This is a presentation I gave for the Institute of Risk Management entitled "Protecting your Reputation in a Crisis"

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The Institute of Risk Management
Protecting your reputation in a crisis
22nd September 2014
Ann Wright, Rough House Media
www.roughhousemedia.co.uk

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“A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired,
but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot
where the crack was.”
Joseph Hall
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes
to ruin it.”
Warren Buffet

4. Does your company have a crisis communications plan?
KRisk.co
Question 1:
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t know

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Factors to consider:
o How valuable your reputation is to your business
o What would you do if criticism about you went viral
o Whether you could cope if you were besieged by the media
o How your chief executive would handle an aggressive interviewer
o When your company last assessed how it manages crisis communications

6. Remember these?

7. Mistakes Acts of God Staff sickness Angry employee
KRisk.co
Problems which might affect your reputation

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The impact of a damaged reputation
o Poor sales
o Diminished influence
o Job losses
o Ridicule
o Failure & Closure

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How a crisis escalates
o Word of mouth
o Newspapers, TV, radio (the media)
o Online & social media

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Be media savvy
1. Hungry for information
2. Instantaneous
3. Publishes speculation
4. Likes “victims”
5. Looks for new angles

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In a crisis:
1. Establish the facts
2. Know your key audiences & what they need to hear
3. Use different communications channels
4. Deliver key messages
5. Communicate frequently
6. CAC – Care, Action, Context

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Successful companies

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Successful companies
Identify
what
might go
wrong in
advance
Have
procedures
to contain
difficult
situations
Have
prepared
key
messages
Have
trained
personnel
to handle
the media

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Successful companies

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Stage one:
Crisis communications strategy
1. Audit existing emergency & crisis communications procedures
2. Brainstorm the issues specific to your business
3. Group risks into key categories
4. Prioritise the most damaging
5. Create communications action plans for these

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Crisis communications strategy Stage two:
1. Establish a chain of control
2. Create clear procedures & areas of responsibility
3. Refine current media and social media policies
4. Develop a communications manual for all staff

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Crisis communications strategy Stage three:
1. Devise your key messages & holding statements
2. Discover how to handle the demands of the media
3. Undergo rigorous practice interviews

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Essentials
1. A clear chain of command
2. Clear areas of responsibility
3. Clear lines of communication
4. Readily accessible contact details
5. Access to additional phone lines & PR support

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Question 2:
Does your company have a social media policy?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t know

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The impact of social media
o Free
o Open access
o Instantaneous
o Forum for complaints
o Impossible to control – bad news goes viral

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Breaking news
o Citizen journalists
o News often breaks first on Twitter
o Journalists on Twitter
o Journalists and news outlets post
on Twitter
o Journalists monitor social media

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The benefits of social media in a crisis
o Vital communications channel
o Conveys information widely
o Immediate
o Under your control

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Using social media in a crisis
Monitor &
respond
Update
regularly
Stay
constructive
and factual
Quash
speculation
Co-ordinate
website &
social media
Be accurate
& approved

24. Saving your reputation: Greggs 1

25. Saving your reputation: Greggs 2

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Smart companies
o Have a robust crisis communications policy
o Have an integrated social media policy
o Prepare key messages in advance
o Monitor what is being said about you
o React quickly, factually, pro-actively & frequently
o Have trained key spokespeople in advance

27. 020 8332 6200
info@roughhouse.co.uk
roughhousemedia.co.uk
KRisk.co
Rough House Media
Training
Media training
Crisis communications
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The Institute of Risk Management next 2 Day Course on:
Course Title
Will take place on Dates in xxx
Trainer details / company
Please email the IRM Learning Team on training@theirm.org for further information
Thank you