Silence Gives Consent… and Bad Press

St. Thomas More in A Man for All Seasons uses silence as his response to charges of disloyalty against his king, Henry VIII. He refuses to sign the oath required of him,
but states that under law, "silence gives consent. " He was beheaded. Modern organizations could learn a lot from his story.

Hiding behind a curtain of silence today almost invariably leads to reams of negative publicity at best, and at worst, to shouts of "off with their heads" from protest groups.
With examples like Exxon and Intel to learn from, the good news is that companies are finally learning their lessons. Where the lesson seems to be slower in coming is from non-
profit organizations.

This month we'll take a look at two organizations, Habitat for Humanity International and the Boy Scouts of America, and examine how each of them have handled controversy.

Like most non-profit organizations, Habitat for Humanity is essentially a "franchise" organization. Habitat for Humanity International manages the brand and the programs out of
its headquarters in Americus Georgia. But the real work of building houses, raising money, and managing thousands of volunteers falls to the local affiliates. Most of the local
chapters are entirely volunteer organizations and run autonomously and independently. In Chicago recently, a local television station aired an investigation into one of those
affiliates. The communications organization in Americus quickly jumped into manage the messages and solve the problem. As a result, coverage was minimal, statements were on
message, and a subsequent survey of the local community revealed that there was little long-term damage to the organization's reputation.

As with so many badly handled crises, the crisis itself becomes the news, and the organizations involved lose control of the message. After the Supreme Court upheld the Boy
Scouts' right to exclude gays from its organization, it issued a statement of policy and that was that. Except that it wasn't. United Way chapters and major sponsors cut their
funding, schools kicked them out of meeting rooms, and dozens s of Letters to the Editor on both sides of the issue flowed in to newspapers across the country.

Katharine Delahaye Paine is president of Delahaye Medialink (603/431-0111). Image Patrol is based on a subjective content analysis of major news sources covering a crisis.
Comments are not intended to criticize the work of the company in crisis, but rather to illustrate the role the media play in shaping the perceptions of various stakeholder
groups.

HFHI

HQ: Americus, Ga.
Affiliates worldwide: 1,900
Revenues, 1999: $121,109,194

Criteria	Grade	Comments	Advice
Extent of coverage	A	As we so often see, controversies seem much larger internally than externally. We couldn't find a single article in our Lexis-Nexis search.	The best defense is a good offence. Good crisis management starts with a solid team and strong organization. Make sure your organization understands its mission and is working towards a common goal. That way, when a crisis comes up, you're not "spinning," you're acting on your mission. Just make sure that your actions are consistent with your mission, and your credibility will remain high.
Effectiveness of spokespeople	B+	The regional director and spokesperson, Bill Ward, got the messages across and said all the right things, however, he failed to achieve the same level of credibility and pathos as the potential homeowners. As a result, the homeowners got significantly more of their messages across.	Moments like these are the best reason for a strong, trained and centralized communications team that can swing into action when dealing with less prepared volunteers. It also argues for emphasis on crisis communications training at the franchisee level, if possible.
Communication of key messages	A	In fact, the crisis underlined one of HFHI's core principles, that they don't give houses away, they sell them. Its humanitarian values also were underscored by the statements of the regional manager.	The strength of HFHI's message communication is essentially a testimony to the strength and consistency of the message throughout the organization. In any organization where you have little control over your front lines, it is essential that the entire organization is very clear on the brand promise and all key messages.
Management of negative messages	C	Unfortunately, the families who weren't getting the houses in a timely manner were equally effective at communications, and were able to paint HFHI as uncooperative.	Beware the articulate aggrieved, especially on television. When a camera catches a photogenic victim, who also happens to be articulate in front of a microphone, chances are pretty good that negative messages will get out there. The best thing you can do is to be empathetic and clearly demonstrate care and concern.
Impact on major donors and sponsors	A	Research conducted in the wake of the broadcasts showed that while there was short-term awareness of the problem, in the long run, there was little adverse effect.	It's important in any crisis to carefully monitor the attitudes and beliefs of core constituencies. Frequently a crisis can take on a life of its own within an institution and we lose perspective. In this case, there was very little awareness of the crisis at all among key sponsors or within the business community. Generally, keeping them apprised of a situation, and explaining things early and often is the best policy.
Impact on volunteers and employees	B	No one likes to be portrayed negatively on hometown TV, and even worse, no one wants to feel that their volunteer effort was for naught. The key measure will be to see whether the number of volunteers drops off in the aftermath.	Actions speak louder than words, and fixing a situation will be the best way to maintain good relationships with volunteers.
Impact on potential homeowners	C	Ultimately homeowners are the customers for HFHI's houses, so they are a key constituency. Since potential homeowners were the "victims" in the investigative report, no doubt there may have been some damage to the organization's reputation among this audience.	There will always be a sizeable group of people who will empathize with whatever your opponents are saying. The best response is to show by your actions that you are contrite, caring and concerned.
Overall score	B+	HFHI has a strong team of communicators that swung into action when the problem arose. They were trained, on message, and responsive. However, all the best communications can't change the facts, and the national organization is ultimately only as good as its affiliates.	Avoiding a major crisis is essentially a simple proposition if you have strong core values, if everyone understands the brand promise, and if everyone in the organization understands the messages. And, of course, it helps to have a thoroughly trained and highly professional group of communicators to work with.

