Quote of the Month:  My mind works like lightning –  one brilliant flash and it is gone.  — Anonymous

My daughter, visiting for the holidays from Nashville, told me I shouldn’t stress about getting my e-zine out by my self-imposed end-of-the-month deadline.  As she pointed out, few of you are waiting anxiously for it to appear at this time of year.  Maybe fewer still want to hear any more about the whole Tiger Woods fiasco.  But there is a central tenet of crisis communications that is illustrated so well in this example, I felt I should not overlook making the point.

The morning that the story broke about the “minor traffic incident” near his home, as soon as Tiger refused to talk to the police who wanted to interview him,  I said to my husband, “There’s something seriously wrong here.” The more he refused to talk to the police or make a meaningful public comment about it, the stronger my conviction became that a major crisis was brewing.

With the revelations of the ensuing weeks, we all realize just how deep and wide Tiger’s problems are.  We all have witnessed how someone with a lofty reputation, based on superb skills and abilities, could become the butt of late-night comic jokes and be an embarrassment to many of those who paid him millions to have his name attached to their products and services.

I’m not going to re-hash all that has been said or sit in moral judgment. All I want to do is point out how an information vacuum will lead very quickly to a multitude of rumors and speculation about what might have happened.  In Tiger’s case, I can understand why he was silent at the beginning.  He could not tell the police a story that would have later become known as lies.

Think about this if you and your organization are suddenly thrust into the midst of a crisis. If you have an industrial accident where someone is hurt or one of your products malfunctions and endangers someone, the longer you wait to tell your side of the story, the more other people will frame the story, probably making it worse than it really was.

So speed is required.  In order to respond quickly, pre-planning is necessary.  Whatever negative thing is likely to occur at your organization should have been discussed ahead of time.  For each brainstormed potential crisis identified, decisions must be made. What would be your first response? What would you say to the traditional media and social networking sites?  If you have facts to explain what happened, but you wait too long to get it out there, you run the risk of being overrun by the half-truths and innuendos that are already circulating.  You will be put on the defensive, having to spend a lot of time putting out fires.

Tiger’s situation is magnified because his behavior seems to go back over several years.  He cannot claim momentary weakness, a one-time thing.  As I have always stressed in my media training workshops, first organizations must DO the right thing.  Then, and only then, can they SAY the right thing.  If you do not have a good strong story to tell, no public relations guru is going to be able to wave a magic wand and make it all go away with no damage to your reputation.

But if you do have a reasonable explanation for what happened, be sure you are ready and able to communicate it quickly so that you can get on top of the story instead of having to play catch-up and losing control.

# # #

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU!

I sincerely hope that 2010 will be a healthy and prosperous one for you and your family.  On a professional level, I can only hope that one of your New Year’s resolutions is that you will take at least one more step in the area of crisis preparedness, and do it as early in the year as possible.  (References below are to my book, “Keeping Cool on the Hot Seat: Dealing Effectively with the Media in Times of Crisis.”)

If you haven’t started anything yet, at least do the brainstorming with your senior managers of possible things that could go wrong in your organization (Chapter 3).

If you’ve brainstormed, but haven’t done the next step of developing your plan of who you would need to call and what your first actions would be, see Chapter 4 and use page 20 as a template for a crisis communications plan.

If you’ve done this work for a few of your potential crises, work on a few more of them this year. (Remember, if you’ve done the brainstorming thoroughly, there will be LOTS of items on your list! If everyone in your organization does not understand who the designated spokespersons are (your highest ranking official is certainly one, but not primary in my opinion), see Chapter 5.

If you’ve done all this, but you haven’t put your senior managers who would function as a Crisis Management Team through a great media training workshop in the past two years, call me!!!! I’d be happy to work with you.

And if you haven’t had a recent (within the past year) mock crisis drill to assess whether everything would work the way it should, make that a project for the coming few months. (If you need help with coming up with some scenarios to test things out, I’d be glad to provide them - just contact me. No charge.)

Again, Happy New Year!

Judy Hoffman
1-800-848-3907 PIN 2145
jchent@earthlink.net
www.judyhoffman.com

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  Everything I say is fully    substantiated by my own opinion.
(Seen on a T-shirt–author unknown)

I’ve said it many times, and in a number of different contexts: you must be PREPARED before you go into a media interview if you want to succeed.  You may not have a lot of time to prepare if it’s a fast-breaking emergency incident - say, a fire in the facility with black smoke drifting toward the neighbors.  But you can still put together your main talking points before the camera starts rolling.

When it’s an interview that you agreed to conduct at a pre-arranged time, either one-on-one or a press conference, there is absolutely no excuse for not preparing.  You need to spend quality time with your closest advisors, figuring out how to deliver your organization’s message as effectively as possible.  Preparing does not just mean, however, that you develop your key points, or “must air messages” as crisis consultant Jim Lukaszewski calls them.  It includes thinking carefully about where the reporters will be coming from when they start asking questions.  What’s on THEIR minds?

Take a Lesson From the San Francisco Mayor

A dramatic example of the reputation damage that can occur if you fail to do this kind of preparation comes from a recent local TV interview with Mayor Gavin Newsom.  Mark Bernheimer, a fellow crisis communications expert and leader of MediaWorks Resource Group, was good enough to forward me a video clip of this interview (which I subsequently shared with some of my past clients). You can see the whole interview yourself by going to cbs5.com; click on “Video Library” and search for Gavin Newsom; the one you want is Nov. 19, 2009)

Mayor Newsom had decided a few weeks previously to drop his bid to become California’s next governor.  Soon afterwards, he pretty muchdisappeared from public view for almost a month.  It’s fairly obvious when a Mayor does that — he missed numerous functions at which he was expected. And his press secretary was not able to provide much information about his whereabouts.  (No, he wasn’t “hiking on the Appalachian trail,” which later turned out to be “flying to South America to be with my soul mate” like South Carolina Governor Sanford. But he was absent nonetheless.)

When the Mayor chose to return to his public life, he accepted an invitation to an interview so he could talk about the city’s $552 million deficit.  He obviously had his talking points on this subject memorized and was anxious to discuss it. What he failed (miserably) to do was to anticipate that his prolonged, unexplained absence from the Mayor’s office would be uppermost in the mind of the public and, therefore, the primary area of questioning from the reporter.

The first interview question, pointedly directed to the reason for his long absence, was met with an icy “A $552 million deficit!  That’s what we need to talk about!” complete with his fist pounding his hand.

