Hellerman Communications Founder and President, John Hellerman, recently co-authored an article for McKnights Senior Living with Michele High, CDP, ADC on “how to mitigate risk and damage in a crisis.”
What follows are their 11 main takeaways, recommendations to manage communications in the media during a crisis or major litigation.
Essential to any crisis situation is the organization’s efforts to fix the underlying problem causing it.
1) Designate one person to act as a spokesman for the organization. This is rarely ever the community’s lawyer. The spokesman is usually the CEO, executive director or other top executive. Top executives, however, are not always the best spokespersons. Sometimes, technical experts or third-party allies are best. Deciding who speaks is critical and says a lot about how serious the company considers the problem. Do not have the CEO respond to a minor problem — the press will think it is more important than it is. Do not have mid-level spokespersons talk to the press if a tragedy occurred (for example, health effects, loss of life, etc.) because the company will look callous.
2) Develop message points based on facts. When responding to questions, remember to communicate the truth (as much as needed to fulfill the public’s need to know) and to comfort all affected audiences by exuding compassion and an understanding of their concerns.
3) Media-train the spokesperson. Next to planning (and especially in its absence), media training is the single most important factor in dealing with a crisis.
4) Communicate to internal audiences first. Making sure internal audiences hear the story from organization leaders before hearing it from the media builds and enforces trust. Internal support is critical, because this audience often is used by the news media to perpetuate unflattering messages.
5) Educate the media. The media are the intermediaries between the organization’s story and the public, and the more they know and understand the issues at stake, the better off the organization will be. Messages should demystify complex arguments and provide as much information as possible to create an on-going, beneficial dialogue.
6) Fix the problem. As the saying goes, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” Essential to any crisis situation is the organization’s efforts to fix the underlying problem causing it. Additionally, the company should approach the “repair phase” as an opportunity for a new position in the marketplace. For instance, if the community has a horrible record of hiring, promoting or retaining minority employees, then the community should create new policies to ensure future success and take the lead amongst its competitors in the market as an innovator. This is more than “spinning” the negative story to the press. It is providing a material solution for the problem to save and even promote the brand.
7) Think creatively. Look for alternative methods to solve problems, not necessarily through a dialogue in the press. What are the politics of the situation? What position do the effected parties hold in the community? Does the company employ a lot of people? Who do they know, and how can those relationships be leveraged? For instance, the publisher of a small-town newspaper also might sit on the board of the town’s senior living community. If a crisis breaks out that threatens the community’s reputation, is it possible that the relationship can be leveraged so that the local paper provides balanced rather than negative coverage?
8) Aggressively argue and prove your case. Take the initiative rather than surrender it. One of the biggest mistakes businesses make in crisis situations is that they “go dark” and let their critics define the issues and determine the implications.
9) Use independent experts and third-party allies to help the media and public understand the issues at stake.
10) Manage your expectations. The mindset should be balanced versus negative coverage, not favorable versus negative coverage. This is a very important distinction. Expectations of management must be tuned to the fact that in most crises the best coverage to hope for is balanced, the alternative being negative. Given the difficult circumstances of most crises, favorable coverage of a company experiencing one is extremely rare.
11) Hire professionals to plan for, identify and mange crisis communications situations. Many times, companies defer to their crisis communications activities to their legal counsel. Unfortunately, the results can be devastating. The law may save a company in the courtroom, but companies need the public to use and trust their services after the crisis (or successful litigation) is over. Communications strategy should supplement and support the legal strategy and at the same time remain independent. Therefore, in a crisis situation, once the lawyers are in place, hiring professional communicators should be the very next step.