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“They’re All Drunk in Singapore”

Paul OmodtPadilla Speer Beardsley

Jon AustinJ. Austin & Associates

“Why Organizations Need a Crisis Plan Before They Have a Crisis”

Or

“Don’t Be a Dinosaur”

The Real Title

Consider the Mighty Dinosaur

• Massive• Powerful

• Dominant• Awesome

Dead

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Model

• Slow• Cumbersome• Bad communications• Inability to anticipate and adapt

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Model

In other words, by the time its pea-brained consciousness receives, understands and

responds to a threat, it’s dead

Consider the Humble Mammal

• Fast• Adaptive• Aware• Slightly paranoid• Plans ahead*

*OK, we’re stretching here, but you get the point

Evolutionary Box Score…

70,000,000,000

0

Welcome to Jurassic Park…

An employee of your company – heavily

armed, wearing his uniform – takes

hostages at the elementary school and

is demanding access to the media to tell

the world about the integrity of your

operations and your efforts to silence

him.

In the next 20 minutes:

Things Start to Happen…CNN starts taking a live feed from a local TV station

50 Tweets go out to 20,000 followers, re-Tweeted to millions more

Three people are posting pictures from their phones to their Facebook pages, one guy is

streaming live video

MSNBC reports receiving an e-mail from a second employee that appears to corroborate

these allegations

A union trying to organize your employees announces a webcast press conference to detail

your “poor working conditions”

Fox News interviews an “expert” who says factories “are breeding grounds for violence”

Your web site crashes from the surge in hits

Your phone system crashes

CBS cuts into its daytime programming to broadcast live a caller on a cell phone claiming to

be inside the school

In Other News…Your phones are so jammed that even internal calls can’t get through

Because of vacation, travel and illness, your three senior managers are out

Your offices are mobbed by media, family members, reality show participants. The very nice lady at the front desk has locked herself in the bathroom.

Your lawyer is having lunch somewhere in town but she never turns on her cell phone and her secretary is gone;

The CEO has made an ironclad rule that – no matter what the situation – he must personally approve all comments to the media. Unfortunately, he and his family

are in Singapore and not in their hotel room.

In Short, You’re…

Dead

C’mon, Guys, THAT Couldn’t Really Happen…Could It?

So, the Question to Ask Is…

Are we dinosaurs or mammals?

If You’re Feeling a Little Jurassic…

Then it’s time to start working on a crisis communications plan

(That’s what the notepad is for)

Don’t Panic…

Develop, test, rehearse and follow a response plan that covers not just communications but every aspect of your operations.

“What Should Be Included In Your Crisis Management Plan?”

Excellent Question!

• Central coordination• Clearly defined roles• Guided by risk assessment• Redundancy• Regular test and review

Things That Keep You Up at Night

• Accidents, Incidents, Injuries

• Recalls

• Financial Issues

• Media or Government Investigations

• Loss of Facilities, Personnel, Capabilities

• Misbehavior/Malfeasance/Criminality

• Community-Wide Incidents

Speed Kills

• More than ever, the media –

traditional, social and digital

– is 24/7 and its appetite for

news is growing

• Because of this, you have to

be on-call and ready to

respond at all times

It Really Is a Global Village

• What happens in one part of the world is effectively instantly known everywhere. A story about your organization will reach all of your stakeholders.

• Remember, too, that not all stakeholders view things the same way.

Don't Guess…

Don’t speculate, theorize or

hypothesize

In a crisis situation, credibility is built and sustained by sticking

to what you know

Gather Facts

• The best way to counter rumor and gossip is to develop an effective fact-gathering mechanism:• A monitoring mechanism

for Internet, social and mainstream media

• Outside media monitoring agencies

• Contact with personnel on the frontlines

Share What You Know

Use all the tools at your disposal – regular meetings, e-mails, audio recordings,

intranets, etc. – to keep your employees, your board, families and other key

stakeholders informed

Been There, Done That…

Call on experienced counsel in developing crisis communications plans and for assistance during events

A Good Crisis Shouldn’t Be Wasted…

• For once, all of your stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders, partners – are paying attention; what do you want to say to them?• Honest emotions – empathy, grief, anger, resolve• Facts• Sincere commitments to future actions• Openness

On Your Communications Team…

• Coordinator• Inbound “call answerers”• Outbound communicators• Writer(s)• Researchers• Administrator• Tech support

All This and Your Regular Job…

• “Rule #1: Fly the plane!”• Assigned roles• Specific duties• What to do with your senior executives?• The difference between being informed

and being a decision maker

Tell the Truth

The media and your other stakeholders

know when they’re not getting the full story from a company. Don't lie to them.

Ever.

LiesHalf-Truths

Fibs

You Can Run, But…

It's better to tell bad news yourself than let somebody else define the narrative

But if you're going to tell it, tell it all and make sure your facts are solid

You’re Playing Defense…

A crisis is almost never a “winnable”

event.

Quit pretending it is.

Know Your “Friends”

Beware of sweeps and politicians – including those

called “analysts,” “experts” and “consultants”

“What’s a 5-Step Process For Tackling A Crisis That I Use Today?”

• Planning• Practice• Teamwork• Execution• Adaptability

And a bonus…• Analysis

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So…In Conclusion…

• Be a mammal…• Move fast• Plan• Understand your environment• Be adaptable• Create a crisis communications plan

Homework Assignment

Chapter 1 of theNational Commission on

Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Ch1.pdf

jon@jaustingroup.com(612) 839-5172

pomodt@padillaspeer.com(612) 455-1732

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