The topic of issues management has been around for decades. It’s examined and debated regularly in the PR industry mainly because it can be a very broad, overarching concept.
When the pressure of crisis management and an often-thorny public policy process are added to the mix, a conundrum can develop, especially for communicators with little to no experience in one or all of these areas. Issues management around public policy must be woven into an organization’s culture early, not just when things are tanking.
Much like other interested entities of public policy creation, such as a neighborhood association or a university, a company typically is an active member of a community. As a result, companies should not be shy about stepping into the public arena, especially on policy that touches them.
On the other hand, some PR and communications practitioners argue that there should be an unambiguous demarcation line between the average citizen’s effort and what companies and large organizations do to shape public policy.
The weighty question is whether a company should step forward to shape public policy mainly for its benefit if it might be harmful to others. Some tips:
1. Gather a Crowd: For those in companies or organizations that wholeheartedly choose to go down the sometimes-bumpy road of issues management and public policy, you should not go it alone. You not only want to educate your stakeholders about your organization’s public policy stance, but also perhaps convince them to take action, such as writing a letter of support or posting an endorsement on social media.
Avoid being confrontational, defensive or overly aggressive. Instead, work with stakeholders to simply state their case with thorough preparation. They should enthusiastically and succinctly share why they support your organization.
2. Inventory: To best prepare for a successful issues management scenario, one of the first things an organization must do is survey the landscape to clearly understand the key players, critics, decision makers and current and potential supporters. If necessary, investment in expert consultants, advertising or new technology should also be considered based on the issues you see on the horizon.
3. Geography: Thoroughly examine your organization’s beliefs about where it stands. Has there been a shift? Is there a stance the company wants to move away from or toward?
4. Work Quietly: The work of “making the sausage” should be done internally, doing so in public can make your organization appear disorganized.
5. Pick Your Spots: The person your organization appoints to publicly manage an issue does not necessarily need to constantly be prominently out in front of that issue. Advise that person to avoid wearing out his/her welcome. In some cases, such as when emotions around a particular policy are running high, being inconspicuous or quiet for a time can be a genius approach. Plus, it provides valuable time for your team to regroup and analyze strategy.
6. Postmortem: Evaluate lessons learned and whether there were breakthroughs. Close the loop on outstanding items, such as writing a summary report or inventorying pictures and videos. Consider mistakes could have been avoided, and give the same energy to examining successes that should be publicly celebrated and widely shared.
In the end, there will be no productive outcomes realized from issues management around public policy if your organization is not willing to change for the better, mostly by closely involving stakeholders as early as possible. Further, be willing to go outside that group of stakeholders to seek feedback. Venture into uncharted territory where it’s highly likely you will hear from new voices and, in turn, learn new things.
DO
Ensure that your public-facing spokesperson is knowledgeable and can answer questions.
From the start, communicate thoroughly, but not necessarily all at once.
Remember that people learn differently, so make sure to communicate information using a variety of tools ranging from handouts to infographics to social media posts.
Try to present complex or tedious information clearly and creatively, but don’t lose the essence of the point.
DON’T
Try to deceive the public with erroneous information or half-truths and assume you can later correct, or clarify.
Think that you will need to speak to the public only once or twice.
You should be receiving and sharing information constantly.
Use a spokesperson just because he/she is your spokesperson.
A spokesperson who seems distrustful or lacks confidence in the information being shared can hurt your organization.
Avoid the hard questions. Try to anticipate them and be prepared to answer them as best you can. If you lack the answer, say so and explain how you will follow up.
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