The document discusses issues, crises, and reputation in public relations. It addresses topics such as issue identification, crisis planning and management, and the role of media and lobby groups. While covering many aspects, the main topic is reputation - not only of an organization but of PR practitioners. It provides definitions of issues as important topics that can prevent effective operations, and crises as times of intense difficulty. Issues tend to be longer-term factors while crises are sudden events. The document also gives examples and discusses the PR role in managing outcomes during a crisis to lessen damage and protect reputation.
How I practice public relations. Mostly it's about listening. At the end of the day, PR is about People and Relationships. It's how you manage them that counts.
How I practice public relations. Mostly it's about listening. At the end of the day, PR is about People and Relationships. It's how you manage them that counts.
Effective Crisis CommunicationChapter 1 The Conceptual FoundatEvonCanales257
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 1 The Conceptual Foundation
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Importance of Crisis Communication Skills
No community, organization, public or private is immune from crises.
The need for understanding effective crisis communication has increased in demand.
Cyber attacks, public relations disasters, natural disasters, corporate, government, and private mistakes.
Because of the prevalence of crises, crisis communication skills are some of the most sought after.
Subsequent slides offer examples of crisis situations
Sports example requiring crisis communication skills
3
Business example requiring crisis communication skills
4
Government example requiring crisis communication skills
5
Political example requiring crisis communication skills
6
Natural disaster example requiring crisis communication skills
7
Defining Crisis Communication
Bad experiences are not crises
Hermann (1963) identified 3 characteristics
Surprise
Threat
Short Response Time
Traditional Definition of Crisis
Surprise
Even natural disasters such as flooding and fires do not count unless they come with an intensity that was unpredicted or beyond expectations of government officials.
Threat
Crises involve threats beyond the normal problems faced.
Can affect an organization’s financial security, customers, residents nearby, and others.
Short Response Time
Organizations must provide effective communication immediately after the initial crisis.
Difficult because in the immediate aftermath little is often known about the cause of the crisis.
Only a short window to take control and set the tone for response and recovery.
Expanding the definition of Crisis Communication
Unexpected – Could not have anticipated or planned for.
Nonroutine – Events that cannot be managed by normal procedures and often require unique or extreme measures.
Produces Uncertainty – Cannot be aware of all causes and effects and investigations and efforts to reduce uncertainty may have to continue for months or years.
Creates Opportunities – To learn, make strategic changes, grow, or develop new competitive advantages.
Threat to image, reputation, or high-priority goals – Can be intense enough to permanently damage or destroy the organization.
Types of Crises
Intentional
Terrorism
Sabotage
Workplace violence
Poor employee relationships
Poor risk management
Unethical leadership
Unintentional
Natural disasters
Disease outbreaks
Unforeseeable technical interactions
Product failure
Downturns in the economy
Types of Crises
Intentional
Terrorism
Sabotage
Workplace violence
Poor employee relationships
Poor risk management
Unethical leadership
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/10/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-systematic-failures-hans-dieter-potsch
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/chicago-cps-teachers-strik ...
Effective Crisis CommunicationChapter 5 – 10 Lessons on ManagiEvonCanales257
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 5 – 10 Lessons on Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Defining Uncertainty
Uncertainty – The inability to predict the future.
Lack of Information
Complexity of Information
Quality of Information
Crises create EPISTEMOLOGICAL and ONTOLOGICAL uncertainty.
Epistemological – Uncertainty from lack of knowledge.
Ontological – Uncertainty from a new future created by crisis – The future has little to no relationship with the past.
Lessons 1 - 3
Crises Can Start Quickly and Unexpectedly
Shouldn’t respond with routine solutions
The threat is perceptual
Lesson 4
Communicate Early and Often Regardless of Having Information or Not!
Because of uncertainty, accurate info is not there for stakeholders.
Effective strategies include making a list of potential questions.
What happened?
Who is responsible?
Why did it happen?
Who is affected?
What should we do?
Who can we trust?
What should we say?
How should we say it?