Things Went Downhill from There

I would assume that, at some point in his career, Mayor Newsom had undergone some media training.  Apparently he wasn’t focusing during the part when the instructor explained what a “bridge” is.  It is NOT being so intent on conveying your “must air messages” that you totally ignore a legitimate question from the reporter.   It is NOT naively believing that you, as the interviewee, can totally control an interview.  By obviously trying to circumvent the topics he didn’t want to discuss, he just fueled the reporter’s investigative fires. Instead, he should have come to the interview with a few well thought-out statements about why it had been necessary to miss some public events (perhaps he really was ill for some of them, as he claimed) and what he had been doing during his absence from the office.  THEN he could have bridged to his major message with an “It’s important for you to know what I’ve been working on is…”

As it was, the reporter and the Mayor continued to verbally spar over his refusal to give acceptable answers to reasonable questions.  The situation escalated, with tempers flaring.  It may not have been informative for the viewing public, but it sure was  entertaining!  Emotional outbursts are dramatic, and drama makes it to the newscast.

The Mayor became so flustered,he didn’t even make decent points about what he was going to do about the deficit; he just gave some gross generalizations about having “a lot of work to do.” Then the Mayor stood up abruptly and moved toward the door.  On his way out, he made another error. As he reached for the doorknob, he called back over his shoulder, “Off the record, I am amazingly disappointed.”  Guess what, Mayor?  That was in no way off the record!  As also should have been explained in media training, to be considered “off the record,” you have to obtain the reporter’s agreement PRIOR to saying anything you don’t want reported.

The Moral of the Story: Think Like a Reporter

As much as you want to do your best to try to manage an interview, you must always remember that there are two parties to the interaction.  Your interests are best served when you can anticipate most of the likely questions a reporter will pose and take time to compose - and rehearse - the best possible answers and then effectively bridge to your major messages.

#  #  #

SPECIAL NOTE:  I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving.  And now it is on to the next holiday! If any of you are looking for a gift, consider this: I am having a HUGE sale on the book in which my chapter, “Taking the HEAT: A Powerful Tool for Dealing with Angry People,” appears.  It outlines the four-step process that I teach in mini-workshops and seminars on how to get someone who is really angry with you to calm down enough that you can talk to them reasonably and try to come to a resolution.  It works — with colleagues, customers, teenagers, spouses, in-laws, neighbors, etc.  Mine is one of 70 articles (including folks like “Chicken Soup for the Soul” author Mark Victor Hansen, motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, and others.  They cover topics like Overcoming Obstacles on Your Way to Prosperity, How You Think Determines Your Life, Business Tips for Success, Keeping Your Health, and Balancing Work and Family.  The book has been selling for $16.95, but I have to make room in my garage shelving for a new printing of “Keeping Cool on the Hot Seat,” so I would be happy to let you have a copy for $5.00 plus $2.75 for shipping via Media Mail.  Just let me know by e-mail that you want to take advantage of this offer for “Walking with the Wise”, and provide your mailing address.  (Don’t order on my website as you won’t be able to get the sale price.)

Until next month….KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
www.judyhoffman.com
jchent@earthlink.net
1-800-848-3907 PIN 2145

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  Men may doubt what you say, but they  will believe what you do.  — Lewis Cass

(Editor’s Note:  Last month I reprinted the first part of a very good article by fellow crisis communications expert Tony Lentini. In Part I, he discussed the first three mistakes: (1) No Plan and No Internal Notification System; (2) Putting the Lawyers in Charge, and (3) Shutting Out the News Media.   Here is the second part.)

4.  Using Untrained Spokespeople

As humans, we’ve been communicating all our lives, so we all should be experts, right?

Wrong.

As the saying goes, anything worth doing is worth doing well.  That’s especially true when a crisis is unfolding and your organization’s credibility and reputation are on the line.  When you are about to hold a press briefing, you’d better be ready.  That means having your facts down cold, anticipating the questions you’ll be asked and knowing what your responses will be.  This is definitely not the time to wing it.

There’s a scene from the old Bob Newhart television series that crisis communications trainers like to use to illustrate why “winging it” is a terrible idea.  Bob the psychiatrist has been invited on a television talk show and arrives completely unprepared.  The hostess is attractive, sweet and reassuring as she makes small talk while Bob’s makeup is applied.  But when the cameras start rolling, she turns into an aggressive, probing, hostile and cynical reporter who is highly skeptical of psychiatry.   She grills Bob unmercifully and his attempts to deal with the questions only make things worse.  Poor Bob gets his head handed to him on the air.

If you think this can’t happen in real life, think again.   There is another famous crisis training clip involving then Exxon-CEO Lawrence Rawl being oh-so-gently taken over a cliff by Good Morning America co-anchor Kathleen Sullivan after the Exxon Valdez spill.  He was stiff, wooden and talked in circles about “The Plan” for the cleanup.  When pressed to answer questions, he accused Sullivan of creating a PR nightmare for Exxon.  He was worse than ineffective.

If the chairman of one of the world’s largest, most successful companies could benefit from media training, chances are that your spokesperson needs crisis communications training, too.  Media training teaches you how to develop and stick to a limited number of messages that convey your company’s position in a credible, empathetic manner.  It provides techniques for “bridging,” or briefly answering (or not answering) an interviewer’s questions and then getting back to your messages.  It teaches you how to anticipate virtually any question you may be asked and how to stay on message no matter what.  It even teaches body language.

There are two schools of thought on crisis media training.  One, I call the “Boot Camp Approach” because it takes raw recruits (in this case your executives and spokespeople) and breaks them down, then rebuilds them into flawless media machines.

The only problem with that approach is the “breaking down” process, which generally involves humiliating the trainee by subjecting him or her to a hostile interview followed by a brutal critique of all the things the unfortunate spokesperson did wrong.  It makes most people never want to do another interview again, even though their interview skills improve as the training program progresses.

I prefer a kinder, gentler approach:  The would-be spokesperson is still subjected to an interview, but the reporter-trainer is not hostile and the critique emphasizes positives.  Negative aspects are noted, but more along the lines of:  “How could you have handled that question a little better?”  Most people undergoing the training are smart enough to know when they have made a mistake and are more apt to self-correct if treated in a respectful, rather than hostile, manner.

Crisis communications training should empower your spokespeople.  Knowledge is power and power breeds confidence.

Don’t skimp when it comes to media training.