 

BS of A , National Council

HQ: Irving, Texas
Local Councils: 320
Revenues 1999: $125,305,000

Criteria	Grade	Comments	Advice
Extent of coverage	F	The story has made it onto radio talk shows, ABC's Good Morning America, and most small, as well as large, dailies around the country. Letters to the Editor on both sides of the issues were frequent and fueled the controversy.	Be careful of the battles you take on, especially lawsuits. Lawsuits can linger in the courts for years, and you never know what the media environment will be like when the decision actually comes down.
Effectiveness of spokespeople	F	No spokespeople from the national organization have been quoted since the original Supreme Court decision. At the time, they read a statement that they have stuck to ever since. The biggest problem is all the politicians and groups that have now come forward to defend the policy, including fringe groups, will further polarize the issue. The further the controversy positions the organization to the right, the more other viewpoints will jump in and extend the life of the crisis.	Once you issue "an official statement" it is there for everyone to respond to. It's a great big target than everyone can aim for, and the longer it's out there without additional elaboration or mollifying statements, the more time people have to aim, and the bigger the ammunition becomes. Once people get engaged in the controversy, they'll come out of the woodwork to be quoted. Since you have little or no control over these people and what they say, you lose control of the message -and the crisis. Have a core group of good spokespeople and reliable sources that can be trusted to give good background perspective. If possible, keep the issue in context with numbers, facts and figures that show just how few actual people are involved.
Communication of key messages	D	While the Boy Scouts have done a good job of staying "on message," that message has attracted other supporters who are changing the positioning. When ultra-conservative groups began to raise money for the organization, the Boy Scouts became less middle-of-the-road American and took a distinct shift to the right.	Beware of strange bedfellows. If a group you've never heard of wants to endorse you, or take a stand on your behalf, research it closely and carefully before committing.
Containment of negative messages	D	Unfortunately as the controversy has intensified, more and more people on both sides of the issue have taken more and more extreme views. This leads to better headlines and more publicity.	In any controversy, as much as you must work with internal spokespeople initially, you also need to identify and target other "reliable sources" such as politicians and local leaders who will invariably feed the media frenzy. Make sure they understand your position.
Impact on members	B	The Boy Scouts says its membership is up, but it may be too soon to tell. Individual chapters took it upon themselves to issue fund raising and support appeals, some of which only served to further antagonize members who then expressed their ire in print.	If you are a "franchise" organization, your first line of defense will be the franchisees. You must educate and train them on crisis management long before a crisis starts. They need to be on the same page if you hope to be seen as speaking with one voice. Once a crisis breaks, keep them informed via an extranet, and make sure they understand and articulate the same messages.
Impact on sponsors/donors	D	Major sponsors such as Levi's and Chase Manhattan Bank have pulled their support, as have numerous church groups and schools around the country.	Major sponsors are a distinct audience during a crisis. They need to be kept informed, personal visits should be made to key decision makers, and if possible, you should all agree on how the news is disseminated if they do decide to withdraw their support.
Impact on employees/troop leaders	C	While some Eagle Scouts have sent in their badges, others are holding firm. The net impact will probably be minimal.	No one likes a highly polarized organization, so if your crisis is going to polarize, carefully weigh the implications.
Overall	F	Rather than toning down or working to an end to the controversy, by maintaining its rigid stance, the organization is helping to prolong the controversy.	Rigidity and old-line thinking have no place in a 21st century crisis. Dust off your crisis communications plan and make sure it addresses all the ways that messages are communicated in the 21st century. Also, when a crisis involves a highly polarizing issue, be doubly careful of where you seek support.