Jennifer AbelsonChief Executive Officer

Abelson Group

 

America in Crisis

Insight. Innovate. Impact.

Why Utilities Need a Crisis Plan

Don’t Be a Dinosaur In a Mammal’s WorldDon’t Be a Dinosaur In a Mammal’s World

......BeforeBefore They Have a Crisis They Have a Crisis

Consider the Mighty Dinosaur

Massive Powerful Dominant Awe-Inspiring

Dead

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Business Model

Slow Cumbersome Bad Communications Inability to Anticipate and Adapt

dead

Dinosaur, Inc. – A Flawed Business Model

In other words, by the time its pea-brained

consciousness receives, understands and responds to a threat to its existence, it’s

.dead

So, the Very First Question to Ask Is…

Am I a dinosaur or a mammal?

Welcome to Jurassic Park…

Case Example in a “Jurassic World”…

One of your executives is accused of cooking the books and embezzling funds

from one of your subsidiaries and when the county attorney and the sheriff’s deputies

come to your office to arrest him, the media is there to record the event.

In the next 30 minutes:

The Central Nervous System Twitches…

CNN starts taking a live feed from a local TV station;

A chat discussion begins on Yahoo;

MSNBC reports receiving an anonymous e-mail that appears to corroborate these allegations;

A union trying to organize the workers at your firm announces a webcast press conference in which it will claim that this

situation is “just the tip of the iceberg”;

Fox News interviews an “expert” on white collar crime who says this happens all the time;

Your web site crashes from the surge in hits;

Your switchboard is inundated with calls from angry and concerned customers

The Brain Responds…Sort Of

Meanwhile back at the office:

All the phone lines are so completely jammed that eveninternal calls can’t get through;

Because of vacation, travel and illness, three of five members of the marketing department are unavailable;

The General Manager is having lunch somewhere but she never turns on her cell phone and her secretary is gone;

The Head of Finance is here but is working on next week’s acquisition announcement and “can’t be interrupted;”

The Result…

You’re…

DEAD

If You’re Feeling a Little Jurassic Right Now…

Then the time to start working on a crisis communications plan is now

“The Rules”

A double handful of suggestions, observations and thoughts about crisis communications

Remember What You’re Doing

Crisis communications is not a debate, a discussion or a conversation; it’s a conflict of ideas, messages and perceptions and

the battlefield is in the minds of your stakeholders – customers, employees, shareholders, vendors, partners, etc.

You’re Playing Defense

Crisis communications battles are almost always contests over issues not of your

choosing and that you wouldn’t raise if you had any choice.

Avoid Panic…

Develop, test, rehearse and follow a crisis response plan that covers not

just communications but every aspect of company operations.

Elements of a Plan

Central coordination Clearly defined roles Guided by risk management assessment Redundancy Regular test and review

Speed Kills

More than ever, the media is 24/7 and its appetite for news is growing.

Because of this, you have to be on-call and ready to respond at all times.

 

It Really Is a Global Village

What happens in one part of the world is effectively instantly known everywhere. A story about your company will reach all of

your stakeholders.

Remember, too, that not all stakeholders view things the same way.

 

Don't Guess…

Don’t speculate, theorize or hypothesize.

In a crisis communications situation, credibility is built and sustained by

sticking to what you know.

Gather Facts

The best way to counter the dangers of rumor and gossip is to develop an extensive and practiced fact-gathering mechanism: A monitoring room for broadcasts Internet and print clipping services Outside media monitoring agencies Calls with key personnel on the frontlines

Share What You Know

Use all the tools at your disposal – regular meetings, e-mails, audio

recordings, intranets, etc. – to keep your employees, your clients and other key stakeholders informed.

Talk to People Who Have Been There

Experience is valuable so a company should avail itself of experienced

counsel in developing and reviewing crisis communications plans and for direct assistance in times of crisis.

Tell the Truth

The media and your other stakeholders know when they’re not getting the full

story from a company. Don't lie to them.

Ever.

If You Want a Friend…

The media is not your friend and it's not your enemy; they will cover you as long

as you're a good story – for them. 

You Can Run, But…

It's better to tell bad news yourself than let somebody else find it, but if you're going to tell it, tell it all and make sure

your facts are solid. 

Practice, Practice, Practice…

You still may not make it to Carnegie Hall, but a well-tested, practiced

communications plan is even better than applause.

Never Touch the Camera…

Never run and never pretend that you'll get the last word (remember you won't be

in the editing suite when the piece gets put together).

Trust Your People

Never begin a conversation with your PR people with "Here's what we should tell the media..." or "Tell them not to

write that."

Know Your “Friends”

Beware of lawyers and politicians (including the ones with titles like

“analyst,” “expert” and “consultant”)

The Bottom Line

The best communications people working with the best plan can make a good story great and a terrible story a

little bit better.

So, In Conclusion…

Act like a mammal Move fast Think ahead Understand your environment Be adaptable Create a crisis communications

plan