Skip to main content

Crisis Public Relations

CRISIS PUBLIC RELATIONS

A crisis within an organisation:
- threatens high priorities
- presents minimum time for response
- is unexpected or unanticipated (although there may be an awareness of the possibility prior to it happening)

A crisis can be caused
- internally
- by a change in the environment

When facing a crisis, management often reacts in a restrictive manner which may not prove to be in the best interests of the organisation.

Appreciation of any situation is paramount and response issued in a calm and rational way. Over-reacting can do more damage than leaving it alone, which in itself is not the best method.

DEFINING THE CRISIS

It must be asked
- whether it was unexpected or unanticipated
- how was it brought to the organisation's attention
- if it was the result of a calculated risk (it must be noted that a risk is a risk, from which an outcome can never be calculated)

HOW MUCH INFORMATION SHOULD BE GIVEN IN A CRISIS

- authoritative information must be given out as soon as possible; if a positive response is not given quickly, the press will go elsewhere, very often down the employee chain
- the facts must not be distorted
- too much information must not be given (can cause panic) while at the same time too little must not be given (causes disbelief)

CONTINGENCY PLANNING
- a small group of senior management must be available from which a spokesperson can be drawn
- a member of senior management must be available to be 'on the spot' - specialist training (talking to TV or Radio) must be undertaken if required
- if there is likely to be an incident based on past experience or anticipation, work out a drill of action - who will respond; where (at company HQ or in a local hotel) will the response take place; will there be support or denial material available; will there be video facilities to carefully record the question and answer sessions viz potential misquotes.
- in event of a crisis, ensure media are monitored, in particular recordings of broadcasts (TV and Radio)
- note that press and news agencies tend to get news quickly - an embargo will not work.

SUMMARY

- only authoritative spokespeople, even outside office hours - try to encourage an understanding with the media whereby they know who they must contact in the event of a crisis
- if contact is made by the press with a non-authoritative, ensure all staff members are briefed to respond "I don't know but will get someone to speak to you within 10 minutes" - adhere to this, or the press will either misquote or search elsewhere

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The "Win a Million" free scratch card newspaper inserts

One of those three-panel "Win a Million" scratchcards fell out of my newspaper this morning. Not a major or in anyway newsworthy event in itself, but I must admit my surprise. I didn't think anyone bothered with them anymore, or, to be a little more technical, I didn't think anyone was taken in by them anymore. Firstly, it actually is printed on the bottom of each panel that "Every card has a set of 3 matching symbols, 2 matching symbols and no matching symbols". Right, so you are going to 'win', half-win and not win respectively. Then, while the prize list is somewhat impressive with 1x£1m, 1x£100k, 2x£20k, 3x£10k and other things like holidays, tablet PC's city breaks all the way down to 1000 "faux" fashion watches, 1000 salon  makeovers and 1000xVIP Thames cruises. Now should I be stupid enough to spend the £1.53 a minute for the 6 minute phone call to claim my prize (that's almost a tenner, for those of you without cal...

Chancellor's letter of apology to Bob Diamond of Barclays

Thanks to my contacts at the new News International business "Phonetaps'R'Us", I was exclusively sent a copy of a letter sent to the Chief Executive of Barclays Bank, Bob Diamond, from the Chancellor yesterday. "Dear Bob Trusting you and yours are well. Listen mate. Sorry the F inancially S tupid A sses wrote to your bank yesterday to demand £290million as a fine. It's nothing personal, and just because your bank head office people are a bunch of dishonest, thieving bastards, I thought there was no reason to carry on that way and fine you. I made this clear to the FSA yesterday as soon as I heard the news. I told them that the taxpayer would have been more than happy to bail you out. And also. Look mate. Sorry you've had to give up your bonus this year. It must have come as quite a shock, and was a wonderful thing for you to volunteer to do. I only hope you've put something by from the £17million you received last year. No doubt the bank pay...

Teen music goes full circle - from long-haired louts to screamers

I confess to being somewhat amused. Remembering back to my youth, the music of the day, with albums (the vinyl type) toted around school under arms, tended to be by the untidy long-haired, wailing a set of completely nonsensical lyrics loudly into a microphone, with a couple of interruptions by a seemingly endless guitar solo. Names such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Yes, Genesis, Blodwyn Pig, Blind Faith, Cream, Traffic, Spencer Davis with the 4-minute wonders provided by the Rolling Stones and Status Quo. Strangely, these bands or their members are still going strong up to 50 years later! And yes, they mostly wrote all their own material and played their own instruments. And my dad hated most of them, thinking they all sounded the same (although, as a man in his mid 80's before his passing away a couple of years ago, he enjoyed the Electric Light Orchestra, Ian Dury and Queen. And unashamedly, the album of cover songs by Ozzy Osborne). Today, the wailing has now become ...