Crisis

• Start planning recovery before the crisis
• Develop a recovery strategy during the crisis
• Keep track of promises made and hold your

peers and leaders accountable

• Rely on your organization’s values and

strengths to fuel the recovery

• Ask for help -- activate stakeholders and

surrogates

• Most of all: TELL A STORY!

But first…

Crisis Response Assessment

• Not a personnel evaluation exercise (yet)
• What worked, what didn’t
• Lessons learned about stakeholder reaction
• Are your brand values and narrative as

established as you expected?

• What bridges need mending?

Measure, and React

• Invest in research to understand key

stakeholders’ views in detail

• Leaders must be made to understand

extent of damage

• Try to move the needle

Don’t Slide Back into the Crisis Hole

• Any unresolved issues?
• Keep communication going with

stakeholders, reporters

• Look out for investigations, follow-up stories
• Don’t act like it’s over – everyone will notice
• If you make changes, tell people

How Does Recovery Happen?

• Stakeholders will forgive if you take

responsibility, explain and fix

• Organization also needs to keep promises

and inform shareholders

• Use progress to reinforce the narrative

Use the News Timeline

CRISIS CRISIS FALLOUT (week 3,4) CRISIS FOLLOW-UP (month 2,3) PROGRESS REPORT (month 6) Use inevitable news stories to your advantage by having something to say that reinforces your story

Don’t Bury the Past

• Don’t get cocky: remain humble,

responsible and accountable

• Never convey that you are trying to

pretend the crisis didn’t happen

• Stakeholders are watching for signs that

“you didn’t really mean it”

• Talk about lessons learned and fixes

made – focus on positives but don’t deny the past

Executive Profile Development

QUESTIONS?

About Ragan Consulting Group

Mark Ragan and Jim Ylisela created Ragan Consulting Group to help corporate communicators of all skill-level, across every industry, improve their communications strategies. RCG offers half-day or full-day workshops on:

• Writing and Editing
• Video Storytelling
• Brand Journalism
• Crisis Communications
• Internal Communications
• Infographics
• Media Training
• Speechwriting
• Communications Measurement

Whether you have a team of three—or 30, RCG will come to your headquarters to train your staff all at once. No budgeting for employee’s airfare, hotels or meal expenses. Just one flat fee. If you’d like to bring Nick, Mark, Jim or another RCG expert to your organization, email Rebecca Shaffer at Rebecca.shaffer@raganconsulting.com.

THANK YOU!

Nick Lanyi nicklanyi@gmail.com