5.  No Outside Perspective

I was contracted to advise the CEO of a major company facing a serious crisis involving possible bribery of foreign officials to facilitate business in their notoriously corrupt country.  The stakes were potentially enormous:  hundreds of millions of dollars in fines; SEC sanctions; jail time for employees; loss of significant business; and severe reputational damage.

A small group of senior executives and I were brainstorming likely media questions and answers with the CEO, who dodged a question I asked that was certain to come up in media interviews.  It got uncomfortable in the room as I repeated the question again and again, until the CEO finally snapped at me in anger.  He immediately caught himself and apologized, adding, “That’s one reason we have you here; so I don’t get frustrated and blow up on some reporter asking the same question.”

This real-life example illustrates just one reason why it is important to retain the services of a crisis management consultant when things go seriously wrong.  He or she can speak
freely whereas a regular employee might be reluctant to do so.

Other pluses include:

*  The consultant has probably handled situations similar to yours before and can put that experience to work for you;
*  An outsider looks at things differently and is therefore more likely to challenge long-held assumptions, break through groupthink mentality and offer creative solutions;
*  Many crisis communications consultants offer related services, such as media training;
*  A good consultant will have relationships with the media, government regulators, specialty legal firms and others that could prove helpful in your situation.

Surviving a Crisis

Bad things sometimes happen to good people and organizations.  The trick is to deal with the crisis at hand immediately and proactively in a direct and honest manner.  That sounds easy, but when you’re up to your neck in alligators, you might not be thinking clearly.  That’s why it is imperative to have a plan, test it regularly and follow it when a crisis occurs.

The other important thing to remember in any crisis is to investigate the causes thoroughly and then correct what caused the problem in the first place.  That could mean extra safety training for your employees, or equipment repairs and upgrades, or any number of things.  The more serious the crisis, the more important it is for you to determine the contributing factors and fix them so the same event doesn’t happen again.

Avoid the five big mistakes, fix the problem and the likelihood is that your reputation will survive its test of fire.

# # #

Reprinted with permission from “Risk Management Magazine,” Copyright 2009 RIMS, Inc.  All rights reserved

(Tony Lentini is president of Lentini Creative Communications,Houston, TX, www.CrisisManagers.com. He has more than 30 years of public affairs experience working with some of America’s largest,
most successful companies. Contact: tony@lentinicreativecommunications.com.

Hope you had a Happy Hallowe’en!  Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA

Quote of the Month:  The 50-50-90 rule:
Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right,
there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.
Anonymous

(Editor’s Note:  I have received permission from a fellow crisis communications consultant to reprint this article which I saw published earlier in Jonathan Bernstein’s e-zine “The Crisis Manager.”  A longer version first appeared in the June 2009 issue of “Risk Management Magazine” under the title, “After It Hits the Fan.” It makes all of the important points that I would recommend, and he says it so well I decided not to try to reinvent the wheel! The entire article is longer than my usual e-zine, so I will publish it in two parts.)

FIVE BIG MISTAKES COMPANIES MAKE IN A CRISIS (Part 1)
By Tony Lentini

It was nine o’clock on Christmas Eve when my phone rang.  It was a reporter.

“Is it true they’re going to evacuate Bridgeport?” he asked. The North Texas city was the location of my company’s largest single moneymaking asset, a natural gas processing plant.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your gas plant is on fire and the rumor is, they’re going to evacuate the entire city,” the reporter explained.

“Let me check into that,” I said, trying to sound as though I knew what was going on.  I took his number and said I’d call back shortly.

Within about 10 minutes, I had a better picture of the situation.  Yes, our gas plant was on fire.  The local fire department, with assistance from others in the area, had contained the blaze to one corner of the facility.  No assessment of damage at this time.  And neither we nor the local authorities were calling for Bridgeport’s evacuation.

I called the reporter back, told him an evacuation wasn’t necessary at this time, and gave him a brief update on efforts to control the fire.  Then I called various company sources to gather additional facts and prepared a brief statement for the news media.

One week later, I learned that the company CEO and CFO still hadn’t been informed that our biggest revenue generating facility had caught fire and would be out of commission for a number of weeks.  The manager of the division that operated our gas plants tended to play his cards close to the vest and hadn’t gotten around to delivering the bad news.

This real-life example illustrates five major mistakes many companies make in a crisis:

1:  No Plan and No Internal Notification System

A good plan should not try to anticipate every possible crisis that may befall an organization but should, at a minimum:

*  Establish a mandatory internal notification system and telephone contact list;

*  Identify the people and disciplines within your company to be included on a Crisis Management Committee;

*  Develop a contact list of the appropriate government, regulatory and public safety agencies, as well as any news organizations that may need to be notified;

*  Identify and gather details on company facilities where a mishap could have public safety implications (and ensure that evacuation plans are in place for those locations, as well as for nearby residences and businesses);

*  Provide for training of key personnel and tabletop exercises to test the plan periodically.

A mandatory notification system within your company is one of the most important components of any crisis plan.  Management and the appropriate departments need to know about the crisis situation before the news media and regulators start calling.

The notification list should include contact information for representatives from the following disciplines: senior management; legal counsel; insurance/risk management; HSE (health, safety and environment); and public relations/corporate communications.  It should be posted in all company locations.

For one company with numerous remote field locations and workers who operated semi-autonomously, we produced individual wallet cards with the notification list on one side and basic tips for crisis media interviews on the other.  We also media-trained all field personnel.

2:  Putting the Lawyers in Charge

That may seem counterintuitive, since many crises involve death, injury or damage to property and these things tend to generate lawsuits.  But lawyers can be the very worst choice for leading a crisis management effort.  That’s because they are hard-wired to avoid lawsuits.  As such, they’re likely to shut down any
communications efforts or tie them up with restrictions and legal language when candor and clarity are called for.  A legal expert does need to be on the Crisis Management Team, but only as an adviser carrying equal weight with other team members.

One of the simplest and most effective methods for defusing a crisis is for the company spokesperson to express genuine concern and apologize for any disruptions, damage or loss of life.  Your legal department may take a very dim view of such a course of action, fearing that it is tantamount to admitting legal responsibility, but it is almost always the right thing to do.

Former “Big Five” accounting firm Arthur Andersen relied far too much on its General Counsel during the Enron scandal when Andersen’s auditors helped the rogue energy marketing company cook its books.  Instead of admitting that a few bad apples had acted improperly and assisting with the investigation, Andersen circled the wagons, virtually shut down all public communication, and sealed its own doom.  Don’t put the lawyers in charge.

