EFFECTIVE PR AND COMMUNICATIONS IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT - 9 July 2019 K Bhavani (Ms) PR Consultant and Trainer
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
EFFECTIVE PR AND COMMUNICATIONS
IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT
9 July 2019
K Bhavani (Ms)
PR Consultant and Trainer
Content of Presentation
What is crisis?
Some case study examples of incidents highlighting lessons on
effective PR and communications
Importance of managing incidents beyond operations
How public opinions are formed on how well any incident was
managed (COPO - "Court of Public Opinion")
What are the essential components in effective PR and media
communications
Importance of senior management staff to be trained on crisis PR
and media management
Definition of a Crisis Any situation that is threatening or could threaten to harm people or property, seriously interrupt business, damage reputation and/or negatively impact the bottom line. Your relationship is tested in a crisis involving the organisation’s image or reputation. This is a time when professional ties is crucial.
Importance of Crisis Management Crises proliferating Internal and external factors Pervasive media environment 24/7 news channels social media digital media Better educated population Discerning and vocal Well connected Fake News
Response to a Major Incident General Objectives: The saving of life Prevent escalation of the disaster Relieve suffering Investigation of the incident Safeguard of the environment Protect property Restoration of normality
Two Case studies
Notre Dame Fire – April 2019
A major fire has Burning Questions
engulfed the What caused it -Was it
medieval cathedral an accident or arson?
of Notre-Dame in What was the damage?
Paris, one of – What happened to the
France's most structure and the
famous landmarks. artefacts?
Were the authorities
prepared for such an
eventuality?
Notre Dame Fire – April 2019
French judicial police
believe an electrical
short-circuit is most
likely what caused
the devastating fire that
blazed the historical
Notre Dame.
French authorities were
The 850-year-old Gothic building's quick to rule out arson
spire and roof have collapsed but
as the cause of the
the main structure, including the
two bell towers, has been saved, devastating blaze at the
officials say. Notre Dame Cathedral.
Notre Dame Fire – April 2019
Though fire crews initially said
they "may not be able to save
Notre Dame," they were able to
preserve the main
structure including the outer
walls and the two bell towers.
Lt.-Col. José Vaz de Matos, an
official who works on inspecting
France’s national monuments,
said, “a good number of
priceless collections were
saved and brought to safety.”
But large items, “some of which
have been affected by the fire,”
remained inside, he said.
Notre Dame Fire – April 2019
Artifacts and artwork in the
cathedral were saved by
Parisian fire services and the
city's deputy mayor for tourism
and sports, Jean-Francois
Martins. "We made a human
chain, with our friends from
the church ... to get, as quick
as possible, to get all the
relics," Martins told CBS News.
"Everything is safe and
undamaged, and in our really
bad day, we had one good
news.“
Additionally, three beehives
home to about 180,000 bees --
located beneath the rose
window also survived the fire.Notre Dame Fire – April 2019
That is not to say that Paris’
firefighters were unprepared for
potential calamity. Scores of
them drilled regularly for just
such an emergency at Notre-
Dame. That proved critical to
saving many of its treasures.
“We don’t act without planning,”
said Mr Gabriel Plus, a
spokesman for the Paris fire
brigade. “We know the
cathedral. So we know what to
do when something like that
happens, we know, for instance,
that we need to deploy boats on
the Seine really quickly to pump
large amounts of water.”LPG Facility Fire in Jurong The SCDF did an excellent job of managing the incident including the communications. But could the private companies involved in a crisis do more for their own communications? How would that be beneficial for them?
LPG Facility Fire in Jurong
Explosions were heard as a huge
fire broke out at a liquid petroleum
gas (LPG) bottling and distribution
facility in Jurong on Friday (21 June)
afternoon.
The blaze at 43 Jalan Buroh is
believed to have started at about
5.15pm.
Videos and photos uploaded onto
social media show thick black
smoke rising into the sky.
A massive fire in a Jurong industrial area An hour into the fire, the Singapore
raged for more than two hours and Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said on
triggered loud explosions on June 21, its Twitter account that it was still in
killing one and leaving two people injured. the midst of fighting the blaze.
“The fire is still raging and SCDF
has deployed jets to surround the
fire,” said the SCDF.LPG Facility Fire in Jurong
Colonel Anthony Toh,
commander of the 4th SCDF
Division, described the blaze as
“raging and intense” when
SCDF arrived.
“Our priority when we arrived
was to contain the fire and
prevent further spread, and to
protect the two long LPG bullet
tanks, each about 60 tonnes in
A massive fire in a Jurong industrial area size,” Col Toh said.
raged for more than two hours and triggered
loud explosions on June 21, killing one and When contacted, Union Energy
leaving two people injured. declined to comment .
Straits TimesLPG Facility Fire in Jurong
As Summit Gas Systems' parent
company, the executive director
of Union Energy Corporation,
Teo Hark Piang, said to Lianhe
Zaobao that more than 40
workers who were affected by
the fire returned to work as per
usual on Saturday.
Teo said that inspections will be
carried out again to ensure safe
workplace conditions.
He adds that he is deeply sorry
and saddened by this incident
but hopes that everyone can
emerge from the tragedy and
start afresh.Crisis Management and Communications
Objectives of Crisis Management End the crisis quickly Limit the damage Restore credibility Ensure quick return to normalcy
Effective PR and Communication Crisis communication is a dialogue between the organisation and its publics prior to, during and after the crisis. Effective PR and communication should include the strategies and tactics designed to minimise damage to the image and reputation of the organisation. Crisis communications plan should be part of the overall crisis management plan.
Crisis Communications -Objectives
PR Objectives in a Crisis:
To provide accurate and timely information to all
targeted internal and external audiences
To maintain a positive image of the organisation as
a good corporate or community citizen
To show that the organisation takes its
responsibilities seriously
To demonstrate concern for peopleHandling the media during a crisis
“ The first hours are of
critical importance.
You can define the
event and frame the
context in which it is
judged.”
Jane’s Crisis CommunicationsDealing with the media in a crisis Respond quickly Have a communication strategy Have good and credible spokespersons Be accessible to the media Convey your own bad news Be honest and accurate Limit to issues on fairness and accuracy
Role of the Spokesperson
Role of the Spokesperson Lends a human face to a faceless organisation Provides on-the-spot update Correct misconceptions and answer queries Gauge media / public mood and respond Coordinate and speak with one voice Provide room for maneuver
Spokesman
Characteristics
Credible
Knowledgeable
Well-trained
What impresses viewers most:
Body language – 55%
Voice – 38%
Words used – 7%
What should spokesperson and leaders do?
Be sympathetic when injury or harm occurs.
Be responsive to public opinion
Provide clear information on the situationGetting the message right Work on two or three key messages Key messages are more important than facts and figures Focus on the key messages ALL the time Convey your key messages through your actions (or inaction), your words and your body language Two types of messages Position Messages Instructional Messages
Why training in crisis
communications is important?
Building the confidence of the corporate leaders
in a crisis
Showing the presence of the corporate leaders
taking charge of their crisis
Taking control of the situation
Preparing to get the right messages across to
your audiences
Staying in control of the media agenda
Positioning the organisation as a responsible
corporate citizenFinal Points on Effective PR and Crisis Communications Speed of communication Transparency and honesty Accuracy Professionalism BE PREPARED
THANK YOU Email: bhavani@prtraining.sg
You can also read
