A crisis is something most communications executives prepare for
but hopefully never have to face.
When a crisis breaks, what is it really like? To bring this to life,
Canadian crisis counseling firm Mindszenthy & Roberts recounted a day
and one-half of its work on a recent crisis. Firm principals Bart
Mindszenthy and Gail Roberts have worked on dozens of private and
public sector crises since founding their Toronto firm six years ago.
They prepared this diary exclusively for PR News.
The events below took place in late April and involved a large
Canadian consumer products company. (Mindszenthy & Roberts,
416/924-2425)
DAY ONE
* 1 p.m.: The day is unfolding as it should -- we're working our way
through a series of meetings around the city when the cell phone
rings; it's a friend who says his client needs help. His client is
CEO of a major consumer goods firm which is about to accept an offer
for a friendly takeover, but there are some growing issues. Can we
see him? We say, "yes," at 4.30 -- our first break in the day. He
arranges the meeting, and we continue with our scheduled meetings,
curious about this new situation.
* 4:30 p.m.: We arrive at the meeting and are immediately ushered
into a large boardroom and greeted by the CEO. Within moments, the
corporate secretary joins us, along with several legal and business
advisors, and we are given a two-and-one-half-hour briefing. The
immediate need: what and how to communicate and with whom regarding a
glitch -- the fact that a major stakeholder is against the deal and
will launch court action in the morning to slow or stop it, based on
the stakeholder's perception of the company's right to conclude the
deal without that stakeholder's approval.
The planned takeover already had made business-page headlines the
week before, and was seen pretty much as a done deal.
Material from us is needed by 7 a.m., and we need to brief the CEO at
8 a.m. for his 9 a.m. board meeting.
* 7 p.m.: We make some quick calls to adjust our schedule for the
next day.
* 8 p.m.: Over dinner, we review our notes and material provided at
the meeting about the company and this deal. We discuss strategy and
decide how to divide the work.
* 9 p.m.: Game plan clear, we start preparing material: news release,
backgrounder, letters to be faxed to various key stakeholders (major
customers, analysts, etc.), key talking points for CEO for expected
deluge of media and other calls.
* 11 p.m.: There are calls to and from lawyers to compare notes,
confirm direction of the material we're preparing, and clarify some
points.
* 11:20 p.m.: We continue working on material to just after 1 a.m.
DAY TWO
* 7 a.m.: Fax materials prepared to three sets of lawyers at three
law firms, as well as to the client.
* 7:20 a.m.: There are phone calls from lawyers to discuss material
prepared, with some modifications.
* 7:40 a.m.: Breakfast while checking papers.
* 8 a.m.: We have a phone discussion with CEO re: overnight work,
overall positioning; agree to have luncheon meeting in his office to
review developments and help him prepare for media and other key
calls.
* 8:20 a.m.: Showers, dressing, etc.
* 9 a.m.: Other client calls/updates: a federal department's senior
official updates us on new developments in an ongoing challenge to his
department's credibility; spend time on the phone with the senior
legal counsel of a major international financial institution on some
looming market conduct issues we've been working on with his CEO.
* 10:15 a.m.: Review material for noon meeting; one of the law firms
calls back for clarification on a few points.
* 10:3O a.m.: Confirm dinner meeting for 7 p.m. with recently
appointed chairman of a large insurance company to discuss our ongoing
work with counseling on a reorganization and overall strategic
communications positioning of this executive.
* 11:30 a.m.: Leave for lunch meeting with CEO in one of his meeting
rooms; en route, discuss key objectives for preparing him for media
interviews, knowing legal sensitivities that are at play.
* Noon: Arrive on time, and wait, because the Board meeting is still
on.
* 12:20 p.m.: CEO arrives, another lawyer in tow. Over lunch, we
examine issued news release, review status of legal actions begun by
stakeholder and the company, and conduct a very focused, intense media
encounter session, going through key tips and tactics and how he will
apply key talking points we developed. The lawyer agrees with the
positioning; it's nice to see so many lawyers agreeing -- not the norm
in our business.
CEO will do pre-arranged phone interviews starting at 2.30 p.m., on
his own.
* 2:15 p.m. : Leave CEO feeling comfortable and prepared; stop at
Ontario Government Management Board of Cabinet for de-brief on
effectiveness of government's strike communications plan we'd
developed last fall and applied in just-ended province-wide civil
service strike.
* 3:30 p.m.: Call CEO's executive assistant to see how CEO is doing
and if he wants to talk with us; word back: he's still making -- and
getting -- calls, but feels he's doing fine.
* 3:40 p.m.: Develop several interim holding statements; check in
with two of his law firms to get details on court proceedings, next
steps, anticipated issues and hurdles.
* 5:20 p.m.: Have de-brief meeting with CEO re: media interviews,
other stakeholder communications, and overall status. Apparently, all
went very well. We agree to check media coverage and talk first thing
in the morning.
He mentions that we should establish some kind of fee arrangement --
something we hadn't had time to think about, but said we would. He
observes that we'd only known and worked with him for 24 hours, but
already we werewell into his situation. It's a touch that makes us
feel good about the past day.