Lesson 5
Ethical Ambiguity During Crises
Organizations should not purposely heighten the ambiguity of a crisis to deceive or distract the public
Ambiguity is “an ongoing stream that supports several different interpretations at the same time”, Weick (1995)
Ethical when – uses unbiased data to inform and contribute to the complete understanding
Unethical when – using biased or incomplete information to deceive
Lesson 6
Be prepared to defend your interpretation of the evidence surrounding a crisis
Lesson 7
Without good intentions prior to a crisis, recovery is difficult or impossible
Questions of Evidence
Questions of Intent
Questions of Responsibility
Lesson 8
If you believe you are not responsible, you need to build a case for who is
Lesson 9
Organizations need to prepare through simulations and training
Crises thrust people into unfamiliar roles.
Crisis demands can bring structures to their knees.
Organizations should train and prepare for crises.
Lesson 10
Crises challenge the way organizations think about and conduct their business
Crises create “Cosmology Episodes” – disorienting experiences in which beliefs and sensemaking structures are hampered. Weick (1993)
They can change how we think about the world.
Organizations and Stakeholders need information to reduce uncertainty.
Organizations in crisis often stonewall
Stakeholders are left wondering if they will get information needed to protect themselves
Media speculates
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 1 The Conceptual Foundation
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Importance of Crisis Communication Skills
No community, organization, public or private is immune from crises.
The need for understanding effective crisis communication has increased in demand.
Cyb ...
In 17th century Europe all observable swans were white and by extension all swans were therefore assumed to be white. No non-white swan had ever been observed. In the 18th century, however, black swans were discovered in Western Australia and that discovery undermined the statistics of swans to that date. Previously, the “risk” of a Black Swan was essentially nil, but upon recognition that the improbable was not the same as the impossible the possibility of Black Swans became more likely.
What had changed that made Black Swans more probable? Simply put our perceptions were broadened. In this article we will look at large programs, what creates the possibility of Black Swans and what are some of the new risks we must pay attention to.
Possibility of Black Swans
Program Management is very much about meeting the challenges of scale and complexity. These challenges largely focus on the management of known knowns and known unknowns. But large programs by their very nature move into a new neighborhood where previously rare unknown unknowns are more prevalent. In effect large program risks grow in new non linear ways. What causes this growth? Simply put:
- Scale and complexity move you into a new neighborhood where black swans may be more common
- Scaling drives non linear and non correlated growth in risks
- Complexity masks existing risks
- Complexity creates new risks
So what are Black Swans?
My paper in this month\'s issue of PM World Today tries to provide some guidance for those responsible for large engineering & construction programs.
On September 11, 2007 Dan Keeney, APR was a general session speaker at Dam Safety '07, the annual conference of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. His session, "Dam Safety in the News" looked at the roles and responsibilities of subject matter experts in times of intense scrutiny.
Matt Tidwell-Crisis communications presentation to Nonprofit Connect-Kansas CityMatthew Tidwell
This was a presentation on crisis communications I made to Nonprofit Connect, an organization of major nonprofits in Kansas City as a request to be part of their expert's breakfast series. Visit Nonprofit Connect at http://www.npconnect.org/
CRISIS MANAGEMENT IS A TECHNIQUE OR A STRATEGY THAT HELPS AN ORGANIZATION TO ...ViscolKanady
CRISIS MANAGEMENT IS A TECHNIQUE OR A STRATEGY THAT HELPS AN ORGANIZATION TO DEAL WITH ANY SUDDEN, NEGATIVE OR UNPREDICTABLE EVENT. SUCH UNFORESEEN EVENTS ARE POTENTIAL RISKS FOR ANY COMPANY.
Effective Crisis CommunicationChapter 1 The Conceptual FoundatEvonCanales257
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 1 The Conceptual Foundation
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Importance of Crisis Communication Skills
No community, organization, public or private is immune from crises.
The need for understanding effective crisis communication has increased in demand.
Cyber attacks, public relations disasters, natural disasters, corporate, government, and private mistakes.
Because of the prevalence of crises, crisis communication skills are some of the most sought after.
