Nature of Crisis

8/6/2019 Nature of Crisis

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Crisis


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The Nature of Crises

A Crisis:

A major occurrencewith a potentiallynegative outcomeaffecting the

organization, company,or industry, as well asits publics, products,services, or goodname.

Du ring a Crisis:

emotions are on edge

brains are not fullyfunctioning

events occur too rapidlyto draft a plan - simplyfollowing one isdifficult .


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Th e Role of Crisis &

Emergency Risk Commu

nic a tion:Communication during a crisis cannot be managed just bymobilizing more people & material - the communication itself must change.In a crisis, established frames of reference and ways of understanding may breakdown.A dd bad communication practices to a crisis situation & the

odds of a negative public response increase.


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P oor Comm u nic a tion P r a ctices =sP oor P ub lic Response:

M ixed messages from multiple expertsInformation released too lateM essages that are over-reassuringRecommendations to the public without a reality checkLeaving myths, rumors, & doomsayers unchallengedPoorly prepared spokespersonsPublic power struggles & confusion


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Crisis & E mergency Risk Comm u nic a tion Th e Ba sics:

D ont over-re a ss u re: D ont placate; display calm concern.Acknowledge u ncert a inty: O ffer only what you know &acknowledge audiences distress.Emp h a size th a t a process is in pl a ce: D escribe the processin simple terms.G ive a nticip a tory g u id a nce: Let people know what to expect.Be regretf u l, not defensive: S ay, We are sorry. or We feelterrible when acknowledging misdeeds or failures.Ex press wis h es: S ay, I wish we knew more,


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In A P ub lic Crisis:P a nic is less common th a n im a gined. Panic comes frommixed messages.Acknowledge peoples fe a rs. D ont tell people they shouldntbe afraid. They are afraid & they have a right to their fears.Be willing to a ddress th e w h a t if q u estions. If you dont,someone else will.G ive people th ings to do. S imple actions give people a senseof control & motivate them to take action when directed.Ask more of people. A sk people to bear the risk & worktoward solutions with you.


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Rese a rc h s h ows:

Companies with ongoing two-way communications often avoidcrises or have crises of shorter duration or lesser magnitude.

Companies with a crisis management plan come out of a crisis

with a more positive image than companies without one.


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In a crisis,

w h en every on e e ls e is losing it, YOU m u st b e th e c a lm center (yes, YOU !)

"This is not as bad as it seems

"This could be worse. We cant turn a crises into a catastrophe

"This is what we can do... "


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Th e Five S ta ges of a Crisis:

1. D etection

2. P revention/ P rep a r a tion

3 . Cont a inment

4 . Recovery

5 . Le a rning


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D etection:

Constantly scan horizon for warning signs(prodromes).

P revention:O ngoing public relations programs with key publics &

prevent crises.A company must not only do what is right; it alsomust tell its publics that it is doing so.Crisis prevention tactics see P.10

,


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P rep a r a tion:

The CCP is the primary tool of preparedness acts as a collective brain

Cont a inment:Limiting the duration of the crisis or to keep it fromspreading.


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Recovery:Returning the company to business as usual.

Le a rning:Examining the crisis & determining what was lost or

gained, & how the organization performed.M ake the crisis a prodrome that helps prevent futurecrises.


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P ub lic Opinion:

In a U. S . court of law a person is innocent untilproven guilty.In the U. S . court of public opinion you are guilty untilproven innocent.

Your job - influence public opinion by establishing &communicating proof that the prevailing "truth " isno the whole truth.


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Crisis Comm u nic a tion: Th eories, T erms & D efinitions:

S tr a tegy - How one handles a problem.

S ta ke h olders - People linked to an organization & affected byits decisions (employees, stockholders, communities, &government officials).

S tr a tegic p ub lics - S takeholders crucial to an organization(boards of directors, investors, & unions).

S tr a tegic a lly m a n a ged p ub lic rel a tions - Communicationsprograms designed to build relationships with strategic publics.


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Crisis Comm u nic a tion: T erms & D efinitions:

S egment a tion - The division of groups by mutual interests,concerns, & characteristics.

