1. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Crisis Communications Chapter 12 Public Relations: A Values-Driven Approach This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program. any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

2. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 A New “Day of Infamy” n Approximately 3,000 died in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. n That day should also be remembered for what went right. n Crisis plans played a critical role.

3. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 September 11, 2001 n The first job was to assess the human toll. n Letting key stakeholders know what was happening was another priority. n Even in the face of crises, life goes on.

4. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Crises Can Happen to Anyone n Just when you think: “it can’t happen here...” n...it does.

5. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 The Lessons of Dallas n Dallas police shouldn’t be faulted for the death of President Kennedy. n They should be blamed for the murder of JFK’s accused assassin. n Key lesson: The DPD forgot its mission during the crisis.

6. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Crisis Planning n Crisis planning has become an imperative for 21st century organizations. n Surveys: Many organizations are not adequately prepared.

7. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 “Problem” or “Crisis”? n Problems: commonplace; predictable; quickly resolved; and may go unnoticed. n Crises: less predictable; time- consuming; costly; and bring unwanted public attention.

8. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Crises Run the Risk of: n escalating in intensity. n falling under close scrutiny. n interfering with operations. n jeopardizing image. n damaging the bottom line.

9. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 A Crisis: n is a major event that has potentially negative results. n may significantly damage an organization and its employees, products, services, financial condition, and reputation.

10. The Warning Stage Warning Stage Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

11. Point of No Return Warning Stage Point of No Return Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

12. Cleanup Phase Warning Stage Point of No Return Cleanup Phase Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

13. Things Return to Normal... But Have We Learned Anything? Warning Stage Things Return to Normal Point of No Return Cleanup Phase Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

14. Crises Can Bring Opportunity n Heroes are born. n Change is accelerated. n Latent problems are fixed. n People can be changed. n New strategies evolve. n Early warning systems develop. n New competitive edges appear.

15. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Step One: Risk Assessment n Involves identification of threats. n Seeks to eliminate or minimize those threats. n Is where values play an important role. n Can be done by a consultant or a Crisis Planning Team.

16. The Crisis Plotting Grid Crisis Impact Value (CIV) Crisis Probability Factor (CPF) 0 10 0%100% High/High (red zone) Low/High (gray zone) High/Low (amber zone) Low/Low (green zone) Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003

17. Step Two: Developing The Plan 1Develop a precise definition of what constitutes a crisis. 2Develop a Crisis Management Team (CMT). 3Identify the stakeholders.

18. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Step Two: Developing The Plan 4Identify the Emergency Operations Center (EOC). 5Identify the Media Information Center (MIC). 6Train employees.

19. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Step Three: Response n This is the stage in which the crisis plan is executed. n Like any other plan, a crisis communications plan must be flexible.

20. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Step Four: Recovery n Were our actions consistent with our values? n What aspects of the crisis did we anticipate? n What aspects of the crisis did we fail to anticipate? n How well did our employees perform?

21. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Step Four: Recovery n What are the lingering effects of the crisis? n Have stakeholders’ views of us changed? n What actions should we take next?

22. Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2003 Crisis Planning Ethics n Organizations have an ethical responsibility to plan for the worst. n Solving the crisis isn’t enough—organizations must communicate with important publics during crises.