Subsequent slides offer examples of crisis situations
Sports example requiring crisis communication skills
3
Business example requiring crisis communication skills
4
Government example requiring crisis communication skills
5
Political example requiring crisis communication skills
6
Natural disaster example requiring crisis communication skills
7
Defining Crisis Communication
Bad experiences are not crises
Hermann (1963) identified 3 characteristics
Surprise
Threat
Short Response Time
Traditional Definition of Crisis
Surprise
Even natural disasters such as flooding and fires do not count unless they come with an intensity that was unpredicted or beyond expectations of government officials.
Threat
Crises involve threats beyond the normal problems faced.
Can affect an organization’s financial security, customers, residents nearby, and others.
Short Response Time
Organizations must provide effective communication immediately after the initial crisis.
Difficult because in the immediate aftermath little is often known about the cause of the crisis.
Only a short window to take control and set the tone for response and recovery.
Expanding the definition of Crisis Communication
Unexpected – Could not have anticipated or planned for.
Nonroutine – Events that cannot be managed by normal procedures and often require unique or extreme measures.
Produces Uncertainty – Cannot be aware of all causes and effects and investigations and efforts to reduce uncertainty may have to continue for months or years.
Creates Opportunities – To learn, make strategic changes, grow, or develop new competitive advantages.
Threat to image, reputation, or high-priority goals – Can be intense enough to permanently damage or destroy the organization.
Types of Crises
Intentional
Terrorism
Sabotage
Workplace violence
Poor employee relationships
Poor risk management
Unethical leadership
Unintentional
Natural disasters
Disease outbreaks
Unforeseeable technical interactions
Product failure
Downturns in the economy
Types of Crises
Intentional
Terrorism
Sabotage
Workplace violence
Poor employee relationships
Poor risk management
Unethical leadership
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/10/volkswagen-emissions-scandal-systematic-failures-hans-dieter-potsch
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/chicago-cps-teachers-strik ...
Effective Crisis CommunicationChapter 5 – 10 Lessons on ManagiEvonCanales257
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 5 – 10 Lessons on Managing Crisis Uncertainty Effectively
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Defining Uncertainty
Uncertainty – The inability to predict the future.
Lack of Information
Complexity of Information
Quality of Information
Crises create EPISTEMOLOGICAL and ONTOLOGICAL uncertainty.
Epistemological – Uncertainty from lack of knowledge.
Ontological – Uncertainty from a new future created by crisis – The future has little to no relationship with the past.
Lessons 1 - 3
Crises Can Start Quickly and Unexpectedly
Shouldn’t respond with routine solutions
The threat is perceptual
Lesson 4
Communicate Early and Often Regardless of Having Information or Not!
Because of uncertainty, accurate info is not there for stakeholders.
Effective strategies include making a list of potential questions.
What happened?
Who is responsible?
Why did it happen?
Who is affected?
What should we do?
Who can we trust?
What should we say?
How should we say it?
Lesson 5
Ethical Ambiguity During Crises
Organizations should not purposely heighten the ambiguity of a crisis to deceive or distract the public
Ambiguity is “an ongoing stream that supports several different interpretations at the same time”, Weick (1995)
Ethical when – uses unbiased data to inform and contribute to the complete understanding
Unethical when – using biased or incomplete information to deceive
Lesson 6
Be prepared to defend your interpretation of the evidence surrounding a crisis
Lesson 7
Without good intentions prior to a crisis, recovery is difficult or impossible
Questions of Evidence
Questions of Intent
Questions of Responsibility
Lesson 8
If you believe you are not responsible, you need to build a case for who is
Lesson 9
Organizations need to prepare through simulations and training
Crises thrust people into unfamiliar roles.
Crisis demands can bring structures to their knees.
Organizations should train and prepare for crises.
Lesson 10
Crises challenge the way organizations think about and conduct their business
Crises create “Cosmology Episodes” – disorienting experiences in which beliefs and sensemaking structures are hampered. Weick (1993)
They can change how we think about the world.
Organizations and Stakeholders need information to reduce uncertainty.
Organizations in crisis often stonewall
Stakeholders are left wondering if they will get information needed to protect themselves
Media speculates
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 1 The Conceptual Foundation
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Importance of Crisis Communication Skills
No community, organization, public or private is immune from crises.
