Crisis communications: get it right - the first time
The tragedy at the Sago Mine near Tallmansville, WV on January 3, 2006 and the rumors that followed once again highlight the criticality of communications in a business continuity plan. It also points out that no matter what the news, timing can turn an event into a "lose-lose" situation. TO TELL OR TO WAIT FOR CONFIRMATION As an old newspaper reporter and editor, I know very well that rumors - even Countering rumors is one of the Fourth Estate's primary functions. (2) While business continuity planners don’t often have a journalistic background - they must share the journalist's awareness of the damage rumor can cause. One of the sad lessons learned in West Virginia is that people need reassurance that something is being done. The old saw "no news is good news" is not acceptable in a crisis. Business continuity plans lacking a communications ingredient are plans with a gaping hole. There are many parts to the communications ingredient, including: * Who talks to whom WHO TALKS TO WHOM First and foremost, the organization's responders need to know how to respond. Certainly in the business continuity plan there will be - should be - response plans for various scenarios. In a worst case scenario, the facility "goes away," the response plan may call for a determination of damage then a management decision to restore or walk away, perhaps starting over elsewhere or, perhaps, throwing in the towel - shutting down the organization. All employees need this information, and they need it as quickly as possible. If the decision is to walk away from the operation, there should be a policy and procedure known to all personnel from their employment day one so they will know what to expect as severance. If the decision is to rebuild elsewhere, personnel need to be told what to If the decision is to rebuild locally, policies and procedures known to all For all the policies and procedures, management should reinforce the information with both verbal and written statements to personnel and their families. This must be done before any public statements are made which relate to personnel. The community in which the organization operates also needs to know what to expect. Local media are the best tools for this. Since the media probably won't wait for a damage assessment, the organization should have a boilerplate (prepared) statement to the effect that "We must evaluate the damage before we can make any commitments; we expect to have the evaluation completed within (time frame)." Make certain the deadline can be met. If the deadline is missed, tell the audience why it was missed and set a new deadline. The second deadline must be met. When to talk to the media? That depends on the media. If there is a local Vendors and major clients/customers should be notified that an event occurred and that the damage is being evaluated. As with the local media, tell the audience when it can expect a decision on the organization's future. Lenders also have a right to know what happened and what will happen. Ideally, lenders will learn about the event from organization management rather than the media. While it is possible to tell the same story to each audience, it is better to For example, the organization's chief financial officer (CFO) or other senior The chief executive office (CEO) or chief operating officer (COO) should talk to the organization's staff. The task should not be delegated to HR or disseminated via mid-level managers; employee morale is important. What about executive level spokespeople who lack the ability to speak to the WHAT CAN BE SAID Lies always are discovered and the price to be paid for the fabrication will be An organization must "speak with one voice" even if there actually are several "voices." Everyone - personnel, media, lenders, clients - need to understand that the only information they can depend upon comes from an "authorized spokesperson." As already discussed, rumors are one of an organization's worst enemies. A good communications plan includes "fill-in-the-blanks" scripts for the most The scripts should include anticipated questions or be very clear that questions will not be entertained by the spokespeople. Scripts should be developed as part of the organization's response plans and be vetted by Legal. It is advisable to have line managers review the scripts to assure they are technically accurate. If pressed for information beyond the script, the spokespeople must hold firm. They may tell the interrogator they will check and get back to the person, but a time should be set for the next meeting. As with all deadlines, if it looks like a deadline will be missed, tell everyone before the deadline and set a new deadline which will be met "no matter what." Did I mention NEVER LIE? SCHEDULING RELEASE OF INFORMATION In an unfolding crisis such as the Sago Mine disaster, scheduled announcements should be frequent. Once the crisis has passed, the frequency of announcements can be extended. The loss of a facility may require multiple announcements on the first (crisis) day, and perhaps a once-a-day announcement for the first week. The audience for progress reports helps determine the reports' frequency. Organization personnel need daily updates. Clients may need weekly updates. Regulators will demand updates on their own schedules. Each release should include two things: * The time of the next release Rumors always will be with us; business continuity planners must work to assure counter-measures are included in the business continuity plan and that these measures are as exercised and maintained as every other part of the plan. NOTES: 1 For some facts on "just the facts," see 2 The term Fourth Estate refers to the press, both in its explicit capacity of John Glenn, MBCI, has been helping organizations of all types avoid or mitigate risks to their operations since 1994. Comments may be sent to JohnGlennCRP@yahoo.com (c) 2006, John Glenn MBCI
•Date: 27th Jan 2006 • Region: US/World • Type: Article •Topic: Crisis communications |
