At the end of a recent major daylong conference for a large group of defense-industry crisis-communications managers, a very excited observer who was in charge of "first
operational response" within his corporation came up to me.
It seems he had an epiphany early in my presentation about the incredible value communications adds to the crisis-response process. On the one hand, most of us in
communications would say, "Well, duh." On the other hand, his reaction points up something we know all too well - how operations tends to minimize the value of communication until
everything is just about leaked, foamed, burned or blown away, and the victims are screaming or crying in front of the TV cameras.
Getting management's attention during crisis preparation requires talking about three major areas: things that don't work and cause problems; what they can expect that might
surprise them because it goes beyond their experience; and how to understand and know what to do next when these adverse situations occur.
The general strategy I recommend is a five-step process:
- First, stop the production of victims, i.e., put out the fire, stop the leak, and prevent further harm and damage.
- Second, manage the victim dimension. It's victims that make a crisis truly a crisis. Mismanagement, non-management, delayed management of victims or behaving like
victims when really the they are the perpetrators is what make those in important, powerful and well-respected companies look like idiots. - Third, communicate with employees. It comes as a shock to management that failure to communicate makes everyone a communicator. To wit, the less management says, the
more employees feel they have to speak. It's ironic when you consider that management's greatest excuse for not talking is that they "don't know very much right away." - Fourth, notify those directly affected - government agencies, neighbors, friends, business associates and allies, those who have a problem only because you have a
problem and they are associated with you in some way. - Fifth, respond to and deal with the self-appointed and self-anointed -- those who opt in on their own: competitors, the news media, critics and other uninvited
guests.
Failure to follow this process, taking the steps out of order or attempting to skip or defer steps will damage the effectiveness of any response process - operationally and in
terms of visibility.
Victim management is the main area where most crisis responses fail, causing the greatest opportunity for senior executive career-defining moments. This is an area management
schools avoid. It's simply too emotional and unscientific. The key processes of crisis-response planning and execution can be summed up in four crucial strategic words:
- Whereabouts: The ability to locate crucial decision makers 24/7. This process provides 85% of crisis-response readiness. A good contact list is one of the most
mission-critical documents or databases available when a crisis occurs. - Preauthorization: The goal of crisis planning is to identify those scenarios that present the worse threats. Work each one through to determine what questions will
have to be asked if such scenarios were to occur. Waiting for answers is what often turns a serious problem into a full-blown crisis and emergency. - Empathy: This is most difficult challenge for management and their legal advisors, because the overwhelming fear of blame and responsibility gets in the way. I
constantly tell clients that, if we get sued, we can hire more attorneys. Preventing litigation is a virtual impossibility. Manage the victims well, and you will reduce your
litigation exposure. Manage employees well, and you begin to control the grapevine and the confusing anonymous commentary. - Testing: Untested plans fail in most respects.
These are truly operational concerns and concepts. They will get management's attention.
Contact: James E. Lukaszewski just released "Crisis Communication Plan Components and Models," co-published with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). It is available
by calling the PRSA at 212.995.2230; on the Web at Amazon.com; and at http://www.rothstein.com/data/index.htm. Lukaszewski can be reached at 914.681.0000, [email protected].