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COMMUNICATION UNDER FIRE
By Mary Schnack
Whether you are part of a large corporation or a small family
business, no one is exempt from a crisis. Information is passed
to the public through the media, and news is, to some degree,
a negative product.
Crises appear in the news all the time--the U.S. Air crash
in Los Angeles, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, product tampering,
and a variety of lawsuits. If something were to happen at
your place of business, would you be prepared? It's too late
to develop a crisis plan once the crisis hits. You need to
have a plan in place with professionals "on call,"
know how to communicate both internally and to the media,
know who the "quarterback" is going to be to get
you through this stressful time and what message you'll want
to transmit.
This crisis or disaster plan should be developed by a "team"
and communicated to all appropriate parties. A crisis plan
needs to have systems developed to disseminate information
quickly and efficiently, internally and externally, before
and after a crisis strikes.
When I was called in to Waco, Texas, to handle the media
relations for a large organization a week after the ATF shoot-out
at the Davidian cult compound, I found out the organization
already had a crisis communications plan. It was on paper,
but either no one knew about it or they didn't know how to
activate it. So my job the first day was to try to "undue"
some of the damage to their public image which had been created
during that first week
Proactive media and community relations programs should be
part of your comprehensive disaster plan. Having an on-going
public relations program with pre-existing, positive relationships
with the media and your community will help minimize the impact
of many crises.
During a crisis, you'll be dealing with perceptions as much
as, or more than, realities. The main thing to remember is--expect
the unexpected. Internally, you'll need to "over communicate"
to strengthen your internal team and for rumor control. Providing
no information leaves a vacuum which is quickly filled with
speculation--usually erroneous.
It may be hard to keep up with all of the media demands,
especially if the story is national in scope., If appropriate,
use this opportunity to pitch positive stories and angles.
This may help to re-focus media attention and position your
facility more positively. Try to make your response "proactive"
rather than reactive. This gives you additional, positive
coverage, allows you more control over the media and enhances
your long-term media and community relationships.
Activating your crisis plan does not necessarily mean a "negative"
event has happened. Winning the lottery could constitute a
crisis. Many times, the heavy volume of media attention received
connected with an event--be it a crisis or not--can create
it's own crisis. If you're in the media spotlight, there are
definitely ways to turn that to your advantage and do more
than just answer reporters' questions. Some simple media training
in advance is not only a good precautionary step, but can
also be fun!
Obviously, you can't afford to keep a media crisis relations
expert on staff or retainer. Be sure to work out the details
of your working relationship and fees with an agency or consultant
in advance. The key to the entire concept is to have the plan
in advance. Don't let a crisis turn into a disaster.
Mary Schnack, owner of Mary Schnack Media
Services, Inc., is a NAWBO member in the Sedona, Phoenix and
Los Angeles chapters, and the Southwest Regional Director
on the national NAWBO Board of Directors. A crisis communications
specialist, Schnack handled the media for truck driver Reginald
Denny during the 1992 Los Angeles Civil Unrest, during the
Waco Cult stand-off, for a humanitarian aid group during the
Rwanda Civil War, and wrote the crisis communications plan
for Reno Air. You can find out more about crisis communications
at her web site at www.prworks.ms.
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