3:  Shutting Out the News Media

The third big mistake companies make in a crisis is excluding the news media when the bad news goes public.  Contrary to the popular saying, “No news is good news,” during a crisis, any news vacuum will be filled with rumors and speculation (usually negative).  At best, a company that fails to communicate looks insensitive and uncaring; at worst, it appears to have something to hide.

Years ago, I was called on to assist an oil company that had had an accidental spill in the reservoir that supplies drinking water to the City of Dallas.  Reporters and local officials seeking information about the incident had been turned away at the gate to the storage facility where the oil spill occurred.  After visiting the site, I countermanded the order barring reporters and instead organized a visit for news organizations and area officials to witness the cleanup.  We also hired an independent water quality consultant to test for contaminants and made the results public.  Instead of condemning the company for having spilled the oil in the first place, the public officials (including a member of the County Water Board) praised it for openness and for the “textbook” cleanup operation.  News stories on the spill were equally positive.

Critical to dealing effectively with the news media is preparing a statement that addresses most or all of the “Five W’s” reporters try to put in the lead paragraph of every story:  Who; What; When; Where and Why.   Crisis planners call this a “holding statement,” meaning it holds off reporters for a period while the company investigates the incident and its causes.  I don’t like that term because if the statement is comprehensive enough and you have a relationship with the news media and a reputation for honesty, the so-called holding statement is often the only one you have to issue.  In all but the highest-profile crises, the media usually moves on to the next big thing pretty rapidly.

The key to an effective statement is to provide only what you know to be factual (anything else is speculation and to be avoided like the plague).  Stay away from any discussion of causes (unless you know for certain, which is seldom the case in a developing situation), liability and insurance coverage.  The first paragraph of a typical statement might read something like this:

HOUSTON, March 3, 2008-A large fire (What) broke out around 2 p.m. today (When) at XYZ Corporation’s (Who) oil refinery located in Baytown (Where).  The company reported all refinery personnel accounted for with no deaths or injuries.  The cause of the fire (Why) is under investigation, according to company spokesperson John Smith…

Note that in this case, the “Why” is not addressed other than to say the cause is “under investigation.”  Reporters may ask about causes any number of times, but your job is to only present the facts, not to speculate.  “Under investigation” is an acceptable response because it is the truth and represents the extent of your knowledge at the time.  The sample statement above should go on to discuss any public impact, such as evacuations, road closings and possible toxic releases, the  status of the fire at the time of the statement, etc.  Generally speaking, your initial statement will be relatively brief, reflecting the limited number of facts at hand in the early stages of the crisis.  You will be asked additional questions.  Just remember never to speculate.  “I do not have that information at this time but will be happy to share it with you as soon as we know more” is another acceptable answer to a question requiring speculation.

It is also okay to say, “Our company policy is to never discuss specifics with respect to insurance coverage.”

What is not acceptable is shading the truth or speculating.

# # # #

Reprinted with permission from “Risk Management  Magazine.” Copyright 2009 RIMS, Inc.  All rights reserved.

[Tony Lentini is president of Lentini Creative Communications, Houston, TX, www.CrisisManagers.com. He has more than 30 years of public affairs experience working with some of America’s largest, most successful companies. Contact: tony@lentinicreativecommunications.com

Until next month, when I present Part 2 of Tony’s article…
KEEP COOL!!!

Quote of the Month:  The probability of someone watching you is proportional to the stupidity of your action.   — Anonymous

…I’ll bet they have taken on a whole new meaning in the last month!

U.S. Representatives and Senators have been taking it on the chin all across the country as the debate about health care reform rages. I’m sure you’ve seen or read of examples of meetings that have been terribly  difficult.  In some, the elected officials have been able to stand their ground.  In others, they’ve had to be
escorted out of the room by law enforcement officials.

I think it is very important for business executives and leaders of all types of organizations to prepare for the day when they have to face a potentially hostile audience.  That is why, in our workshops, we role-play at least one or two large group meetings along with mock media interviews.  There is always a chance that
one day you will have to face an audience made up of:

–  employees unhappy over facility closings, lay-offs, benefit changes, etc.;
–  families of hospital or nursing home patients upset about a report of numerous regulatory violations;
–  neighbors of manufacturing facilities who have heard of plans to expand or add a hazardous materials operation;
–  municipal officials upset about recent accidents at your facility that endangered or frightened their citizens;
–  and on and on. (I’m sure you can come up with some!)

Here are some thoughts about ways you can improve your chances of survival in such a tough meeting.

1.   IF A GATHERING IS SCHEDULED, SHOW UP.  This might be a “duh” statement, but it is easier said than done.  When you have good intelligence that the opposition/activists/upset people will be there in large numbers,you may be tempted to opt out of what you see as a lose-lose situation.  If you decide to be a no-show, what you will surely lose is respect.  Assuming you have a story to tell or a position to defend, have the courage to do so even if it is uncomfortable. There will be people in the audience, or those who
watch on TV or the web or read about it in newspapers, who will want to hear what you have to say and will credit you for facing the music.

2.   HAVE A NEUTRAL MODERATOR.  Do your best to identify someone who can host the meeting.  It could be a municipal official, a respected academician, the president of a local association with interest in the topic, a member of a group like the League of Women Voters, or someone else with standing in the community.  Make sure that person knows he/she is responsible to set the tone of the meeting and lay down some ground rules. A code of conduct must be followed that prevents people from shouting out, being derisive, or monopolizing the conversation.  The first time things seem to be getting out of hand, look to that person to step in to restate the rules and restore order.

3.   MAINTAIN A PROFESSIONAL DEMEANOR.  Once again, you are looking for people to respect you, your position, and your organization.  This cannot be accomplished if you allow yourself to descend to the
level of a heckler or someone who is making disparaging remarks.  This is tough - especially if you feel that person is making unfair or personal remarks. But losing your temper and yelling back at them does you no good at all.  In fact, if the person raises his/her voice, your best bet is to lower yours. Remain patient.
Let them vent (at least until the Moderat or calls time on them).  Then calmly respond, “I hear what you are saying and can understand your concern; let me tell you why I do not believe what you are asserting is true…” Your restraint in the face of such opposition will go a long way both in getting your point across and in building respect for you.

4.   DON’T BE A DOORMAT.  While you cannot successfully navigate a meeting like this with a short fuse that makes a bad situation worse, neither can you simply allow yourself to be buried under heaps of unfair criticism. You need to be able to assertively and strongly communicate your key messages - without being offensive and aggressive.

