Got Crisis?

“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” –Winston Churchill

By Keith Schmidt

Most organizations have “Crisis Communications” listed somewhere in the PR person’s job requirements.

Some organizations require crisis communications drills on a regular basis with personnel regularly assigned to the function. Others don’t.

Many organizations may have developed their own plans. Some may closely parallel the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which is a standard response system for federal agencies. The NIMS system would most likely be in place in the event an emergency requires assistance from federal agencies.

And, some organizations have no crisis plan, or a PR person expected to ‘weather the storm” if a crisis materializes.

A TPRA blog about a crisis is difficult to prepare because our organization has many members who regularly handle a communication crisis…other members may do this on an irregular basis. Others are waiting to attend their first rodeo.

In MOST organizations, a crisis doesn’t happen very often. They tend to be rare events. And, for some PR professionals it is sometimes difficult to justify spending time to prepare for something that may never happen.

But, if a crisis comes along, it gains everyone’s attention. A big crisis is like an unplanned “come as you are party” but the PR person never has the option to refuse. The PR person always gets invited.

People write books, create businesses and give training around crisis communication. The humble goal of my blog is simply to help people think through this topic if he or she has not already done so and begin preparing for the day a crisis may occur.

Much of handling a crisis also depends on an individual’s organization, its culture, particular business and area of operations.

To the weathered PR professional who has a well honed crisis communication plan…who’s handled many a crisis…and has the scars to prove it — please add your thoughts to this blog. Your shared experiences can help everyone.

However, I think there are some generalities that can be emphasized on the handling of a crisis. And, for this blog, I’ve highlighted what I believe are some key points gathered from my own experiences and the experiences of others.

From a PR person’s point of view, the crisis involves handling perceptions and dealing with the media, public and employees. Usually, the crisis also involves all segments of the organization, and perhaps local, state and/or federal agencies.

Along with public relations, others in the organizations (perhaps operations personnel securing an accident site…marketers frantically working on a product recall…human resources personnel contacting relatives of employees, etc) are also working to resolve their own part of the crisis.

By definition, a crisis is a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events is determined. So, for the PR person, this represents opportunity with the challenge of positioning the organization to not only survive the incident but to become the “hero” of the story. This means the organization doing, and being perceived as doing, everything in its power to proactively “do what’s right.”

First, if you have no crisis communication plan, you should develop one and obtain “buy in” from the key people in your organization. It’s easy to enter a swamp but harder to find your way out without some sort of map.

Do people inside your organizations know who to refer calls about a crisis?  Who is called in the middle of the night to respond if needed?

You and other key people in your organization should spend time brainstorming “what if” and “what could” happen.

Who are your allies and experts in a crisis and who will act as your spokespersons? If you need an expert on certain technology or special issues, who can you turn to?

Who might your key audiences be during a crisis and what are some standards organizational facts or key messages that would become a part of any initial holding statement that you would make during the crisis?

Things to Remember in a Crisis

1)     It helps to go into a crisis with some plan that outlines initial steps. Who must be immediately contacted inside the organization?  Who must approve what messages?  Fire extinguisher instructions are simple: “Pull the Pin”…”Aim at Fire”…”Squeeze the Lever Slowly”…”Sweep from Side to Side.” Try and keep your plan as simple and straight forward as possible. During a crisis, you will be under stress as will everyone involved…so simple is good.

2)     First reports of a crisis that you hear within your organization most likely will have some error, omission or will be downright wrong.  Like the “Fog of War” over a battlefield, it will take time to substantiate what has, or is actually happening. A PR person needs to take time to initially gather and clarify the facts as best as he or she can.

3)     As soon as the facts are known, develop your organization’s talking points…this is your “holding statement” that can also serve as a press release.  Gain consensus on it and update as needed.

4)     If you, or someone in your organization, refuse to talk to the media, the media will find someone to talk to them. Be proactive and tell your story – no one else will.

5)     Responding to a crisis is a team effort. The entire organization will come under stress during a traumatic event with resulting impact on everyone involved. While a crisis can resolve itself in a few hours, it can also extend and escalate. It may mean travel to an accident site and/or coordination of multiple events. The longer the crisis lasts, the more stress will play a part with all involved. It’s good to have backup and alternates who can help if needed. Also, media interest increases with dramatic visuals. You can bet the number of media cameras will multiply quickly with more flames and fire trucks.

6)     Show empathy. During a crisis, people need reassurance that your organization is doing the right thing with the best intentions. Give them the facts to support what your organization is doing and why.

7)     Don’t speculate. Don’t comment on things that you don’t know as a fact. If there is a clamor for updated information, set a time and location that you can relay more info.

8)     Monitor what is being said about your crisis…try and get real time feedback from areas and/or anyone affected. Ask yourself if your messages are getting across.

9)      Keep records. Log who you talked to, what you said and when.

10) Debrief after the crisis is over with everyone involved on lessons learned.

No PR professional looks forward to being involved in a crisis communication situation. But, there’s a new crisis on the news every morning.  Someday, it might be yours.

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Keith R. Schmidt, APR, is a senior communications coordinator for Newfield Exploration, a Houston-based exploration and production company with domestic and international operations. He is on Newfield’s crisis communications team and previously worked for several companies involved with natural gas transportation and was a member of their crisis communication teams.