The need for understanding effective crisis communication has increased in demand.
Cyb ...
In 17th century Europe all observable swans were white and by extension all swans were therefore assumed to be white. No non-white swan had ever been observed. In the 18th century, however, black swans were discovered in Western Australia and that discovery undermined the statistics of swans to that date. Previously, the “risk” of a Black Swan was essentially nil, but upon recognition that the improbable was not the same as the impossible the possibility of Black Swans became more likely.
What had changed that made Black Swans more probable? Simply put our perceptions were broadened. In this article we will look at large programs, what creates the possibility of Black Swans and what are some of the new risks we must pay attention to.
Possibility of Black Swans
Program Management is very much about meeting the challenges of scale and complexity. These challenges largely focus on the management of known knowns and known unknowns. But large programs by their very nature move into a new neighborhood where previously rare unknown unknowns are more prevalent. In effect large program risks grow in new non linear ways. What causes this growth? Simply put:
- Scale and complexity move you into a new neighborhood where black swans may be more common
- Scaling drives non linear and non correlated growth in risks
- Complexity masks existing risks
- Complexity creates new risks
So what are Black Swans?
My paper in this month\'s issue of PM World Today tries to provide some guidance for those responsible for large engineering & construction programs.
On September 11, 2007 Dan Keeney, APR was a general session speaker at Dam Safety '07, the annual conference of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. His session, "Dam Safety in the News" looked at the roles and responsibilities of subject matter experts in times of intense scrutiny.
Matt Tidwell-Crisis communications presentation to Nonprofit Connect-Kansas CityMatthew Tidwell
This was a presentation on crisis communications I made to Nonprofit Connect, an organization of major nonprofits in Kansas City as a request to be part of their expert's breakfast series. Visit Nonprofit Connect at http://www.npconnect.org/
CRISIS MANAGEMENT IS A TECHNIQUE OR A STRATEGY THAT HELPS AN ORGANIZATION TO ...ViscolKanady
CRISIS MANAGEMENT IS A TECHNIQUE OR A STRATEGY THAT HELPS AN ORGANIZATION TO DEAL WITH ANY SUDDEN, NEGATIVE OR UNPREDICTABLE EVENT. SUCH UNFORESEEN EVENTS ARE POTENTIAL RISKS FOR ANY COMPANY.
Effective Crisis CommunicationChapter 3 Lessons on Effective CEvonCanales257
Effective Crisis Communication
Chapter 3 Lessons on Effective Crisis Communication
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., and Seeger, M. (2019). Effective crisis communication: Moving from crisis to opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Lesson 1 Determining your Goals
Often broad statements that help guide
Could be to reduce the impact of the crisis
Keep the organization’s image intact or maintain customers
Helps reduce uncertainty during crises
Linking to organizational values helps harmonize
Important to determine, rank, and identify potential obstacles to goals.
Lesson 2
Develop True, Equal Partnerships with Organizations and Groups that are important…
Partnerships defined “Equal communication relationships with groups or organizations that have an impact on an organization”
Established through honest and open dialogue
Partners may be advocates for or antagonists against
Effective partnering begins before crisis occurs.
Establish relationships with stakeholders before!
Lesson 3
Acknowledge your stakeholders as partners when managing crises
Stakeholders are external and internal groups that can have an impact.
Effective strategies include making a list of potential stakeholders.
Employees
Competitors
Creditors
Consumers
Government Agencies
Community
Activist Groups
Media
Lesson 4
Develop Strong, Positive Relationships with Primary and Secondary Stakeholders
Primary – Those most important to success and interact with most often.
Secondary – Key groups that do not play an active role but are still important to success.
Types
Positive – Both listen, understand, and communicate with each other
Negative – Antagonistic relationship, not open to listening or communicating
Ambivalent – No true partnership, each work with each other, but no one listens
Nonexistent – Organization is not aware of stakeholder and does not communicate
Lesson 4
Develop Strong, Positive Relationships with Primary and Secondary Stakeholders
Communicating with underrepresented groups
Culture-Neutral Approach: Everyone acts on and accesses CC information in similar manners.
