Communicating in a Crisis

1. 5 Aug 03
Communicating in a Crisis
John McCracken
Sydney

2. Communications in the context of a
Crisis Management strategy

3. What is a Crisis?
 A Crisis is an escalating incident that poses a
serious threat to the people, operation, viability
and/or reputation of an organisation
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4. What is Crisis Management?
 Crisis Management is the implementation and
management of response, recovery and restoration
strategies
 These strategies should be implemented with a view to
minimising the potential impact an escalating incident can
have on an organisation’s people, operation, viability
and/or reputation
 These actions will assist an organisation to fully recover
from such an event
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5. Crisis Management & Communication
Project scope/
review
Enterprise
Value
Crisis Management
&
Communication
Training/
Awareness
Recovery
Strategies
Risk
Assessment
Emergency
Response
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6. Communicating in a Crisis
 Communicating with stakeholders during a crisis is but
one element of crisis management, however it plays a
vitally important role:
– effective communications during a crisis can
minimise potential damage to an organisation’s
reputation and therefore it’s long-term viability
– ill conceived and poorly executed communications
can cause a rapid loss of control of the perceptions
of all stakeholders during a crisis
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7. Internal versus external
communications strategies and issues

8. Communications Strategies
 Plan for a crisis in advance
 Clarify objectives
 Identify stakeholders and analyse their needs
 Identify the ‘theme’ of key messages to be released
 Prepare for likely questions
 Identify most effective communications mediums
 Appoint official spokesperson(s)
 Determine authority protocols for release of information
 Agree activity tracking mechanism
 Develop records management system
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9. Tips for avoiding common issues
 Establish the communications protocols
– who is responsible for reporting
– what is critical, what is important, what can wait
– when / how often to update
– what format will it be delivered in
 Monitor the communications
– check filter points
– identify potential bottle necks
– log and monitor deadlines / updates
– ensure there is a common understanding and
agreement
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10. Government and
regulators
Next of kin /
relatives
Community
Who are the stakeholders?
Distributors
Board (representing
shareholders)
Organisation
in a crisis
Indirect
customers
Employees
Suppliers
The media
Statutory
authorities
Direct
customers
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11. Internal Stakeholders
 Employees
 Next of Kin / Relatives
 Board
 Internal Departments
 Joint Venture Parties
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12. Employees
 Staff are key stakeholders
– keep them informed
– release an initial alert
– maintian regular updates
 Critical Incident Stress Debriefing
– those who witness an horrific event
– those who are close to the victim
– other staff as required
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13. Next of Kin / Relatives
 Agree arrangements for visits to notify immediate family,
relatives, friends, etc of any workforce fatality or serious
injury
 Determine the process of dealing with calls and direct
contact with the next of kin and/or relatives
 Provide processes to deal with expected inquiries including:
– accessing records and information
– activating a team or location to deal with calls
– telephone procedures
– methods of dealing with distressed relatives
– other information as necessary
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14. Board, Internal Departments, Joint Venture
Parties, etc
 Ensure pre-determined processes capture
communications protocols including:
– reporting lines
– delegated points of contact
– agree communications mechansims
– agreed reporting criteria
 Ensure an appropriate management
structure is implemented and utilised
throughout all phases of the crisis
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15. External Stakeholders
 Customers, suppliers and distributors
 Legal and insurers
 Government authorities, regulators, statutory
authorities, industry associations - EPA,
WorkCover, Consumer Affairs, Unions, etc
 Emergency Services
 Community
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16. Customers, Suppliers and Distributors
 Identify and communicate with:
– key customers
– key suppliers
– transport organisations
– alternative suppliers
 Clear message on what is happening, what’s been
done to rectify, alternative arrangements, etc
 Information must be linked to what is being said to
media, community and other stakeholders
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17. Marsh 17

