471 Public Affairs and Crisis Comm

PUBLIC RELATIONS 471PUBLIC AFFAIRS &

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

GROUP PRESENTATION THOUGHTS

• Watch font size

• Watch how many bullets you put in one slide.

• Visual toss


• Think about deadlines.

• Social media isn’t a quick fix.

• Ask if you need the media or not.

• Sometimes, you don’t need public support to get what you want.


• Be careful to put all your eggs in a tiny basket.

• Lobbying is your friend.

• B2B is your friend too.

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION•You will get a real life situation.

•You will present to the class on the following issues.

• What happened?• What did the PR team do?• What worked?• What didn’t?• What would you have done differently?

•You have eight minutes max to present.

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION•You will be graded on the following

• Your presentation• Your research• Your evaluation• Your perspective on what you would have done differently

•You are going to pick case studies right now.

•The number you select is the order in which you will present.

•You will email me your case study and number by the beginning of class Wednesday.

•Otherwise, you lose 5% off your grade.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION EMERGENCY CHECKLIST

•Before the crisis happens.

• Understand what realistic crisis can take place.• Have PR Emergency Headquarters plans.

• The PR Director stays here and supervises designated staff.

• Know you who need to call.• Internal: Notify CEO and other top officials on a need to know

basis.• External: Notify the media, law enforcement, government

agencies, next of kin (announce names to public after notification or within 24 hours.

• Have company backgrounder, fact sheet and bios of officers already prepared on the company website and other platform.

LET’S TALK PUBLIC AFFAIRS

We’re talking about legislation and legislators.

LET’S TALK PUBLIC AFFAIRS CLIENT RESEARCH

• Personnel

•Financial Status

•Reputation with government and community

•Have they played nice in the past?

•What is the company saying they are trying to do?

•What is the company really trying to do?

LET’S TALK PUBLIC AFFAIRS AUDIENCE RESEARCH

•Political Risk (Can this person get booted from office?)

•How has this person voted in the past?

•What does this client know about the issue?

•Who is in their ear? How do those folks think?

•What is the district vibe?

This is hard to qualify. You are reading

people in an inexact way

PUBLIC AFFAIRS IMPACT OBJECTIVES

• Increase knowledge of current activities among current and prospective legislators

•Create an enhance opinion of group

•Get votes

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OUTPUT OBJECTIVES

•Make presentations

•Distribute content

PUBLIC AFFAIRS THEMES AND MESSAGING•You’re dealing with people who are smart or think they are smart.

•Catchy slogans are nice, but have meat to back up the message.

•Prepare for a barrage of questions, some of which will be really dumb.

•You may to a great job and still fail.

•Kill with kindness; don’t burn bridges.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING • Fact-finding

• Attend public hearing• Attend trade shows• Schmoozing

•Coalition Building

•Direct Lobbying

• Information exchange• Schmoozing

PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAMMING

•Political Action Committee

•Political Support Activity


There are five types of people with whom you will communicate in public affairs:

•Positive

•Somewhat positive

•Undecided

•Somewhat negative

•Negative


• Work from top down.

•Stop when you accomplish your objective.

•Don’t poke a bear with a short stick.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS EVALUATION

•Message exposure focuses on constituents as much as the politicians themselves.

•Surveys are pointless; they don’t respond.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION EMERGENCY CHECKLIST

•Before the crisis happens.

• Understand what realistic crisis can take place.• Have PR Emergency Headquarters plans.

• The PR Director stays here and supervises designated staff.

• Know you who need to call.• Internal: Notify CEO and other top officials on a need to know

basis.• External: Notify the media, law enforcement, government

agencies, next of kin (announce names to public after notification or within 24 hours.

• Have company backgrounder, fact sheet and bios of officers already prepared on the company website and other platform.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONONCE CRISIS BEGINS

Prepare Media Materials

1. Prepare basic news release on crisis within an hour

• Include all known facts (who, what, where when, NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT why...avoid fault)

• Be certain information is accurate

• Clear release with senior management, legal department and personnel department.

• Issue release to media, employees, community leaders, insurance company and government agencies. Get it on the website and supporting website (Pitchengine.)

CRISIS COMMUNICATION

2. Issue timely statements in an ongoing crisis. Know what platforms you plan to use.

3. Use one-voice principle-information only from official organizational statements.

4. Use full disclosure, but don’t admit fault. Let investigators investigate. Cooperate with those investigators.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONPUBLIC INFO CENTER

1. Establish a public information center somewhere within the PR HQ

2. Respond to phone, email and social media inquiries.

3. If you don’t know the answer, it’s OK. Explain how you will get the info and release it to the public.

4. Hold meetings with groups as needed to clarify misinformation.

5. Have a call center if needed.

6. Direct company employees to make no unauthorized statements.

CRISIS COMMUNICATION MEDIA INFO CENTER

1. Designate a place where the media can gather. Know they’ll be all over the place anyway. Know they will try and bypass the one-voice principle

2. Try and create some distance from the PR HQ. You’ll need the space. Close, but not too close.

3. Have a sole spokesperson on duty day and night.

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONWHAT I WISH I KNEW

1.You have never appreciate the chaos.

2.You can never underestimate how important separation is of the media center and PR HQ.

3. The more you plan, the better it goes.

4. Consider set press conferences every few hours.

• This helps dispel rumors the media will uncover. • This symbolizes you’re working.• This gives a chance to get various stakeholders in front of

the camera to present one voice.

News & Politics

471 Public Affairs and Crisis Comm