Problem - Not everyone had a car to evacuate Hurricane Katrina
Culturally-Sensitive Approach: Messages should be tailored to the cultural characteristics of groups.
Person, Place, Time, Occasion, Literacy Level, and Message to name a few
Culturally-Centered Approach: Most appropriate – Includes underrepresented groups in the process.
Means partnerships must happen.
Lesson 5
Effective CC means listening to stakeholders
First mistake is to attempt to engineer consent through spin.
Get the information out, but then make time to listen to concerns.
Public Information Sessions
Q&A
Public meetings can become difficult.
Vocalized anger must be acknowledged and legitimized.
Once you have listened, then determine which audiences to focus on and how to address their concerns.
Lesson 6
Communicate early, Acknowledge uncertainty, Assure the public you will keep communicating
Communicate Early and Oft ...
Crisis management for non crisis managers Taha ABULAYNINTaha ABULAYNIN
Crisis management for non crisis managers
What is Crisis?
Crisis Characteristics
Crisis vs. incidents
Risk to Crisis
Crisis Typology
Crisis management
Operating During Crisis
Strategic management and crisis
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Read| The latest issue of The Challenger is here! We are thrilled to announce that our school paper has qualified for the NATIONAL SCHOOLS PRESS CONFERENCE (NSPC) 2024. Thank you for your unwavering support and trust. Dive into the stories that made us stand out!
2. Itʼs about ...
Issue identification Hostile acts
Issue evolution Business continuity
Business continuity Role of media
Crisis planning and Lobby groups & activists
management Ethics and CSR
Crisis communication Impact of new technology
Planning
... and REPUTATION
Friday, 7 January 2011
While this lecture is about all these things, in the end it boils down to one key topic ...
• REPUTATION
Not only an organisation’s reputation, but yours as a PR practitioner.
3. What’s an issue?
noun
an important topic or problem for debate or discussion
In PR terms:
Something that prevents an organisation from operating
effectively
Friday, 7 January 2011
4. What’s a crisis?
noun ( pl. -ses )
a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger : the
current economic crisis
Friday, 7 January 2011
5. In the PR context
Something of concern to “publics”
and/or stakeholders
Linked with reputation
Issues lead to ...
Crises lead to ...
Friday, 7 January 2011
6. Issues & crisis management (communication)
“…helps organisations properly manage
issues before they emerge or escalate
into critical problems.”
– edelman.com
Friday, 7 January 2011
7. or ...
“Issues management is really a form of risk management. It
reduces the risk of the organisation being worse off than it
would be if it hadn’t dealt properly with the issues.”
Strategic Public Relations – Harrison, 2008
Friday, 7 January 2011
Harrison offers a pretty sound definition of issues management.
• (see quote on slide)
• Or, as your reading says (Galloway, p2): “it’s about picking up the signals from the environment”.
8. Where does it come
from?
Age of risk
Corporate, govt. behaviour
Friday, 7 January 2011
Harrison alluded to the fact that risk is the parent of this discipline. As we’ll see, any risk to a company is an avenue for issues and crises to develop.
Many people believe we are living in an age of risk. This then prompts them to write about and agitate about all sorts of perceived problems, from he
environment to justice. If they feel even stronger they get involves in protests. These are issues.
Corporate and government behaviour is increasingly being scrutinised. No more so than in the past three to four months with the latest global economic
meltdown and recession. People are less trusting of those in positions of power.
As a consequence, organisations (business & govt) have to be more aware of the warning signs of discontent.
9. Differences
Issue:
• Starts as a factor
• Mid to long-term
Crisis:
• Event
• Happens quickly
Friday, 7 January 2011
• An issue is an external or internal factor, usually lasting over a mid-to-long timeframe, and usually involving an organisation within an industry, topic or situation. It can represent a serious
obstacle to achieving the organisationʼs objective and cause damage to not only its reputation, but its fundamental business, if not managed well.
• A crisis is an actual event or occurrence, usually of short timeframe, which puts a single organisation, and its methods of operation, under intense public and media scrutiny and which can,
if not handled properly, materially impact on the business.