5.   KNOW YOUR STUFF.   You must know your material.  Major talking points must be developed ahead of time by a group of your best minds.  They need to be reviewed and rehearsed and committed to memory.  The same goes for answers you develop to what you know will be the most likely questions.  If you’ve heard outrageous rumors being spread on the Internet, be prepared to counter them with facts - either when they surface in a question or you bring it up yourself.

6.   LET REASONABLE AUDIENCE MEMBERS POLICE THEIR PEERS.  It often happens that a questioner will get carried away by the sound of his/her own voice, leading to downright nasty and unreasonable behavior.  Chances are good that if you don’t let them light your fuse, but remain calm, someone else from the  audience (or the Moderator) will tell them they have strayed over the line and request a return to civil discourse.

7.   INDICATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO CONSIDER THEIR CONCERNS. Whenever possible in your remarks, let people know that you are there to LISTEN to them.  If you approach the meeting with an obviously closed mind, it will simply anger them.  Showing the audience that you sincerely believe reasonable people may have differences of opinion and that you are willing to take their suggestions under advisement will help defuse the situation. Say things such as, “I hear what you are saying,” or “I understand your concern,” or even, “Thank you, that is a good idea and I will take that back to my management team.”

8.   OFFER ANOTHER OPTION FOR CONTINUING THE DISCUSSION.  Ideally, the Moderator will have  established at the beginning how long the meeting will run.  As that deadline approaches, you should make it clear that you will remain available for individuals to communicate with you at another time. People want to be able to express their opinions and be heard.  Provide your phone number, e-mail or snail-mail address.  Be sure to respond to those additional communications.

Following these guidelines does not guarantee that such a meeting will be a pleasant experience.  But by NOT following them, you can pretty well count on a bad ordeal that will not help persuade people to your point of view.

# # #

SPECIAL NOTE:  Congratulations to Jim Zawicki of Sartomer Company, Inc. who won the contest in my last e-zine.  Jim was a participant in one of our workshops several years ago and obviously remembered what he learned well!  For those of you who are interested, the correct answers to the multiple choice questions were:
(1) d   (2)  f   (3) d    (4) c   (5) c   (6) c   (7) d    (8) c   (9) a   (10) c

Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
(919) 550-8302
www.judyhoffman.com
jchent@earthlink.net

QUOTE OF THE MONTH:  The world is not interested in the storms you encountered — but did you bring in the ship?  From “Apples of Gold”Compiled by Jo Petty

Little did I realize when we moved from NY to NC in mid-2006 that I was relocating to an area (near Raleigh) that would be so full of case studies for a crisis communications consultant!   Since we arrived, we’ve had:

• members of the Duke University lacrosse team accused of gang rape;
• a major fire that destroyed a waste treatment and storage facility and caused the evacuation of 17,000 people in Apex, NC;
• an immediate past governor and his wife both accused of several instances of misuse of executive privilege which spilled over and caused the removal of some top officials of NC State University; and
• a gunman who entered a senior citizen residential facility and killed a number of staff people and residents.

Now, this month the headline reads:

EXPLOSION AT CONAGRA FOODS PLANT IN GARNER, NC KILLS THREE

Around 11:30 a.m. on June 9th, workers in this food manufacturing facility that makes Slim Jim snack products were terrified by a huge explosion that caused part of the building to collapse and started a fire.  The scene in the opening moments was understandably chaotic as desperate employees tried to escape.  Emergency responders did an excellent job of bringing order out of that chaos.  It quickly became known that dozens of employees were sent to area hospitals, many with serious injuries, and that three employees were unaccounted for.  Tragically, it turned out that those three employees died.

Nothing in the life of an organization can compare to the agony that occurs when employees do not return to their families one evening. Knowing that other employees are having to deal with debilitating and painful injuries is a terrible burden to bear.  There will be repercussions for a long time, whether in the form of lawsuits from injured workers, post traumatic stress symptoms exhibited by survivors, or concerns about continuing employment, not to mention the decisions and costs of rebuilding.

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM CONAGRA’S EXPERIENCE?

As I watched this breaking news story unfold just a half-hour away, I noticed several examples of excellent crisis communications planning and execution:

(1) In the first few hours, while employees were being accounted for and the uninjured sent by buses to a local Senior Center to be met by their families, it was the local police chief, fire chief, and mayor who provided regular updates to the media on the situation.  This was appropriate, especially as they reported that managers from the company’s headquarters were immediately on their way to the site. They also provided an 800 number for family members to call to find out where their loved ones had been transported for medical care.

(2) When Stephanie Childs, a member of ConAgra Foods’ corporate communication team, arrived, she made statements at her first press conference that (a) expressed the company’s deepest sympathies for the affected workers and their families; (b) promised to do whatever possible to aid them; (c) and pledged complete cooperation with local authorities as they would thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident - but only after the safety and well-being of the employees and the emergency responders engaged in search and rescue were assured.

(3) Shortly thereafter, the CEO of ConAgra Foods, Gary Rodkin, was personally on the scene and available for press conferences.  He echoed the spokesperson’s comments but went on to (a) say that the company would continue to pay its employees (though he could not be specific as to what length of time); (b) announce that a fund was being established to help victims of the accident, with  ConAgra jumpstarting the fund with a sizeable  donation; and (c) state that grief counselors would be available for any employees who wanted to talk with them.  The company also took several other important steps:

• offered to pay for funeral expenses for the victims and transportation costs for immediate family members to come to the funerals or to the bedside of the injured;
• made arrangements for truckloads of food to be made available to the employees who were temporarily out of work;
• and announced the company’s partnering with the American Red Cross for a blood drive.

He also went out of his way to express his deep appreciation for all of the help received by various local officials and agencies and the support offered by local community members who pulled together to help each other.

(4) Press releases with the latest information about the accident and its aftermath were periodically posted on the company’s website.

PAST EXPERIENCE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I tell the participants in my workshops all the time that your credibility is THE most important thing you have going for you in any crisis.  The way you’ve responded to previous incidents is banked in the memories of reporters and their editors.  They approach the most recent crisis with those past experiences in mind.

