Post on 17-Feb-2017
Your Organization’s Reputation:Improving It, Protecting It, and Controlling Factors Than Can Destroy It
“Reputation damage, the top-ranked risk in this year’s survey”
Global Risk Management Survey 2015
Crisis breaks
News media picks it up
Story goes viral
Updates to story
How hot can it get?
“We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness and arrogance don’t belong here.”
Who said this?
Preparing for a crisis
Creating a unified front
Crafting crisis communication tactics
Avoiding common pitfalls during a crisis
Evaluating how well the plan worked after use
What we’ll cover today
Internal preparation
Communications team
Crisis assessment
Predicting “holding statements”
Defined communication channels
Preparing for a crisis
Crisis communication policy as part of staff training
Documents that cover:◦ Purpose of crisis communication
plan◦ Policy◦ Checklists◦ Emergency phone/email/text
tree
◦ Assessment ◦ Notification flowchart◦ Team members◦ Pre-public planning ◦ Going public
What’s the plan?
What are some common crises?
Who
What
Where
When
Internal preparation starts with crisis assessment
Audience IssuesHealth & Safety
Trust Recovery Plan
Unknowns
Public
Victims
Staff & Volunteers
Media
Message Map/Crisis Matrix
Executive director
Communications director
Board
Staff and volunteers
Creating a unified front
Fast
Accurate
Trustworthy
Empathetic
Respectful
You can’t get around without…
Morale
Gaps get filled with wrong/bad information
Talking points belong to everyone
Decide on “inside” exclusives
Keep internal and external messages close
Ideal first channel:Staff and Volunteers
Clear and short answers
Stay on offensive
Respect “pushy” reporters
Practice
Expect the unexpected
Media spokespersons are trained, not born
Acknowledge: “We understand that…”
Bridging: “What’s most important is that…”
Facts are facts: “We’ve served the community for 50 years and will continue to serve through…”
Move forward: “While the investigation continues, we’re encouraging everyone to…”
And how to do it
Crisis communication tactics
“The police are still investigating the accident, and we will share new updates as we have them available.”
“This is what we have confirmed ______. More details may emerge as the investigation continues.”
“Our social service agency is committed to the safety of our clients and staff, and we will cooperate with all authorities during the investigation.”
“Our hearts and minds are with those who have suffered a terrible loss. We will continue to provide more details as the investigation continues.”
“We will supply additional information when it is available and post it on our website and our social media channels.”
Holding statements
Know nothing, say nothing
Play the Lone Ranger
Hate the messengers
Live in a vacuum
Forget the feelings
No need to practice
Avoiding common pitfalls
Contact lists (e.g. crisis team, media lists)
Access to social media channels
Non-crisis information
Professional service providers
Tomorrow will be TOO LATE!
Time to hit the “reset” button?
Appreciation and gratitude contact lists
Did systems work in “real time?”
Media analysis: coverage and corrections
Modifications to communication files
Evaluate how well plan worked
Sample tools
Online resources with crisis communication plans
Crisis communications = insurance
Employment/volunteer agreements
Train key crisis communications team
Test during regular hours and off-hours
Best Practices
Is it too late when you face a pile of ashes?
Confirm that you have a plan
Review resources listed
Learn from others