In simplistic terms, it is often the case that an issue is an implied or potential event which can be proactively managed, while a crisis is an actual event or occurrence which requires a
reactive response.
How an organisation responds to an issue or crisis can often have more impact on public awareness than the event itself. Thatʼs why it is important to develop a plan for dealing with both
issues and crises.
The aim is to have strategies and tactics in place that will allow your organisation to always be perceived not only to be in control of the situation but also sensitive to the concerns of key
stakeholders and others with a legitimate interest in the matter.
10. #
#
An issue is (usually)…
# A crisis is (usually)…
#
An emergency or event that is unforeseen or seen as
Long-standing, slowly developing, or predictable,
only a remote possibility, that impacts on a single
that impacts on an industry or product category
organisation
Something that can be identified, monitored and Short-lived (although a crisis such as product
managed as it emerges tampering or extortion can last for several weeks)
Brought into the public arena (or at least fuelled) by Attracts significant - and sometimes hostile - media
protagonists or activists and reported on by media attention. In extreme cases, the crisis can be
‘championed’ by media
Friday, 7 January 2011
Summary of the differences between issues and crises
11. Examples
ISSUES CRISES
Accidents that kill, maim or injure people
Impact of new technologies e.g. genetically
e.g. industrial accidents, fire, explosions,
modified foods, stem cell research
plane/train crashes, food poisoning
Alleged side-effects of products e.g. food Environmental concerns e.g. discharge of
products that cause obesity or IT products waste, not meeting environmental
that emit radiation standards, OH&S practices leading to injury
or death
Industry-wide corporate practices e.g.
Organisational-specific corporate
director or management corporate
malpractice e.g. fraud, embezzlement, anti
remuneration
consumer practices
Friday, 7 January 2011
12. PRʼs role
Managing the outcomes
Lessening the damage
Guards reputation
Friday, 7 January 2011
Pr has three roles to play when it comes to crisis communication.
1. It manages the outcomes. Of course, “manages” is not an ideal word, insofar as crises are virtually impossible to manage.
Of course things such as the media can be “managed” in a sense, in that they can be kept up to date with information. But the
end result of their reporting can not be controlled.
2. The management takes the form of lessening the damage.
3. Guarding reputation is linked with how successful a crisis communications program is. Some orngistions in a crisis can
emerge with reputations often enhanced, despite the serious nature. For example, the September 11 attacks in the US. Fire 7
rescue authorites emerged with reputations enhanced, but intelligence agencies were criticised for not cooperating to prevent
the attacks.
13. Hereʼs the thing ...
Reputation Management
“A good image is a terrible thing to lose – 30
years of hard work can be destroyed in just 30
seconds.”
– Bill Patterson, Reputation Management Associates
Friday, 7 January 2011
all That said, reputation can be destroyed instantly.
14. Research commissioned by the airline shows the media reports
have seriously hurt Qantas’ reputation.“I have no doubt over
the last eight weeks given some of the (media) articles… we
have suffered brand damage.”
- Geoff Dixon, QANTAS GM
Friday, 7 January 2011
15. Reputation and
image
Image can be bought and is short term. It is largely
what an organisation says about itself.
Reputation is earned and built over the long term.
It is largely what others say about an organisation.
Friday, 7 January 2011
16. Environmental scanning
“... the whole setting in which the organisation operates”. (Galloway)
Friday, 7 January 2011
Understanding issues management will help you grasp how an organisation relates to the factors that surround
and effect it. In this context, “the environment means the whole setting in which the organisation
operates” (Galloway).
We’ll look at environmental scanning in more depth next week. Although this week we have copies of the local
paper, and will briefly look at some examples. But it is at the heart of all you will do in this unit, and in a PR issues
management role.
17. Holly and friends - Australia's first cloned calves
(Photo: The Institute of Reproduction and Development)
West Australian 23 Feb 2008
Friday, 7 January 2011
What Iʼd now like to do is provide some recent examples of news items which could be considered as “warning signs”. Some
are in their early stages, others developed into ongoing problems.
