[Editor’s Note: For our semi-regular roundtable feature, we’ve shifted things a bit. Instead of asking a single question, we’ve put several queries to senior communicators. As PRNEWS prepares for its Crisis and Measurement Summit in Miami later this month, we asked questions of three of its scheduled speakers.]
PRNEWS: Can you tell us something that communicators can do today, before a crisis, that will help them work better with legal during a crisis?
Chris Chiames
Chief Communications Officer
Carnival Cruise Line
I’m a proponent of practicing “crisis dress rehearsals” every day. To do this, you cultivate relationships with stakeholders daily, so that you have a reservoir of goodwill and credibility for when you need it. The legal team is an ally, client and stakeholder all rolled up into one. If you show an aptitude for respecting the nuances of the law and legal process, that will go a long way to building a mutual respect and a constructive working relationship.
Jon Goldberg
Chief Reputation Architect
Reputation Architects Inc
The most important thing is for legal and communications experts to start forming a relationship before there’s ever a crisis. Coming to the table for the first time once the battle already is underway creates an unnecessary additional layer of conflict at a point when there’s more than enough conflict to go around and precious little time to debate decisions.
Each side needs to understand how the other prioritizes and navigates a complex and evolving set of risks, and what success looks like through their lens. That clear, two-way understanding is essential to keeping legal and reputational risks in the proper balance and achieving the best outcome for the organization or mutual client.
Mary Owusu
Vice President/Director, Digital Strategy & Analytics
Mower
PRNEWS: What are a few of the most difficult issues communicators have with choosing the right metrics for their companies?
Measuring what happened and measuring what has been accomplished are not the same thing. It’s incumbent on PR and communications specialists to recognize the difference and push for better, more meaningful metrics.
PRNEWS: How can they overcome these hurdles?
Owusa: Overcoming these hurdles requires a blend of technology and people. Without the right technological tools, much of PR metrics tracking is impossible. But just as important as the technology is the need for conversation. Sitting down with your client or your team to lay out the expectations of the PR campaign before launching it is key. This is where misunderstandings get aired, goals and metrics are settled on and alignment and accountability are laid out and agreed upon.
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