In ConAgra’s case, I witnessed this firsthand.  A reporter who was live on the scene in the opening hours went to great pains to relate his personal experience with the company a year before.  There had been some reports from employees of vision problems - some even experiencing temporary blindness.  The media had become involved.  This reporter had been very impressed with how openly the company had dealt with the issue, obviously concerned about the problem and determined to get to the bottom of it.  They had been honest in their dealings with the media, not attempting to hide anything.  It turned out the vision problems had been caused by some new type of bug-deterrent light bulb the company had installed, so they were able to solve the issue.

Based on the way the company handled this incident, the reporter at the scene of the explosion was obviously prepared to give the company the benefit of the doubt as they sought to deal with the current situation. It left a positive impression with those watching the accident coverage.

THE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION STATUS AND SUBCONTRACTED WORK

As of this writing, it appears as if the accident was caused when a sub-contracted firm working on installing a new water heater inappropriately vented a natural gas line into an enclosed pump room where an as yet undetermined ignition source caused the explosion.  The investigation is not yet final, but the Chemical Safety Board and investigators from the Department of Labor both seem to be pointing in that direction. Some of the injured employees have filed lawsuits naming several sub-contractors who may have been involved.

I am sure I am not the first person who has noticed how many industrial accidents have occurred when sub-contractors are on the facility site.  It was a sub-contracting firm working in the boiler room of the chemical plant where I worked that ruptured an ammonia line that caused a plant evacuation. At an explosives manufacturer client of mine, it was a sub-contracted firm’s worker who pulled out a regular hammer to fix a nail in a doorsill and caused the dust in the building to explode, killing himself and two company employees.  There are many other examples. Persons who don’t deal with the company’s products and processes every day are not as familiar with them and their hazards.  It is therefore incumbent on all organizations to ensure through their rigorous safety program that their Contract Safety policies and procedures are scrupulously followed.  It is a difficult task and a heavy burden, but vital in preventing a crisis.  No burden is heavier than having to deal with the aftermath of an accident where employees are killed and/or severely injured.  Even when the crisis communications aspects are handled well by the company, nothing can completely heal those wounds. It still holds true that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Until next month….KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
1-800-848-3907 PIN 2145
jchent@earthlink.net

Quote of the Month:  “Hoping nothing bad will happen is NOT an intelligent crisis preparedness strategy!”
– Unknown

You may be doing a great job leading your organization — staying out of trouble and off the front pages.  You may even be doing some innovative and notable things. Suddenly an action taken by someone else in your organization lands you all in hot water.  Newspapers and bloggers are stirring the controversy, embarrassing you personally and leaving a stain on your organization’s reputation.

A recent example occurred in late April.  A Deputy Secretary in the White House Military Office decided that it would be a good idea to update the official photos of Air Force One.  Someone (as yet unnamed to my knowledge) had the bright idea of using the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop.  A preliminary discussion of these plans evidently took place within the hearing of Louis Caldera, the Director of the White House Military Office, and he did not voice any objections.

Panic on the Streets of New York

You probably read what happened.  On April 27, people in lower Manhattan saw a large Boeing 747, escorted by a fighter jet, circle low over the Hudson River and then fly frighteningly close to the skyline.  For people who had witnessed the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001 - whether in person or on TV — it was unbelievably traumatic.  Cell phone cameras captured images that were later replayed over YouTube of panicked citizens running and crying and yelling about “a plane falling from the sky again.”  Buildings in New York and New Jersey were hastily evacuated.

Criticism was immediate, widespread and pronounced.  A former Homeland Security Advisor called the decision to do this “felony stupidity.”

Enough Blame to Go Around

There were a lot of choices at whom to direct anger. Certainly the Director of the White House Military Office came in for his share.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was castigated.  (The Air Force spokesperson said that local law enforcement officials and the FAA were informed about the plans, but local law enforcement personnel said they received “directives not to disclose information about it.”)

Frequently, in situations like this, the top dog comes in for his share of blame.  For those who believe “The Buck Stops Here,” they look to the President, asking how he could let something like this happen.

Who Could Have Prevented This Debacle?

I believe that few people hold President Obama personally responsible.  The person at the top cannot possibly know of every day-to-day decision made by everyone in his administration.  It’s not a good organizational model.  You trust your key people to run their departments efficiently and intelligently, only going to the head person with serious questions or concerns.  On the day of the flyover, President Obama expressed he was “furious” and pledged that something similar would never happen again.   The Director of the White House Military Office submitted his resignation on May 8th (which was accepted).  Many people believe he should have been perceptive enough to have nixed this idea when he first heard it.  (The fact that he was out of the office with back spasms for several days before the event when the specifics were being planned and didn’t open his e-mails gives him a bit of cover, but not enough.)

But my question is this: where were all of the other people who could have raised their concerns?  Surely some folks in that military affairs office or in the FAA must have had misgivings.   And didn’t anyone question the expenditure of over $328,000 during this time when all branches of government have been directed to look to cut unnecessary expenditures? When I see something like this, I always wonder about the corporate culture. Is it one where people just go along with whatever “the boss” or “management” says?  Isn’t there some way for conscientious and concerned employees to be able to question decisions, to ask that another look be taken at it from a different perspective?  In my opinion, there should be.

A Little Communication Would Have Gone a Long Way

Finally, had this been an important mission that was deemed worthy of the expense, all of the panic and most of the criticism could have been avoided had advance notice been provided to the local authorities.  Back in the days when I was the Community Relations manager for a chemical manufacturing company in upstate New York, whenever we planned a special test of our emergency fire/evacuation siren or mobilized our plant emergency response organization for a disaster drill, we made sure to give plenty of advance warning.  We personally notified the municipal leaders and emergency responders as well as our neighbors (residents and businesses).  It was only common sense.  People were used to hearing our emergency whistles be tested at 10 a.m. every Tuesday.  If they heard them at any other time of day or night, they would be worried something was wrong that might cause them harm.

In New York City on April 27th, people were uninformed, so they feared the worst.

We All Learn Lessons the Hard Way

So remember:

(1) Think through thoroughly how decisions will be perceived by your various audiences.  Apply the “common sense litmus test.”

(2) Establish an agreed upon way for legitimate questions to be raised.

(3) Provide proper advance notification as appropriate.

I hope these tips will keep you out of trouble some day.  It’s too late for Mr. Caldera, but not for you.

# # #

FOLLOW-UP TO LAST MONTH’S EDITION:  I recommended that organizations frequently check Google and other search engines to see if their name appears so that they can try to nip a controversy in the bud.  I was reminded by one of my past clients that you can actually have Alerts sent to you every time your organization’s name is found by their search function.  Just go to the search engine and sign up for an alert. Think of appropriate key words - your organization’s name, your competition, important issues in your industry, etc.  I actually do this and it has been helpful.  Thanks, Joann, for the reminder!

