Findings about crisis communication gathered together at an EACD workshop in Bulgaria, February 2015

1. Crisis Communications
BG Workshop

2.  Management personae (personal issues, mistakes
made, separation from the company)
 Industrial accident, incl. IT system damages (caused by
technical malfunction, people mistake or both)
 Third-party malicious actions (unethical competition,
hackers’ attack, robbery, “putting on a show”…)
 Customer’s or partner’s dissatisfaction
 From the environment (natural, socio-political incl.
protests)
 M&A

3. crisis
Media
Institutions
Employees
Political
powers
Public
attention
distraction
Accident
Syndicates
Lobbies
Competitors
NGO

4. Crisis
inf.
Media
Institutions
Employees
Partners
Society
Syndicates
Customers
NGO (incl. industry
organizations)

5. The crisis prevention plans are usually industry specific
but all of them include:
- Definition (it is a communication crisis if it has or
could have an impact over the reputation).
- The crisis could be classified according to the impact
expected (emphasis on loss of life): small, middle or
big (additional classifications exist for example A, B, C,
D-crisis)
- The teams involved and the positions to be informed
- Core point: Action scenarios depending on the type of
crisis
- Information flows and whistle-blowing should be part
of the prevention, too

6. Small Medium Big
 PR/Communicati
ons manager
(incl. Internal
communications)
 Manager in
charge for the
field of operation
where crisis
occurs
 IT
 Legal +
Compliance
 PR/Communications
manager (incl. Internal
communications)
 Manager in charge for
the field of operation
where crisis occurs
 Middle Management
 IT
 Legal + Compliance
 Employees
representative
 PR/Communications
manager (incl. Internal
communications)
 Production director /
operational manager
 C-Management (incl.
Speaker)
 IT
 Legal + Compliance
 Employees representative
 Risk manager
Positions marked in black are in charge of the
coordination and team leadership

7. Point of crisis: whistle-blow system
(procedure for early recognition of
issues and information forwarding)
Crisis team (constant
information sharing and
coordination)
Information about the crisis must be
given to:
- GM/CEO/C-Management Board
- Risk management if not involved
- Mother company
- Institutions (depending on the
crisis)

8. It is not always that we can foresee all possible threats to
our organization but the reactions in situations that are
not included in our crisis plan are often based on the
planned ones:
- Definition: if reputation risk exists or there is a need of
statement we should treat the situation as crisis or
issue
- Crisis team is gathered depending on the expected
impact
- When possible: templates of statements are used,
ready-to-use actions are implemented
- Involvement of media and involvement of external
partners

9.  Schedule for public statements and interviews (internal
and external audiences)
 External consultant in specific situations (for example
with expertise for social media)
 Q&A for the management
 Prevention and training, regular revision and re-
briefing regarding the issue management procedures
within the organization
 Involvement of external partners
 Reputation management before any crisis occurs
 Development of healthy media environment and
support of the journalists’ expertise improvement