Fishburn Hedges

21.01.2011 | (2 comments)

I went to Precise Exchange's superb debate on crisis comms yesterday and one of the panellists said: "a crisis is one of the best things that can happen to a PR person".  Those who've ever dealt with a crisis know that while it's long, hard work, it's also invaluable experience, and dare I say it, absorbing and exhilarating.

However, whether any of these are new to you or not, here's just some of the points the panel mentioned (and before the FH crisis-laureates can say it - this is by no means a catch-all or guidebook):

• Get the facts first: establish all of the circumstances before all else, otherwise you can't plan your response.  Resist the tendency to give an instant response without this - it's as bad as burying your head in the sand and hoping it will go away (okay, perhaps obvious to some, but it's so important).
• Befriend news editors (preferably before crisis): you might have great contacts that cover your sector, but when your story shifts to the main news pages, you’re scuppered unless you’ve got their ear.
• Prepare for an influx of legal types in PR agencies: PRs and lawyers are meeting increasingly frequently on crises and often with conflicting views.  Those that can help cut through this clutter with a sensible, comms-led response are off to the races.  (My take: easier said than done, but PRs need to be more robust with their views.) 
• Don't alienate action groups: NGOs are really comms-savvy and can be vociferous. Create a relationship with them - it doesn't have to the sweetest of them, but they'll make more noise if you don't do this.
• Always tell the truth: play the facts back to people before they can play them back to you.  Honesty is always the best policy(and I'd add to that: honesty early is a better policy)
• A business continuity plan is not a crisis comms plan: too many organisations have a continuity plan in place and think they are covered.  (That's great if there's a fire at HQ, but reputationally, it ain't)
• Beware the speed of modern media: location-based crises need strong press handlers on the scene immediately to help information flow.  You can guarantee that if not, media will be there before you.
• Don’t take it personally: it’s easy to feel like the world is out to get you, especially if you’re in-house, but you’re simply doing a job.  Your client or company is not the only one – they don’t fill the entire newspaper, so put it in perspective.

For the most part I’d agree with most of the sentiment in yesterday’s session but one thing the discussion there were a couple of things it didn’t touch on, that I think are quite important.

• After a crisis: just because the media have moved on, it doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods.  It’s our job to keep a weather eye on the situation, keep reviewing the context and keep re-calibrating your plan and making sure the CEO doesn’t disengage.  Naturally it’s also time to decide whether to be proactive to bring goodwill back. 
• Social media: the event focused on what it’s like being in the eye of the storm, but increasingly we are seeing crisis creep up slowly as well-informed activists and public use tools like social media to gain traction, and the attention of companies, well before an issue reaches the wider media.

If you need any advice on crisis management, please contact our Emergency Relations team on 020 7544 7222 or by emailing ER@fishburn-hedges.co.uk

Posted by Adam Keal

on 21.01.2011

Adam Keal :-
Thanks Emma - glad it was of some use! It was a good debate. While us PR types all agree on that as a theory, often putting it into practice might be more challenging... It was a good event. Keep following us!

on 21.01.2011

Emma :-
I am a final year PR student writing my dissertation on the implications that social media is having on crisis management and would like to say I found this a very interesting read! I agree with the point you make about the importance of responding truthfully. Social media has increased levels of public scrutiny and the demand for accountability. In light of this, organisations who attempt to deny or justify the situation may cause a considerable amount of damage to their reputation regardless of whether the crisis was their fault.