Risk comm u nic a tions - A n ongoing program of informing &educating various publics.

Org a niz a tion a l ideology - A n organization's philosophy,working climate, corporate culture.

Comm u nic a tions ideology - The organization's philosophy &attitudes of behavior in communicating with publics.


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Crisis M akers

Th e Na tu re of Ru mor:

Rumors can cause long & damaging crises.D ef: Information usually passed byword of mouth with noverification of fact & no credible source. They can be positive or negative and absolutely false or partly false.

H ow Ru mors S ta rt:

Research indicates that those who most believed the rumor aremore likely to pass it on. Those who did not believe the rumor did not pass it on (Coleman, 1991).


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Crisis M akers

H ow Ru mors S pre a d:

People believe it is news & because the"news

"has someemotional relationship to their lives, the rumor seems plausible.

The more frightened people were by a rumor, the more likelythey were to repeat it. (Kimmel)

In repeating something that makes you nervous, you may learnsome contrary fact that will calm you. O r, it can escalate your fears if the person you tell believes it. (Coleman)

Telling rumors give people who feel powerless a sense of beingpowerful.


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Crisis M akers

T ypes of Ru mor - (p. 44 -4 5 )

intention a l r u mor prem a tu re-f a ct r u mor

m a licio u s r u mor o u tr a geo u s r u mor

ne a rly tr u e r u mor b irt h d a y r u mor


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Crisis M akers

Minimize A R u mor Crisis:

1. Establish a rumor center.

2. Conduct rumor workshops.

3. M ake sure your company has such strong positive relationshipswith key publics.

4. Keep employees informed.


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Crisis M akers

Fig h t A N eg a tive Ru mor:

D isseminate complete, accurate contradictory information D o not mention the rumor itself.A nalyze the rumor.D o nothing - D enial may draw more attention than silence.

D eny the rumor publicly & vehemently.Get an outside expert on the subject to discredit the rumor.Place ads in high-circulation publications.


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M anaging a Crisis

T a ke th e P ledge: Never s a y, "N o c o mme n t!

Respond to journalists in a fact-based way.When you say "no comment ", you are letting the journalistspeak for your company.To the public, refusing to comment looks like guilt.D o not assume that the crisis story will go away. The media cando their stories without you.D o not wage a war with an enemy who buys ink by the barrel,pager by the ton, & controls the airwaves.


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M anaging a Crisis

Wh a t will th e medi aw a nt to know in a crisis?

What happened?Were there any deaths or

injuries?What is the extent of thedamage?Is there a danger of future injuriesor damage?Why did it happen?

Who or what is responsible?What is being done about it?When will it be over?Has it happened before?Were there any warning signs of the problem?


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M anaging a Crisis

If your organization has erred, it is usually best toreveal the mistake at once, apologize, & makeamends.

The overall goal is to keep or get the public's trustthrough the media.

The media needs you for information for interestingstories. Your organization needs the media tocommunicate with your publics.


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Human Psychology D uring a Crisis

Neg a tive Effects Of T r a u m a tic S tress:

Emotion a l effects: S hock, terror, irritability, blame, anger, guilt,grief or sadness, emotional numbing, helplessness.

Cognitive effects: Impaired concentration, impaired decision-making, memory impairment, disbelief, confusion.

P h ysic a l effects: F atigue, insomnia, hyper arousal.Interperson a l effects: Increased relational conflict, social

withdrawal, alienation, distrust, externalization of blame.


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M edia O perations in a Crisis

Wh en A Crisis S trikes, Yo u Ca n Ex pect:D iminis h ed inform a tion verific a tion: Tentative or incorrectinformation will be broadcast.D iminis h ed a dvers a ria l role: The us vs. them feelingsdiminishes it doesnt last.For m aj or crises, e xpect th e n a tion a l medi a to domin a te: M ost people will be getting their news from the national media.Local media will be feeding them information. Respect localmedia deadlines & keep the information flowing.Medi a will e xpect a n EOC where they can consolidateinformation to deliver to their viewers & listeners.

Reynolds, B., Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication, p. 133-134

Documents

Nature of Crisis