Crisis Communications

These notes were taken from SOLT'S Communications in a Crisis training day on 20 February 2019.

Try to ignore the noise and solve the problem - Marketing are to blame for a crisis

Phone Etiquette:

• 1. Who answers phones - do they know what to do/say

     1. Journalists lie and might not say who they are

  2. All inquiries should be logged accurately

  3. Who are calls forwarded to?

  4. Are certain calls prioritized?

ACTION: Make sure we devise a phone call system and that interns/box office are briefed if a crisis occurs.

Contact Details:

Does each department know the relevant people to contact?

Who receives information - is there a chain of escalation?

We must gather information - therefore a holding statement must be released. Be clear and succinct - if you leave a gap, other people will fill it.

Social Media:

• • Casts and external partners are encouraged to tweet etc about shows - do they know what the protocol is in a crisis situation?

  • What is the policy for staff in this situation?

  • Who handles the social media?

Doorsteppers and journalists:

If we are doorstepped in a crisis situation, remain calm and friendly but avoid answering questions - instead “please talk to my press team”

Morale:

• • Make sure the staff are briefed, before the public.

  • Remember to keep staff in the loop with developments and any shifts in messages

  • Even in a crisis, make sure that those handling it are working reasonable hours and having breaks

  • Log everything (dates, times, decisions taken, people involved).

When you have a potential crisis, remember:

• 1. Where could a journalist take it?

  2. How big a target are we in this event?

  3. What would an ordinary person say about it?

  4. What are the other voices out there who could talk over Ballard UK or tell our story?

  5. Context:

     1. Is it topical, or reflect wider issues within society or the industry?

     2. Does it have momentum?

     3. What is it’s emotional impact?

A crisis is brewing:

• 1. Who do you tell

  2. Who are the stakeholders in the situation

  3. Who is our spokesperson

     1. Similarly - who has a role in a crisis? Everyone wants to help in a crisis situation, but are roles predetermined?

  4. What is our response

  5. What is our long-term response

We must draw up a crisis plan!

What do journalists want?

• • Someone to be as helpful as they can

  • A contact who will talk to them

    • We should maintain healthy relationships with journalists

Dealing with Journalists:

• • Don’t assume knowledge

  • Front page: remember, we don’t want what we say to be on the front page

  • “Off the record” is a phrase which means different things to different journalist

  • It’s behind you: when holding press conferences/photo calls etc, remember the location

  • You are never alone with a microphone

  • “No comment” - never say this

Making a Statement:

• 1. Concern

     1. “We care about the situation” -

     2. Show compassion and empathy

  2. Action

• • 1. We are doing something about it

       1. This is where you fill up your statement with examples of what we are doing to solve the situation

       2. Use only facts

• 3. Perspective

• • 1. Be transparent, not defensive

Introduce your statement with the main facts - add important information first.

Holding a Press Conference:

Press Conferences are for when something has escalated or we have lost control of the crisis.

When answering questions, following this pattern:

• 1. Acknowledge

     1. Recognise the question

  2. Bridge

• • 1. Lead onto point C

• 3. Communication

• • 1. This is the key message we want people to take away

There are two types of Crisis

Sudden

Unexpected events - e.g. fires/attacks/deaths/Rudd/kids/

Simmering - these are issues which could develop into a crisis is left unchecked

Keep an eye out on all news stories which mention Ballard UK