Just about everything that famously goes wrong is now called a 'PR disaster'. What can we do to deal with this new form of digital PR disruption? This presentation was delivered in Canada but includes global cases and international insights.

1. PR disasters!
Is social media the problem
…or the solution?
2017.10.18 Presentation for the Albany Club of Toronto

2. Signal Leadership Communication Inc.
§ A new social public relations consultancy firm for
leaders with images to create, issues to manage,
relationships to build, and reputations to protect
§ A PR firm providing communications counsel for c-
level executives that is both strategic and social
§ Serving clients in Asia, Europe and North America
§ Partnered with Nanos Research Group
§ Founded in 2016, now growing fast

3. Social media seen as most damaging
A large majority believe that social media has the capacity to do
the greatest damage to an individual or organization’s image.
84% 71% 71%
Social Media Online News
Broadcast
Television
52% 48%
Print
Newspapers
Radio
Nanos Research, RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, March 31st to April 4th
2016, n=1000, accurate to 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.

4. Social media negative impact on news
Nearly seven out of ten Canadians think social media platforms like Twitter and
Facebook are negatively affecting the news. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Canadians
think social media platforms have a negative (33%) or somewhat negative (35%) impact
on the news. Eighteen percent (18%) believe the impact is positive (4%) or somewhat
positive (14%), while 11% view the impact as neutral – and 3% are unsure.
68%
Negative or Somewhat
Negative Impact
Neutral Unsure
18% 11% 3%
How are social media platforms affecting the news?
Nanos Research, RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, January 28th to February
1st, 2017, n=1000, accurate to 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
Positive or Somewhat
Positive Impact

5. Social media seen driving PR disasters
More than half of Canadians (54%) say that social media is a major contributor to PR disasters
for companies. Roughly a third of (35%) feel that social media is a minor contributor and five
percent (5%) say that social media is not a contributor to PR disasters. Six percent are unsure.
Would you say that social media like Twitter and Facebook are major contributors,
minor contributors or not contributors to public relations disasters for companies?
Nanos Research, RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, May 24th to 25th 2017,
n=1000, accurate to 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
5435
5 6
Major contributor
Minor contributor
Not contributor
Unsure

6. Social media is making PR more key
When asked about the importance of PR today compared to 10 years ago, more than three-
quarters (76%) feel that PR is more important, 16 percent (16%) say that it is as important
while five percent (5%) say it is less important and three percent (3%) are unsure.
Do you think that with the rise of social media, public relations, also known as PR, is becoming
more important, less important or as important for organizations today compared to 10 years ago?
Nanos Research, RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, May 24th to 25th 2017,
n=1000, accurate to 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
76
16
5 3 More important
As important
Less important
Unsure

7. Best way to respond in a PR disaster
Just over seven in ten (70%) say that the best way for a troubled organization to respond is
to “acknowledge the problem and communicate on social media.” Twenty-three percent
(23%) say organizations should “acknowledge the problem but not communicate on social
media.” Two percent (2%) said they should “communicate nothing” and five percent (5%) are
unsure.
When an organization has a PR disaster on social media like Twitter or Facebook,
what would you say is the best way for the troubled organization to respond?
Nanos Research, RDD dual frame hybrid telephone and online random survey, May 24th to 25th 2017,
n=1000, accurate to 3.1 percentage points plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.
70
23
2 5 Acknowledge and communicate
Acknowledge but don't communicate
Communicate nothing
Unsure

8. The importance of
communications skills for
leaders continues to increase

10. Social media is now the most
critical communications
platform

12. Alas, many leaders are
struggling with social media

14. Risk-averse bosses are
afraid of making big
social media mistakes

16. That’s a problem, because
when something goes
wrong (and it always
does), all eyes go online
looking for the leader

19. The absence of leaders creates
an information vacuum that is
filled by critics and naysayers

22. Just about everything that
goes wrong in a famous way
is now called a ‘PR disaster’

24. Meanwhile, inside many
companies, digital has been
taken over by marketers who
see social as a way to sell
stuff, not build relationships

26. Companies are now
expected to communicate
like real people, not like
machines or things

28. The leader is the ultimate
personification of the brand

31. For leaders, social media
should be about relationships,
custom connectivity and
listening with real people

33. Tuning into people’s emotions,
channeling their ideas, sensing
their sentiments, rallying them
to shared purposes

34. Communication that prevents PR disaster

36. “Providing information as we get it”

37. “This is my worse nightmare”

38. If they fail to ‘feel,’ leaders
will magnify mistakes
when inevitable crisis
situations occur…

39. Communication that causes PR disaster

40. …causing one PR disaster
after another!

41. Next-gen leaders will be social CEOs

42. The six dimensions
of social-media-literate leadership
McKinsey Quarterly (2013)

43. Social leadership comms keys
Personal
§ speaks to the experience of the
communicator, aligns it to target audience
sensibility
Polite
§ never hurts feelings of others on purpose
Direct
§ cuts to the chase and transmits ‘signal’
Clear
§ there should be no doubt about the message
Timely
§ ‘now’ is more narrow and fleeting than ever
Careful
§ consider the angles and audiences
beforehand
Compelling
§ persuasive and leading
Framed
§ well in advance, there should be a deliberate
decision to share within specific content
spheres and personality attributes
Image conscious
§ but not vain
Other oriented
§ not ‘me’ and ‘I’ but ‘we’ and ‘us’

44. Social leadership comms keys
Visual
§ 80% of our 100 billion neurons are for visual processing (University of Rochester 2004)
Fluent
§ free-flowing, smooth, seemingly effortless, easy, natural, fluid
Imperfect
§ perfection = too slick = not credible
Inspiring
§ Communication designed to strike a chord, lay down a pattern, show the way
Complementary
§ Leadership communication should build on and not replace the corporate PR of the
company – the two streams should be in concert and well coordinated

46. Thank you !
@bobpickard
@niknanos
2017.10.18 Presentation for the Albany Club of Toronto