PERSONAL NOTE:  I’m sending out this edition a few days earlier than usual for a special reason.  At the end of this week, my husband and I will be in Nashville, TN where we will have the special privilege of observing while our younger daughter makes her final presentation on her dissertation to a faculty committee at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody School.  If all goes well, we’ll be proud to call her “Dr. Hoffman” by Thursday night!  Send good vibes Cheri’s way or, if you are willing, say a little prayer, will you?  Thanks!

Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
(919) 550-8302
www.judyhoffman.com
jchent@earthlink.net

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA

Thought of the Month: Avoid the “Hoovers” in your life.  These are the people who are always negative and complaining.  They suck all of your energy and joy.  They see the glass half empty and spill the rest.

For those of my subscribers who are, like me, squarely in the over 55 age category, you probably aren’t going to want to hear this.  But there is no getting around it.  If you care about the reputation of your organization, you must become familiar with today’s social media communications tools.  Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc. cannot be foreign to you. You better find a way to be prepared to use them quickly, especially if you come under attack on any of them.

There are many examples of people who have found instant fame on YouTube. (If you haven’t heard of the latest, Susan Boyle, just search her name on www.YouTube.com. I promise it will raise your spirits.)  Sadly, there are also many examples of companies who have suddenly found themselves painted in very negative terms in a video posted there or talked about in the most unflattering terms on Twitter or Facebook.

A dramatic recent example involves the Domino’s food chain.  On a Monday, two employees (bored or disgruntled or just stupid?) filmed themselves as they did a number of gross and disgusting things to food they were preparing, supposedly for delivery. Then they posted it on YouTube.  By Wednesday, it had been viewed by more than a million people.  When “Domino’s” was Googled, five of the twelve listings on the first page referred to this repugnant video clip.  Discussions about it spread through Twitter postings.

Senior company executives learned about the video on Tuesday when a blogger who writes for Consumerist.com alerted them.  They were able to use clues from the video to trace the franchise involved to Conover, NC.  The franchise owner immediately fired the two employees. To his credit, he quickly called in the local health department, who advised him to throw out all open containers of food. He did.  But corporate executives decided not to respond aggressively, evidently hoping that the controversy would die a quick death.

In retrospect, those executives wish they had taken it more seriously. Domino’s spokesperson, Tim McIntyre, said, “What we missed was the perpetual mushroom effect of viral sensations.” Significant reputation damage was done.  Mr. McIntyre said he heard that even some loyal customers of 10-20 years were second-guessing their relationship with the company.  And a research firm, YouGov, which conducts daily on-line consumer surveys about hundreds of brands, found that the perception of Domino’s went from positive to
negative in just a few days.

Certainly there have been negative stories about fast food restaurants in the past. (Remember the alleged finger in Wendy’s chili?)  What sets the Domino’s incident apart and makes it absolutely chilling is the lightning speed with which these stories spread and how wide they reach.

All this means that you must be ever vigilant to what is being said about you on the Internet in all of its many forms.  I used to tell clients to Google their company’s name on a regular basis — maybe once or twice a week. Now I have to say you should do it daily and also monitor Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.  This is especially true if your organization has high visibility or you or your industry have been involved in a recent controversy.  Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.  If you don’t know bad things are being said about you, you’ll really be behind the 8-ball. The further behind the story you get, the harder it will be to get your side of the story heard and believed.

You also have to be able to respond quickly — within hours — to the attack.  Don’t stop at posting your rebuttal on your own website.  (You ARE ready to do that without having to call your IT expert in at midnight, aren’t you?  Remember those “dark pages” I’ve recommended in the past?)  You also have to get to those social networking sites where the charges were posted and the others where the story will be picked up.  If you don’t know how to do that, go get a 20-30 year old and find out NOW!  And research
what other websites or social networking sites are popular in your industry (like Domino’s used Consumerist.com). You may have a trade association that could be helpful.  The more places your story is posted, the better the chance that your side will also appear when your organization’s name is Googled.

No doubt about it — it’s a scary world out there!  Remember when we just had to worry about the deadlines for newspapers and TV news shows?  Now it’s a 24/7 world.  But you can respond to the challenge — I know you can.  Even if you are over 55!

# # #

SPECIAL NOTE: Celebrate with me! When I first published my book, I set a goal to have it used by a half dozen colleges or universities.  Last month I received an order from Kansas State University which made it the ninth institution of higher learning that has used it as a text or supplemental reading.  To celebrate, I’m offering my readers a copy at the same price I offer to the college students — $14.95 (a 25% discount off list price).  Just let me know by e-mail that you’d like a copy of “Keeping Cool on the
Hot Seat: Dealing Effectively with the Media in Times of Crisis” and provide me with your snail-mail address.

Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Quote of the Month:  The happiest people do not necessarily have the best things.  They simply appreciate the things they have.

– Warren Buffet

One of the very best ways to survive a crisis that lands you in the glare of the media spotlight in your local community is to have worked hard ahead of time to establish credibility with your major audiences there.  Public relations professionals refer to this as “depositing credits into the Bank of Good Will.”  Then, when something bad happens to your organization, you can draw out some of this Good Will to help you deal with the crisis so that your corporate reputation is not too badly damaged.

Make no mistake.  It takes time and effort to develop and nurture the relationships with those people whose opinions will be sought as the media writes the story.  In my 17 years of working for a chemical manufacturing company in New York, I spent a good 90% of my time doing things to enhance our corporate reputation through community relations efforts related to the five major audiences highlighted below.  But also know that, in my opinion, it was only because we had expended this time and effort that we were able to survive the fact that we had occasional releases of product that smelled like rotten fish at 12-21 parts per billion!  We sometimes also had other issues - a bomb threat, a regulatory fine, an employee who almost severed a hand, an on-site hazardous waste disposal problem from years previously, a railcar overturned, etc.

I encourage you to print out this e-zine.  Fill it out, giving yourself a score from 1-10 on each of the questions.  For your own good, be brutally honest.  Even better, make some copies and distribute it to a cross-section of your employees, from senior management to entry level positions.  Ask them to fill it out anonymously.  It’s surprising how you can get a wide variation of opinions.  Low scores or discrepancies in responses can point out some areas to which you need to pay more attention to help improve your community relations and, at the same time, prepare your organization for a crisis.

