The BESST Way to Prepare for the Worst © Zen Communications 2014

Today’s Presentation Brief Introduction to Zen What is Issues and Crisis Management? What Should You Do? Doing it Badly – and one Shining Star The Media View with Sarah-Jane Smith Any Questions… © Zen Communications 2014

Shropshire Consultancy | National Expertise Crisis and Issues Management © Zen Communications 2014

Glass, china and reputation are easily cracked and never well mended Benjamin Franklin © Zen Communications 2014

What is Issues and Crisis Management? The process by which an organisation deals with a major event that threatens to harm it, its stakeholders, or the general public: (a)a threat to the organisation (b)the element of surprise (c)a short decision time © Zen Communications 2014

What Should You Do to Prepare? Who is responsible for managing communications and media enquiries should the worst happen? Define roles and responsibilities How can they be contacted? 24/7 What disasters are possible in your organisation and what could they lead to? Make a comprehensive plan for every eventuality Who do you need to contact in an emergency? What about your customers? Pre-prepare statements and make sure you have agreement Train your Spokesperson plus a back-up Rehearse – regularly! © Zen Communications 2014

And What If The Worst Happened? 1.Be Clear 2.Be Consistent 3.Be Considered 4.Be Current and Timely 5.Be Concerned 6.Be Calm 7.Be Confident © Zen Communications 2014

And What About If The Worst Happened? Don’t deny Don’t make it about you – it’s not Address those impacted Select your platforms and stick to them Strike a professional emotionally-aware tone Treat the media as an ally Stay ahead of any controversy Act with complete competence Remember, a media vacuum will always be filled… © Zen Communications 2014

Badly Does It – BP Style 30 May Asked what he would tell people in Louisiana, where oil had begun to reach parts of the state's south- eastern marshes, Mr Hayward tells reporters: "We're sorry for the massive disruption it's caused their lives. There's no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back.“ The statement was particularly criticised given that eleven people died in the drilling platform explosion that caused the spill.tells reporters 18 May In an interview with Sky News, Mr Hayward says he is not overly concerned by the amount of oil that is flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. "I think the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest. It is impossible to say and we will mount, as part of the aftermath, a very detailed environmental assessment as we go forward. We're going to do that with some of the science institutions in the US. But everything we can see at the moment suggests that the overall environmental impact of this will be very, very modest."interview with Sky News 14 May In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Hayward insists the leaked oil and the dispersant that is being released into the sea to try to tackle the slick should be put in context. "The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume."interview with the Guardian © Zen Communications 2014

Hungry as a Horse… Seek out any dirty laundry and deal with it now, because if it’s still there when a crisis hits… © Zen Communications 2014

Missing Information - MH370 Poor handling and misinformation have created a credibility gap 1.First statement at 7.24am, five hours after loss of contact 2.Statements often inaccurate and followed by corrections 3.Families had to be forcibly removed from a press conference “It is known to all that inaccurate or at least incomplete information led the initial search to the South China Sea, and precious time was wasted” China’s State Press Agency Xinhua © Zen Communications 2014

And Well Handled – Virgin Galactic? Sir Richard Branson made it personal Shortly after the crash he tweeted that he was on his way to be with the team He was strong, clear and credible with the media He made himself available – as long and as often as was needed He was on message, always, and was upfront about what was known and what wasn’t: “We need to know exactly what happened to make absolutely certain it will never happen again” © Zen Communications 2014

The Media View Sarah-Jane Smith Ex Sun-journalist Editor of the Shropshire Star for 10 Years Now Publisher of Shropshire Business Today and Shrewsbury Today © Zen Communications 2014

Thank You, Any Questions? Felicity Wingrove Zen Communications © Zen Communications 2014