Presentation covers; • How to prepare you and your team to effectively manage a communication crisis • Help staff, board, and volunteers respond in a united and proficient way to a crisis • Tactics to best communicate critical and privileged information to the media, stakeholders, and the public • The importance of creating a crisis communication plan and how to start one if none exists • Starting points for evaluating your current crisis communication plan

1. Your Organization’s Reputation:
Improving It, Protecting It, and Controlling Factors Than Can Destroy It

2. “Reputation damage,
the top-ranked risk in
this year’s survey”

4.  Crisis breaks
 News media picks it up
 Story goes viral
 Updates to story

5. “We treat others as we would like to be treated
ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or
disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness,
callousness and arrogance don’t belong here.”

6.  Preparing for a crisis
 Creating a unified front
 Crafting crisis communication tactics
 Avoiding common pitfalls during a crisis
 Evaluating how well the plan worked after use

7.  Internal preparation
 Communications team
 Crisis assessment
 Predicting “holding statements”
 Defined communication channels

8.  Crisis communication
policy as part of staff
training
 Documents that
cover:
◦ Purpose of crisis
communication plan
◦ Policy
◦ Checklists
◦ Emergency phone/email/text
tree
◦ Assessment
◦ Notification flowchart
◦ Team members
◦ Pre-public planning
◦ Going public

12. Audience Issues
Health &
Safety
Trust Recovery
Plan
Unknowns
Public
Victims
Staff &
Volunteers
Media

13.  Executive director
 Communications director
 Board
 Staff and volunteers

14.  Fast
 Accurate
 Trustworthy
 Empathetic
 Respectful

15.  Morale
 Gaps get filled with wrong/bad information
 Talking points belong to everyone
 Decide on “inside” exclusives
 Keep internal and external messages close

16.  Clear and short answers
 Stay on offensive
 Respect “pushy” reporters
 Practice
 Expect the unexpected

17.  Acknowledge: “We understand that…”
 Bridging: “What’s most important is that…”
 Facts are facts: “We’ve served the community
for 50 years and will continue to serve
through…”
 Move forward: “While the investigation
continues, we’re encouraging everyone to…”

18. Crisis
communication
tactics

19.  “The police are still investigating the accident, and we will
share new updates as we have them available.”
 “This is what we have confirmed ______. More details may
emerge as the investigation continues.”
 “Our social service agency is committed to the safety of our
clients and staff, and we will cooperate with all authorities
during the investigation.”
 “Our hearts and minds are with those who have suffered a
terrible loss. We will continue to provide more details as the
investigation continues.”
 “We will supply additional information when it is available and
post it on our website and our social media channels.”

20.  Know nothing, say nothing
 Play the Lone Ranger
 Hate the messengers
 Live in a vacuum
 Forget the feelings
 No need to practice

21.  Contact lists (e.g. crisis team, media lists)
 Access to social media channels
 Non-crisis information
 Professional service providers

22.  Time to hit the “reset” button?
 Appreciation and gratitude contact lists
 Did systems work in “real time?”
 Media analysis: coverage and corrections
 Modifications to communication files

25.  Crisis communications = insurance
 Employment/volunteer agreements
 Train key crisis communications team
 Test during regular hours and off-hours

27.  Confirm that you have a plan
 Review resources listed
 Learn from others

28. Presenter
Tom Ciesielka
TC Public Relations
312-422-1333
www.tcpr.net