OK, here we go.

EMPLOYEES

_____ When asked, most of our employees would convey to friends and neighbors that this is a good place to work.

_____ Our employees are well informed about the company’s mission, goals, and plans.

ELECTED OFFICIALS

_____ We proactively contact local (and, when warranted, county, state or federal) officials to keep them informed of unusual events or important initiatives, activities and programs.  In other words, we don’t just call them when we want to lobby for something.

_____ Local officials know our senior management people by name.

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS

_____ We conscientiously provide opportunities for them to become familiar with our operations e.g., invite them for walk-throughs, inform them promptly of new hazardous materials on site, etc.)

_____ We hold joint drills with them frequently so both of us can be confident if they ever had to respond to an incident here.

MEDIA

_____ We have a working relationship with the media people who cover us (i.e, we know who would probably come to us on a story and we have talked to them before an incident).

_____ We feel sure that the media would at least call us for our statement on a story about us.

_____ We are confident in the abilities of our identified spokespersons and crisis management team to represent us well when dealing with reporters; their most recent media training took place within the past three years, at a minimum.

PUBLIC-AT-LARGE

_____ The general impression is that our facility is a good neighbor and an asset to the community.

_____ Company spokespeople, including the highest-ranking official on site, have established personal credibility in the community, i.e., they have been involved in community organizations and
activities.

_____ We have a good safety record with regard to our employees and the environment. (Note: the more recent a memorable incident, the lower the score must be.)

ADD UP YOUR SCORES.  If they total 96-120, you are doing well; 48 - 95 means you have some work to do, especially in those areas that were low rated; 0 - 47 is an indication that your corporate reputation is in serious jeopardy and a crisis could spell real trouble.

# # #

SPECIAL NOTE:  If you would like a copy of the full-blown “Community Relations Health Check-Up,” please e-mail me and provide me with your snail-mail address or fax number so I can get it off to you right away.  With even more questions for you to answer, it will give you an excellent assessment of where you are and provide you with ideas on how you can improve your standing with your important audiences.

As always, if you’d like to share this e-zine with colleagues and friends, feel free to do so and encourage them to sign up for their own copy at my website www.judyhoffman.com

Until next month…KEEP COOL!

Judy Hoffman
(919) 550-8302

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA

Quote of the Month:  We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. As quoted in “Apples of Gold”  Compiled by Jo Petty

WHERE HAS OUR CORPORATE CONSCIENCE GONE?

If you are anything like me, you have probably been doing a lot of head shaking recently. However you get your news, you’ve been hearing numerous accounts of people highly placed in businesses of all types who seem to have no shred of conscience any more.  You’ve probably seen stories about:

Senior management people at financial services institutions who have engineered — or at least accepted — huge bonuses while the organizations they led hemorrhaged  profits that left their employees and shareholders with little or nothing; Organizations that happily accepted the 2008 bail-out funds meant to be used to stem the credit crisis but instead used them for fancy corporate retreats and other perks limited to a few people at the top and then refused to reveal what they’d spent the money on; Companies that knowingly shipped out contaminated products (from peanut products to saline solutions and heparin) that made hundreds of people sick and even caused the death of many.

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

I used to be proud to say that my father, God rest his soul, was “an investment banker on Wall Street.”  If you mention either of those two terms nowadays, the hair on the back of the neck of a majority of people stands up on end.  My dad was one of the most ethical people I’ve ever known.  Being honest in all of your dealings was something Dad and Mom both emphasized to my brother and me at every opportunity.  When my father was getting set to retire as head of the Government Bond Department of First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse) back in 1973, there was to be a dinner in his honor where the usual practice was to “roast” the individual.  My mother took it as the highest form of compliment that his colleagues couldn’t find anything bad to say about Dad! After 30 years of being with the company, where he had started at
the lowest level, people spent the evening talking about things like trust and their confidence in him when he gave his word and his ethical conduct in all matters.

Too many times nowadays it seems that big business leaders are playing a game — seeing how many financial shenanigans they can get away with and how far they can bend the rules and regulations, if not outright break them.  If rules and regulations are broken, those who are willing to do so seem to be counting on the fact that organizations set up to regulate them will not be capable of doing their job properly - whether that organization is the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Food and Drug Administration.  Did these folks actually rationalize to themselves that, if they could get away with it, it must be OK?

WHEN AND HOW WILL THIS END?

I’d like to think that one of the first people to try to bring an end to this type of activity would be whoever was going to have the job of trying to explain the situation to a horrified/angry/concerned public.  This individual could have a title like Public Affairs Manager or Corporate Communications Director.  Or it could be any employee at any level of the organization who had a good sense of right and wrong. When
organizations do not DO the right things, there is no way that any public relations person or crisis communications professional is going to be able to come up with some words that will make it all be just fine. (Even though I jokingly use a magic wand in my workshops, I’m here to tell you that it really does not work, especially in circumstances such as we’ve been seeing of late.)

Sometimes this individual has to be very courageous.  It certainly isn’t easy to stand up against an arrogant CEO or other senior manager who has come to believe that he or she can do anything necessary to assuage his/her ego and achieve personal goals of wealth and power.  This person must have earlier established credibility within the organization so that he/she will be listened to by the appropriate people when the question is posed, “How is this going to be received by the public when this comes out - as it will?”

I have often said that the most effective form of crisis communications is crisis prevention.  It is always preferable not to have to scramble to put together a statement attempting to defend something that is basically indefensible.  As one of my clients in a recent workshop said, “If you do the wrong thing well, it’s still not good!”

Playing the role of the corporate conscience is not an easy task. But it is needed if you hope to avert having your organization’s reputation severely damaged if not totally ruined.  The stakes are high for all of the employees of that organization.

# # #

A QUESTION FOR YOU:  I would be very interested in knowing whether my subscribers are actively involved in the social networking field.  It seems I am constantly being advised that I should be involved in Facebook or Twitter or MySpace.  My sense is that my clients and prospective clients would not be looking to these kinds of sites for news and advice on issues related to crisis communications.  I’d appreciate your dropping me an e-mail to let me know if I am right in this assumption, or if I am just rationalizing because I don’t want to learn these new skills at my age!

UNTIL NEXT MONTH…Keep Cool!

Judy Hoffman
jchent@earthlink.net
www.judyhoffman.com

JCH Enterprises, 116 Nelson Lane, Clayton, NC 27527, USA