22. PRʼs role
• Engage and support management
• Plan for crises
• Identify and monitor issues (scan)
• Assess risk and probability
• Communication with stakeholders
• Manage the media
Friday, 7 January 2011
SO in summary, PR’s role is to ....
These are the things you’ll have to keep in mind as you work through your assignments.
23. Plan, donʼt pray
• Monitor the environment
• Prepare a crisis management plan
• Think and act strategically
• Form a crisis response team
• Never say never
• Know your stakeholders
Friday, 7 January 2011
The key strategies to work with in issues and crisis management are:
24. Your armoury
•Environmental scanning
•Vulnerability audits
•Media training
•Disaster response training
•Disaster recovery planning
•Stakeholder management planning
Friday, 7 January 2011
These are some of the tools of the trade in this highly-specialised discipline. We will be
looking at two in (red) specifically.
25. Read, listen, watch
Press TV
• The Australian, • ABC 7pm news
• The West • 7.30 Report
Australian
• Stateline
Radio
• Insiders
• Talkback, 6PR, Web
ABC 720
• Perth Now
Friday, 7 January 2011
From today onwards, I’d expect that you would be closely monitoring at least these media in
order to build a profile, or audit, of the issue you will follow.
26. Features of issues and crises
•Issues have lifecycles
Friday, 7 January 2011
27. $6b FREMANTLE
DEVELOPMENT
• Reclaim seabed
• Six islands
• 345 hectares
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28. Phases
HOT
Critical
EMERGING
FALLOUT
Public
LATENT Dormant
Potential
“Pre”
Potential Imminent Current Critical Oops, missed that one!
Friday, 7 January 2011
1. How issues develop and progress (Baskin and Aronoff)
Latent
We describe an issue as latent when it is in the process of being formed.
Emerging
An issue is emerging when
• it begins to appear in journals and specialty media
• it is adopted by a lobby or special interest group
• opinion leaders become aware.
Hot
A full-blown issue in current debate
Fallout
An issue in this mode is ready to be rekindled. Think of the remnants of a fire. Sparks can rekindle the original hot issue any time because the issue had high visibility; awareness of the
general public was high.
Botan (Blue)
29. Friday, 7 January 2011
Another two view of the stages of an issues. It just gets down to the wording. Any of these
models will suffice.
30. Friday, 7 January 2011
Examples of issues moving through lifecycles. Could these have been prevented from
becoming crises?
“If it hadnʼt been for those pesky kids!” Like the plot from an old Scooby Doo cartoon, GlaxoSmithKline has found itself in the middle of an unseemly PR disaster over its false and misleading
advertising claims concerning the Vitamin C content of its supposedly ʻhealthyʼ Ribena brand drink.
Who would have thought that one of the worldʼs most powerful drug and food companies could be undone by two 14-year old New Zealand high school pupils? But it was! The two kids
performed their own science tests to determine the sugar and Vit C content of Ribena, and found the content claims to be completely false. Contacting the company, the pupilsʼ letters and
emails were ignored then fobbed off by the powerful corporate. After securing some media interest, GSK has been investigated and found guilty of false and misleading advertising, marketing
and packaging, and now faces up to $3million in fines; also, the companyʼs new Ads donʼt mention any Vitamin C content!
31. Friday, 7 January 2011
Honesty in public relations is supposedly the cornerstone of the discipline – at least thatʼs what is taught at university. Clearly, while many PR people believe in this ideal, some companies
and CEOs do not.
The most recent case of corporate dishonesty in Australia involved GlaxoSmithKlineʼs Ribena blackcurrant juice, which was found (by two 14-year-old NZ students) not contain the vitamin C
the company claimed it did. The company then fobbed off the children, who had written to it. The company was fined $202,000 and forced to admit there were no noticeable quantities of
vitamin C in the drink, contrary to information on the cartons. It also admitted claims that blackcurrants contained four times the amount of vitamin C of oranges might mislead people about
the content of its undiluted Ribena product. Pretty damming stuff.
On 6 May the company launched an advertising campaign, fronted on TV by John Sayers (Managing Director of GSK Consumer Healthcare, Australia). Bad move, John. Nice try, though.