18. Legal and Insurers
 Involve legal and insurance advisers early
 Log events carefully and ensure they are signed
 Collect all information generated and store in a safe
place
 Ensure legal advisers are involved in any significant
investigation
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19. Authorities and Regulators
 Ensure you satisfy regulatory reporting requirements
 Public Corporations:
– deal with political stakeholders & their concerns/issues
 Private Corporations:
– consider political implications of incidents and the likely
responses of Government and Government Authorities
 Consider implications on all levels of Government (Local, State &
Federal)
 If situation is overseas:
– consider who and how the organisation will liaise with both
indigenous and Local Government(s)
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20. Emergency Services
 Ensure there is a clear and defined conduit
between the Emergency Services and the
organisation
 Advise Emergency Services personnel of any
potential issues
 Ensure that information given by the Emergency
Services is communicated to the Crisis
Management Team
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21. Community
 Address immediate concerns
 Use community groups, media and/or emergency
services to assist with getting the message out
 Keep them regularly informed
 Maintain open, honest and ongoing contact
 Appoint spokesperson(s) for the organisation
 Same rules apply as to media interaction
 Remember, your organisation is part of the community
and needs their support to continue
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22. Media Interaction

23. The Media are out there …
Like Them Or Not
 The Media can be a powerful friend or foe during a
Crisis.
 The media have the facilities to:
– amplify your key facts and information
– reach a very wide audience quickly
– reach specific or target audiences
 All for low or no cost.
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24. Role of the Media
 Accepted wisdom:
– The Media plays an important role within the
local, national and global community:
 gather facts and information of community
interest
 amplify information of interest and concern to
the community
 provide the community with a common
understanding of events
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25. Role of the Media
 Gather facts and information of community interest:
– All of the above, PROVIDED THAT:
 it’s entertaining
 it’s ‘newsworthy’ in the view of the audience
 it provides a financial return for the media
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26. Remember: Social Amplification of Risk
 Activists and the media amplify outrage, they don’t create
it, therefore:
– pay attention to the outrage where the public is
concerned, because outraged people do not listen to
data
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27. Types of Media
 The types of media to consider utilising during a crisis
are:
– Print
– Radio
– Internet
– Television
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28. Gaining Control of the Agenda
 Use a media communications team
 To ensure you are not always reacting to the media:
– determine who your audience is
– know what the community is asking
– determine your key messages
– get your messages out fast
– stick to your messages
– continue to provide accurate and regular
information and updates
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29. The Critical Questions
 Generally speaking the media and community ask:
– what, where, when, why, who, (etc)?
– are we safe?
– has everything possible been done to care for all
those affected?
– have you apologised?
– what’s being done to prevent it from occurring again?
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30. Ways of Conveying your Message via Media
Release
 A means, often the first, to state your case
 A Media Release :
– can be prepared in advance - Holding Statement
– must stick to the facts
– must convey concern and regret, positively
– can allay fears and misinformation
– can be used to keep staff & stakeholders informed
– should advise if a press conference is to be held
and a contact point for the organisation
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31. Fact Sheets/Files
 A means of ensuring journalists know what your
organisation does.
 A Fact Sheet/File:
– provides information about the organisation and its
activities
– can provide supporting background information to
Media Releases
– gives the media “facts” about you so that the
information is correct
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32. Media Conferences
 A necessary or prudent action to clarify your position
and keep control of the agenda. A Media
Conference:
– should feature as few spokespersons as
practicable,
– must be thoroughly prepared and rehearsed,
– must be tightly controlled,
– should follow an agreed format,
– should be recorded,
– MUST have key messages.
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33. Lessons for Everyday Communications

34. Communications are Critical
 Write down information
 Use active listening skills
 Verify data
 Don’t be too hasty
 Strive to minimise corruption of data
 Information is everyone’s responsibility
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35. Communication Elements
3 Major Components:
 ‘Technical’
– physical medium; face-to-face, telephone, fax,
email, etc
 ‘Meaning’
– conveying the desired meaning
 ‘Effectiveness’
– how the meaning effects the recipients’ reactions
and decisions
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36. Face-to-face Considerations
 Researchers1 have shown that in face-to-face
communication:
– at least 65% of the meaning comes from non-verbal
sources
– of the remaining 35%, 28% comes from the delivery;
tone, pace ,etc
– therefore, only 7% comes from the actual words used
1 Braysich, Dr Joseph - University of Western Australia; Alan Pease et al
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37. Conclusion
 Communications is a vitally important element of Crisis
Management
 Failure to communicate with all stakeholders, including the
media, during a crisis can ruin the best of reputations and
therefore jeopardise an organisation’s long-term viability
 Gaining and maintaining control of the Media is critical
 Only prior planning can ensure that necessary
communication tools are immediately available when
required
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38. John McCracken
02 9375 9812
0414 495 922
john.p.mccracken@marsh.com