Archive for crisis PR
Crisis Communications Tip #3: Define & Defend Your Boundaries
Posted by: | CommentsA local hospital 
is at the beginning of what promises to be a lengthy and costly resolution of a situation involving a prominent physician, many, many of his patients and now, legions of attorneys.
In fairness to the hospital, it is a complicated situation not easily explained and therefore not easily understood by most of us. Additionally, there are many points of view that will be played out in the media for the foreseeable future.
However, based on media coverage thus far, the hospital does not appear to be assertively defining the situation to one physician in one department utilizing one procedure.
If we were asked our opinion on what their crisis communications strategy should be, we would implore them to quickly and decisively place the situation in context of the hospital’s overall reputation. It should then implement an ongoing, focused communications program that defines and defends the institution’s expertise and reputation beyond the boundaries of the current situation, albeit a serious and far-reaching one.
Crisis Communications Tip #15: It’s Rarely Straightforward
Posted by: | Comments
The incredible coverage in the traditional media, posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other online venues of the recent Jet Blue flight attendant’s bizarre reaction to a less than civil passenger brings home the point that a crisis is rarely, if ever, straightforward in the facts surrounding what happened.
IMO, what’s getting lost in the accolades for the flight attendant’s way that he quit his job are the bigger, more serious issues of the safety risk he put the passengers in when he deployed the evacuation chute and the complicated state of today’s customer service.
It will be interesting to watch how Jet Blue moves forward and how it incorporates the incident into its customer service training. It should make for an important case study.
BP’s Crisis Communications Continues to Bewilder
Posted by: | CommentsBP continues to distinguish itself in a growing number of categories in the ongoing sad saga of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill mess, including the bewildering way it communicates with the world.
We wish we could enroll them in our crisis communications summit. But it may be way too late.
Sunday’s photo of Tony Hayward watching his yacht race was one that will rank high on the “If I didn’t see it with my own eyes I would have never believed it” list! How could anyone at BP have thought that would be an OK way to spend a Sunday afternoon in public and that the media would give his attendance a pass?
While the opportunity has been missed for BP to get out in front of the crisis as well as also ignoring a long list of other effective crisis communications fundamentals, there is still time (thanks in part to BP’s difficulties in finding a workable solution to capping the leak) for BP to communicate — through their actions and words on and off the job — genuine and sincere empathy to a world that is in dire need of it.
Will they do it?
Facebook Friday: Not All Wall Posts are Happy Posts
Posted by: | Comments
Here’s one more reason your company’s social media program should be guided by an experienced communications professional. For a while, Nestle’s Facebook page was a place where fans could exchange posts about Kit-Kat bars and other products and receive updates from the company. Nice, huh?
But one day in March, the page was targeted by Greenpeace activists to raise the issue of Nestle’s use of palm oil and the resulting deforestation and endangered species loss in South America. Comments poured in from Facebook users – directly onto Nestle’s own Facebook page – harshly criticizing the company for its practices. Nestle’s initial responses were not well-received, causing additional need for damage control in a situation now included on the list of social media crisis PR case studies.
Coverage here by CNET News provides a good overview, but to see for yourself search for “Nestle” on Facebook and scroll down to the entries in March, 2010. To their credit, Nestle has not deleted the posts, and the company has used the page to post responses and updates about their palm oil practices.
The incident is a cautionary lesson for companies who want to delegate Facebook and all this new-fangled social media stuff to the intern or 20-something employee. Social media is two-way, and how a company responds to its fans – as well as its critics – is critical to its reputation and not something you want to leave in the hands of anyone unfamiliar with the basics of PR and crisis communications.
Credit: Nestle logo from Nestle Facebook page
Media Training Tip #11 – Integrate Crisis Communications Scenarios with Mock Interviews
Posted by: | Comments
Yesterday we completed a two-day media training session for an “institution of higher learning” in Maryland, and judging from the reactions of the participants, the time was well worth it, even for those who likely will not go before a camera. It opened their eyes to what goes on behind the scenes to help the media assemble a story – and get an organization’s messages delivered accurately and concisely. If you are considering a media training for your college or university, here are some thoughts to consider:
- We had great success integrating the college’s crisis communications plan with the media training. During mock interviews, participants rehearsed answers to potential questions about the H1N1 virus/swine flu, a fire in a campus building, an accusation against an accounting department employee and the crash of a van carrying a sports team. We’re all hoping nothing ever happens, but this college is prepared!
- We worked closely with the PR Department to create a customized program that met their unique needs. They shared with us that other media training firms they interviewed tried to sell them pre-packaged workshops that focused more on what to wear and other “style” pointers vs. a content-focused approach, which of course is more useful.
- The college president wisely asked that a range of personnel be exposed to the session. Not only were deans and others in leadership roles present, but so were staff members from a cross-section of departments, from security to the athletic department to purchasing.
- Each participant was offered the chance to go before the cameras twice. It was time-consuming, but one time is simply not enough. They viewed a tape of their initial appearance, received our constructive on-the-spot criticism and then tried again. Why not allow newbie mistakes to be made in the privacy of your conference room?
- Videotaping participants is more important than ever since many newspaper reporters are carrying video cameras with them these days.
- You should plan for a “refresher” session in about six months. This college has already planned a follow up, which will keep potential spokespeople comfortable and ready.
Ready for your session? Give us a call.
Metrolink Tragedy: Too Far Out, Too Soon, Too Solo
Posted by: | CommentsThe recent tragic collision of a commuter train with a Union Pacific freight train that killed 25 people and injured at least 130 others is a recent example of poor handling by an organization faced with a crisis.
Denise Tyrell, spokesperson for Metrolink, has resigned following the train’s board chair calling her comments to the media “premature” and also “unauthorized.” Tyrell had said that Metrolink, and specifically the engineer driving the train, were responsible for the accident. Her comments and the timing of them also angered the National Transportation Safety Board.
It’s a safe bet that the commuter train umbrella organization, Southern California Regional Rail Authority, did not have a crisis communications plan in place that, among other points, would have identified a decision tree and protocol for when and what to communicate as well as by whom, to whom.
While Tyrell likely believes she did the right thing by getting out in front of the crisis and commenting to the media, she did so alone and only with the authorization of the CEO who (surprise, surprise!) is now unavailable for comment.
Yes, getting your story out first when dealing with a crisis is a top priority. But it’s a distant second to having a crisis communications plan in place that includes a detailed media relations strategy, media policy and protocol.
Crisis Communications Tip #41 – Spend More Time On Crisis Plan Than Company Picnic
Posted by: | Comments
With the weather beginning to warm up, many are beginning to think about the annual company picnic, which reminds me of my favorite quote about crisis communications planning:
“Small companies spend more time planning the company picnic than preparing for a crisis that might run them out of business,” says Katherine Heaviside, president of Epoch 5 Public Relations, a Huntington (N.Y.) communications and crisis management firm, who was quoted in BusinessWeek SmallBiz.
How many businesses out there have their priorities out of whack? If it’s you, here’s another idea to add to your Spring/Summer to-do list – “develop crisis communications plan.”