Consumers have been stung by this lie for too many years. How many parents have raised children thinking they were receiving a good dose of vitamins? A heavy does of advertising does
not address issues relating to credibility. Advertising is seen by an ever-sceptical audience as lacking credibility. After all, the company is paying for it. What is needed is a healthy does of
third-party endorsement from a reputable source, via PR. The trouble is, what reputable person (Iʼm thinking scientist, sportsperson, celebrity mum or dad) would touch this product with a
barge pole.
All Sayers could say in the ad was: “The testing method used to determine the level of Vitamin C was unreliable and we were unaware of this at the time.” Sure you didnʼt, John. If the method
was so unreliable, why did you put the wrong information on the packaging. Deception.
He continued: “We are sincerely sorry for any confusion caused." Oh thanks, John for letting us know we were “confused”. As if we were at fault.
Itʼs sanctimonious, badly-worded advertisement. They have treated consumers with contempt. Who would want Ribeena?
Iʼve got the solution to their dilemma. But Iʼm not about to offer free advice to this company. Iʼll save that for my students.
32. The issues
False product claims
Abuse of corporate power
Arrogant stakeholder relations
Inept PR response
Friday, 7 January 2011
As a quick case reader, the issues include (not in order);
• false product claims by GlaxoSmithKline
# •# abuse of corporate power
# •# infusing arrogance in stakeholder relations (with the kids)
# •# inept PR handling leading to adverse publicity
33. The outcomes
Consumers empowered
Rebranding
Reputation damaged
Stakeholders shaken
Fines
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OUTCOMES
# •# demonstration of consumer empowerment
# •# massive product rebranding and new communication campaign costs
# •# reputational damage
# •# dent in stakeholder confidence
# •# and $3mill financial penalty via the punitive fines
Other questions also needing answers;
# •# where was Glaxoʼs CSR and corporate leadership?
# •# Where was GSKʼs scientists and product teams in all this duplicity?
# •# Where were the food and drink marketing regulatory bodies before the school pupils got involved?
# •# What was the role of advertising and PR agencies in perpetuating the Ribena health myth?
34. Avoiding issues
Environmental scanning (or
monitoring) is now the fastest growing
category of public relations research.
REHAME, Media Monitors, Google,
Technorati
Friday, 7 January 2011
Anticipating issues issues can obviously help avoid some crises and, in turn, protect reputation. How do we do it? The answer is by “environmental
scanning”, which I mentioned earlier in this lecture, and in week 3, when you had to look at the role of Media Monitors.
35. What is it?
“The monitoring, evaluating and
disseminating of information to key
decision makers within an
organisation.”
(Public Relations: The Profession and the Practice.
Lattimore, Baskin., Heiman and Toth. 2007)
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36. Anticipating issues
“Environmental” scanning
Media
Blogs
Speeches
News forums
Customer service feedback
Employee feedback
Stakeholder satisfaction surveys
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37. What environments?
Social
what’s happening in society?
Political
Physical
the immediate and personal
space we live in
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38. Key to media monitoring
Don’t just scan for direct mentions
Look at trends, developments and what
your competitors are doing.
Examine PR problems and
opportunities
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39. Role of the PR practitioner
“Boundary spanner”
Devil’s advocate
Be honest
Friday, 7 January 2011
More than any other executive, the PR practitioner must be aware of what is going on, both inside and outside, and how each of the organisation’s functions
inter-relate.
I practice this is often hard to achieve. However, in practising PR, a young practitioner can often demonstrate the profession’s worth by making their employer
aware of trends, dynamics and possible outcomes.
• This puts the PR professional in the position of “boundary spanner” ... the analogy being that he or she is a link between all areas, audiences and influences
that effect an organisation.
• The role can often be sensitive and complex, and the PR person will often find themselves acting as devil’s advocate, arguing a case from both sides.
• In this capacity you will sometimes have to present scenarios that may offend a major public, so you’re going to have to be honest and brave enough to
provide advice management may not want to hear.
In this role, you move away from being a communicator, to what Newsom and Turk (2004) call an “interventor”. I liken it to being a broker. You provide
communications advice