The Crisis
First Steps • Get the facts • Assemble team • Triage: assess needs, resources & prioritize tasks • Internal messaging as needed • Start monitoring • Plan today & tomorrow • Call in help if needed
Keep the Focus on Stakeholders • Leadership will be freaking out • Business & legal imperatives paramount in C-suite discussion • Assert the need for effective communications -- not to placate your team or the media but to shape narrative for stakeholders • Emphasize long-term impact on brand
Messaging: Day One • Placeholder statement ➢ “ We are aware of f th the inc incid ident at t our Brentwood loc locatio ion. . We e wil ill l provid ide addit itio ional l inf informatio ion as soon as possible.” • If necessary, correct mistakes/rumors calmly & straightforwardly • Provide information and show compassion • Take responsibility as appropriate • Remember the bigger story
Stakeholder Outreach
Work Flow/Process • Traffic cop must set up a process • Approvals must be expedited • Team check-ins 2-3x day, evening email (or whatever works for you) • Monitor team morale, stress
Media Inquiries • Be responsive • If you don’t tell your story, someone else will • Reporters need you more than ever • Thin ink ahead
Prioritizing Media Inquiries • Be selective if it fits your strategy • But don’t alienate unnecessarily • Ignore fringe outlets that aren’t operating in good faith • Sow seeds for recovery
What to Avoid • Lying • Silence • Confusion • Defensiveness • Combativeness • Ignorance • Mixed Messages • Acting contrary to values
Reactive Proactive Once the record is corrected and your narrative has been established, shift the conversation to better ground: • Values • People • Stakeholders want to believe • Use opportunities to “close and pivot”
United Airlines
United: First CEO Statement “This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. I apologize for having to re- accommodate these customers.”
United: CEO to Employees (leaked) “While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.”
United: CEO Day Three “The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.”
Starbucks
Apologies
Protesters
Social Media Crisis
Social Media Crisis: Best Practices • Establish & use social media protocols ➢ What is a crisis? ➢ Escalation protocol ➢ Engage, don’t inflame • Engage in a timely manner • Let allies defend you • Monitor • Landing page for extended issues
Social Media: What to Avoid • Get emotional, defensive or abusive • Delete your posts • Delete their posts (unless abusive) • Start a fight (Rule of Three) • “Corporate speak” or lack of transparency
Boo-Boos on Social Media • Take it down, apologize, explain and move on
Example This tweet was issued from the KitchenAid twitter account during a nationally televised presidential debate in 2012: @KitchenAidUSA : “Obamas gma even knew it was going 2 b bad! ‘She died 3 days b4 he became president”.”??? Wow!” # nbcpolitics
Response: Placeholder KitchenAid immediately took down the tweet and posted an apology: Deepest apologies for an irresponsible tweet that is in no way a representation of the brand's opinion. # nbcpolitics
Response: Taking Responsibility, Apologizing, POV KitchenAid also posted this statement and sent it to reporters: During the debate last night, a member of our Twitter team mistakenly posted an offensive tweet from the KitchenAid handle instead of a personal handle. The tasteless joke in no way represents our values at KitchenAid, and that person won’t be tweeting for us anymore. That said, I lead the KitchenAid brand, and I take responsibility for the whole team. I am deeply sorry to President Obama, his family, and the Twitter community for this careless error. Thanks for hearing me out. – Cynthia Soledad, senior director, KitchenAid
Cybersecurity Crisis
Cybersecurity: #1 Crisis Orgs Mobilized Crisis Team in Past Three Years For: Cyber incident 46% Safety incident 45% Security incident 35% Performance issue 34% Govt/environmental 34% Source : Deloitte.
Cybersecurity Best Practices • Disclose as soon as you can • Create secure information channels • Provide frequent updates and show progress • Before a crisis: Educate users/customers • Be as transparent as possible about security precautions and be able to communicate clearly about them in a crisis
QUESTIONS?
EXERCISE
The Recovery
Think Ahead During the Crisis • Start planning recovery before the crisis • Develop a recovery strategy during the crisis • Keep track of promises made and hold your peers and leaders accountable • Rely on your organization’s values and strengths to fuel the recovery • Ask for help -- activate stakeholders and surrogates • Most of all: TELL A STORY!
But first…
Crisis Response Assessment • Not a personnel evaluation exercise (yet) • What worked, what didn’t • Lessons learned about stakeholder reaction • Are your brand values and narrative as established as you expected? • What bridges need mending?
Measure, and React • Invest in research to understand key stakeholders’ views in detail • Leaders must be made to understand extent of damage • Try to move the needle
Don’t Slide Back into the Crisis Hole • Any unresolved issues? • Keep communication going with stakeholders, reporters • Look out for investigations, follow-up stories • Don’t act like it’s over – everyone will notice • If you make changes, tell people
How Does Recovery Happen? • Stakeholders will forgive if you take responsibility, explain and fix • Organization also needs to keep promises and inform shareholders • Use progress to reinforce the narrative
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