A Very Short Course in Crisis Management by Cindy Pollard When you are the news! A Very Short Course in Crisis Management by Cindy Pollard

Session Overview What is a crisis? What is your potential for having one? Surviving the media storm Six key steps in crisis management Effective communications Setting the Box Key takeaways

What is a crisis? Any issue, problem or disruption which triggers negative stakeholder reactions that can impact the organization’s reputation, business and financial strength --Institute for Crisis Management

2017 crisis categories Other: Catastrophe 1.01%; Casualty Accidents .14%; Financial Damage .14%; Hostile Takeover 1.64%; Labor Issues .14%; Sexual Harassment .48%

Most crisis-prone industries in 2017 Banking and financial services Technology Automotive Transportation Pharmaceuticals Food Health care Manufacturing Government agencies

Types of crises Smoldering (71.47%) Sudden (28.53%) Perceptual Bizarre

Evaluating a crisis for action Evaluate severity and potential for going public How much will this cost us if it goes public? How much management time and financial pain can we tolerate?

OK…So it really is a crisis! Synopsis If/When the crisis goes “public” Business impact specifics Crisis containment strategies Minimizing business damage Debriefing

Surviving the media storm… Six key steps in crisis management Communicate Know it will happen with little warning Don’t rely on the press Manage the right issue The media can help or hinder Don’t wait until you know everything…

Effective communications What you say! 7% How you say it! 93% It doesn’t matter what you say if you don’t say it right!

Set the message box Us on Us Them on Them Us on Them Them on Us

Key takeaways… Examine your vulnerabilities and develop strategies to address Learn from competitors’ or peers’ mistakes Build “goodwill bank” with stakeholders in advance Prepare for video on social media

Key takeaways cont’d… Invest in a crisis communication plan If you have a plan, update it this year and train your team

Thank you! Questions?