1.

2.
3.
4.

5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Three stages of change management are ___,__, and___

Name 2 resistances to change
What is the first step in change management?
Messaging aims to summarize only a few essential features of
your product, service, idea or offering in a cohesive, coherent
manner. True/False
Name two elements of key messaging
Only a moderator can contribute to a wiki page True/False
Really Simple Syndication (RSS) allows you to receive
feeds/information that you seek True/False
Two characteristics of new or social media ___ and _____
E-mail is the most effective channel in internal communication
True/False
Internal communicators are expected to publish all
communication for an organization True/False

Crisis Communications
managing crises before they
overrun your organization
Aniisu K. Verghese

What is a crisis?

A crisis is any situation that threatens the

integrity or reputation of your company,
usually brought on by adverse or negative
media attention. These situations can be any
kind of legal dispute, theft, accident, fire, flood
or manmade disaster that could be attributed
to your company. It can also be a situation
where in the eyes of the media or general
public your company did not react to one of
the above situations in the appropriate
manner. This definition is not all
encompassing.

Some simple truths

If handled correctly the damage can be

minimized.
One thing to remember that is crucial in a crisis
is tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. If you
do this you have done all you can to minimize
the situation.
When a situation arises that may be a crisis the
first thing you should do is contact your CEO
and the chief of your public relations
department. The sooner you get those two
organizations involved the sooner you can
implement this plan.

Some simple truths

contd.

The first and foremost goal is protecting the

integrity and reputation of the Company.
Never try to lie, deny or hide your
involvement.
If you ignore the situation it will only get
worse.
Don't let the lawyers make the decisions.
While they are good intentioned it may
cause the crisis to escalate.

Some recent crises

Chikungunya
HSBC employee data theft
Bird flu
9/11
Pesticides in soft drinks
Worms in Cadbury chocolates
Call centre employees stealing data/money of
customers
CEO of Polaris jailed in Indonesia
Phaneesh Murthy and the sexual harassment
case
SARS

What happens in a Crisis

Internal to your organization:

People are frightened and looking for information,

guidance, and reassurance
Often people hear what they want or expect to hear
Opportunists may try to capitalize on the situation
(for profit, power, political gain, or other motives)
Weak links in training and preparation for crisis
management appear
Crisis can happen to staff members, infrastructure
Emotions run high on the staff, interpersonal
difficulties can emerge

Crisis raises barriers to

successful communication
Fear,

anger

Confusion
Short

of messages

attention spans
- Its hard to get people to HEAR you
- People typically either go numb or play
internal tapes in their heads
- Reaching isolated segments of population
- Possible infrastructure complications
Television, phone lines down, building damage,
etc.

How to fashion an internal

crisis communications
The plan
broader and more developed your
communications plan is, the better
prepared you will be

Your

Your communications plan will need

to be multi-layered in case parts of
the infrastructure are non-functional

plan will need to be targeted to, and

tailored to, different segments of your
audience

Internal staff
communications issues:
tostaff
ask
NOW
Do what
your critical
know
who they are?
Do you?
Do they know their roles in crisis?
Who makes the decisions? How?
Can you REACH your staff in times of
crisis? (call tree, cell phones)
How will your staff find YOU in a crisis?
If your front line person is unavailable,
who is next up? Does everyone know? Will
there be conflict internally for this #2
person?

Internal Professionals
Communications

Ongoing training:

Briefings, postings, messages

Keep it simple, short, direct

Summary of THE MESSAGE they should be
giving to the employees (avoid ad libbing
during crisis situations)
Practice with them so they can survive a
grilling
Create your 4-second sound bites ahead of
time

Getting your message to

the employees

Have a Chief Information Officer

Internal memo
Press releases for employees first

Single number to call

Intranet
Consider who are key communicators
internally do you need multi-lingual or
multi-cultural messages?

Messages

nonrandom verbal
symbolizations.

a use of language (written or

spoken) that the recipient
interprets as having been created
intentionally.

Getting your message to the

employees

Layering your message

Sometimes people need to hear it multiple

times

People hear information in different

waysaudio, visual

A note on graphics:

A good picture is worth 1000 words; a bad

graphic will confuse 1000 people in a
second

Telephone issues: you will

get calls!

In times of crisis, you may have

10x or 100x the normal volume of phone calls
to your departmenthow will you handle this?
Set up a single phone line?
Do you have enough staff? Are they trained for
this?
Part of a communications plan is a recruitment
and training plan to expand your capacity,
even if that means using volunteers
Printed, simple messagesin hand, by phones,
posted on wall clearly visible

Message Development
Audience

Purpose of
Message

Method of
Delivery

Relationship to
event

Give facts /
update

Print media

Demographics

Rally to action

Web

Level of
Outrage

Clarify event
status

Spokesperson
(HR, Intranet)

Address
rumors

Call number

Basic Message
Components
Expression of empathy and caring
Confirmed facts

1.
2.

3.
4.
5.
6.

Who, what, when, where, why, how

What you dont know about the situation

Process to deal with the problem
Statement of commitment
Where people can get more information

Crisis Communication Tips

Dont let the issue be defined by

someone else

Listen early to avoid controversy and

the potential for disproportionate
attention to lesser issues.

Meet the needs of the employee

Work with other credible sources

Crisis Communication Tips

Speak clearly and with compassion

Pay as much attention to your process

for dealing with people as you do to
explaining the data

Be honest, frank, and open

Release and discuss information

about options and involve
communities in strategies

Crisis Communication Tips

Why should I have to worry about

communication? This isnt my job!

You have a responsibility to your

employees. Learn to integrate
communication into your job and help
others do the same.

Cause of almost all crises

Overt acts and acts of omission.

Issues of competence or lack thereof in
matters of public perception.

Avoid the infamous

excuses

"It's too soon to act."

"It's only competitor criticism."
"It's caving into people or ideas we don't respect."
"Our peers expect us to fight this."
"It's just an isolated incident."
"The standards are unreasonable or unachievable."
"We need more time."
"Let's not over-react."
"If we say something, people will find out."
"We obey the law."
"We can't take responsibility; we'll be sued."
"It will trigger copycats."

Action points

Decide on a plan of action and decide who the

spokesperson should be.
A copy of the management recall roster should
be attached and should include cellular phone
numbers and beeper numbers if each team
member has one (either one or the other should
be issued to the primary team members at
least).
Once the crisis communication team is selected
a list should be made of the people on the team
and what each team member is responsible for.

Action points

Have people who can answer phones and

if required escort media.
Having calls from the media answered
promptly is essential.
As soon as possible a prepared statement
should be given to this staff.
This statement should be something such
as "Facts are still being gathered but there
will be a press conference before 4:00,
give me your name and number and I will
call you back to let you know when."

Sample News Release

A ____________ at _______involving
_________ occurred today at __________ .
The incident is under investigation and
more information is forthcoming.
A (what happened) at (location)
involving (who) occurred today at
(time). The incident is under
investigation and more information is
forthcoming.

Positioning
Examples:

Human error

Clerical error

Unauthorized procedures

Inadequate supervision

Inadequate quality control

Misuse of confidential information

Errors of judgment

Inadequate standard operating procedures

As you are considering the position it is important to

consider the wide range of consequences (e.g., legal,
financial, public relations, effects on administration, effects
on operations).
Keep in mind that people tend to remember what they
hear first and last.

Recommended Books

1. "Crisis in Organizations: Managing

and Communicating in the Heat of
Crisis," by Laurence Barton.
2. "You'd Better Have a Hose if You
Want to Put Out the Fire: The
Complete Guide to Crisis and Risk
Communications," by Rene A. Henry.