For the third and final installment of the series, we asked communications professionals their thoughts on navigating crisis communications in today's environment.
(1) Crisis Fundamentals
We asked our group what the most important components are in a successful crisis response and if those components have changed or been modified over the last year.
Thomas Mattia, Chief Communications Officer and Special Assistant to the President at Yale University said crises fall into two major segments: systemic (caused by the work you do or where you are located) and societal (caused by the interaction of your organization with the world around it). Both, he said, can be planned for once they are understood.
Mattia said that regardless of changes in technology and in the basics of gathering and disseminating information, the fundamentals of crisis and issues planning remain constant. To him, a good practitioner understands the core DNA of his or her organization, understands what that DNA means to the rest of society and understands the impact of that DNA on society.
Tim McIntyre, Vice President, Communications at Domino's Pizza, LLC, sees prevention as the first line of defense in crisis. When he counsels business managers and owners about crisis prevention, he focuses on behaviors that can help avoid crisis. He cited several things including developing a culture of caring, making every hire count, making friends before you need them, taking every complaint seriously and being how you want to be perceived. McIntyre carries a "crisis alphabet" that he has modified over the years to reflect changes such as the influence of social media.
Hand in hand with prevention is preparation, what Nick Ashooh, Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Alcoa, lists as the most important component. Ashooh thinks the critical elements of preparation - developing strong relationships in advance, having resources identified, good media relationships, consistent and accurate messages, a clearly, defined source of public information - remain unchanged.
Successful crisis management hinges on expectations according to Karen Doyne, Managing Director and Co-Leader, U.S. Crisis Practice at Burson-Marsteller. She said you have to understand the expectations of the public and other audiences important to you, manage those expectations and, ultimately, meet or exceed them. What do groups such as employees, customers or investors see as the organization's obligations? Expectations change over time but, she said, the imperative of knowing and addressing expectations is a constant - as true today as it was in the days before the 24-hour news cycle.
Chris Gidez, Senior Vice President, U.S. Director, Risk Management/Crisis Communications at Hill & Knowlton NY, said that he sees five components as most important to effective crisis communications. The first is to regain control of the agenda. He said in most crisis situations, control of the story is lost to those wishing to use the crisis as a means of advancing their own agenda.
Building on the earlier points on preparation and prevention, Gidez adds anticipation. He said companies need to manage the moment, but also map out the possible directions the situation could take. Another point for Gidez is connecting with people on an emotional level. He said before a company can engage with a stakeholder on a rational level, it first must address emotional reactions. Gidez says that a common oversight of companies in the midst of an acute crisis situation is the failure to accurately take the pulse of key stakeholders and urges measurement at some level during a crisis. Finally, he said an organization must understand that the crisis is first and foremost a business problem which requires a business solution.
While the framework of a crisis response may not have fundamentally changed, some respondents cited two areas of change - delivery and speed. Deborah Bowker, Chief of Staff at Carly Fiorina Enterprises, describes the factors critical to a successful crisis response as who, what and when. She details who as the credible spokesperson, what as the message of facts, apology and remedial action and the when being the speed to get in front of any growing crisis. What she sees as a change over recent years is the delivery of the message with the growing presence of new media and cable television. Bowker said that crisis coverage is most often introduced via niche bloggers, followed by mainstream media first moving the stories electronically and supported by influencers' 'tweets'.
Crisis counselors are acutely aware of the speed in which they now must respond. William Margaritis, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Communications and Investor Relations at the FedEx Corporation, said that as a baseline, companies need to assume responsibility for taking action of some form and communicate openly and frequently about those actions. He said the most dramatic change in recent years is the speed and pace at which companies must deploy their response. While responsiveness to a crisis situation has always been critically important, Margaritis said today that engagement must reflect the pace of the digital world in which we live and work.
Kirsten Gorsuch, Vice President, Corporate Communications at Medtronic, Inc. agrees that the speed decisions are made need to reflect the rapid rate of online communication. She added that when considering the basic components - apologizing, explaining why the crisis happened, explaining how it can be prevented from happening again - you need to be prepared to engage all stakeholders. She described the need to manage the crisis at a global level even when it may be a geographic issue.
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(2) The Crisis Climate
Given an environment where public skepticism and doubt are more prevalent, we asked our group if they believe the current climate requires a new approach to crisis communications. We also questioned whether this sentiment creates a longer recovery.
Gorsuch doesn't think there needs to be a different approach, but sees more importance than ever in building up "reputation equity" before crisis. She said companies on shaky reputation ground before the crisis will fare far worse than those who have worked hard to build authentic positive relationships with their key stakeholders. Ashooh supported that notion saying that it takes years to build trust and only an instant to lose it.
Margaritis emphasizes a razor sharp focus on ongoing reputation management. He said as stewards of an organization's reputation, communicators and crisis managers have a responsibility to advocate not only for the words, but more importantly for the actions and behaviors that will protect and enhance reputation.
While Gidez cautions against generalizations about the current environment, he does say that the trust level for virtually all institutions is at a lower point today than at any other time in recent memory. Doyne thinks the public has too often seen companies or individuals fall short of the proper standard of response and it makes them less willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.
Both Bowker and Mattia linked this once again to the technological changes that created a 24/7 news cycle and an unprecedented level of transparency. Bowker said an organization in crisis must understand it is facing a much more sophisticated set of constituencies, who can be overly cynical. Mattia referenced the opportunity technology gives any individual with desire, ego and a smart phone to be in the center of broadcast news.
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(3) Managing Key Relationships
When our group considered the rise and fall of the importance of certain audiences over the last few years, they all agreed on a measured approach. Ashooh said that while social media are important, you shouldn't feel that you have to cover them all. He recommends identifying and working with the blogs that are most influential in your space. Mattia agrees saying that you have to monitor which sites, bloggers and tweeters have influence and which do not. Bowker said you have to understand the chain of influence in any given industry and understand that not all bloggers are created equal.
The chain of influence speaks to the broader ability to connect with more people. Gidez said if certain groups have seen their importance grow in recent years, it is largely because they have grown their ability to connect with more people. He also said that companies now must be prepared to engage on a real-time basis directly with many more groups. Margaritis thinks that these audiences now have complete access and ability to interject their voice into a situation and need to be targeted accordingly.
Gorsuch referenced the ability of these groups to speak directly to the world, with no journalistic filter. While she thinks there is a significantly increased risk for misinformation, she also sees a potential benefit in the dissemination your message if managed correctly and authentically.
Doyne discussed the standards for accuracy and accountability that exist with traditional media, but said that they don't exist at all on the Internet. As she said, a rumor on Twitter or an accusatory video on YouTube can reach millions of people before the target has a chance to respond. According to Doyne, today's organizations must have the ability to quickly disseminate information through digital channels.
At Domino's, this is something McIntyre faced first hand. When a hoax video was posted on YouTube, they employed a systematic process to first target the people who had seen the video on YouTube. They posted a video on their company Web site, Twitter, Facebook and ultimately their own video on YouTube. By taking control in a virtual arena, Domino's was able to successfully manage the crisis. In fact, after posting their own video on YouTube, McIntyre reports the online interest for the hoax video died in its tracks and the mainstream media pursued a story about how companies can become victimized in this "new world" of social media.
