Crisis Media Do’s and Don’ts
Paying for crisis media training is kind of like buying homeowners insurance. It’s critical that you have it, but you hate paying for it because the odds of something bad happening are pretty small. Yet, in the event the unforeseen becomes a reality, you must have it. Crisis training is similar. No business owner or leader expects to have a crisis, in fact, most operate on a day to day basis without any sort of training whatsoever. For the most part, this is seemingly a good way to go – until you have a crisis!
Over the course of the last several years, I’ve had a chance to provide crisis media training for Minnesota businesses and non-profit agencies. Comprehensive crisis media training makes good business sense, yet it can be an elaborate, expensive and last a couple days. However, here are a few crisis media ”Do’s and Don’ts” that you may want to tuck away in the back of your mind in the event some day you are confronted with an unexpected and unfortunate situation.
Do:
Be Polite: Understand that the media is doing its job and try to approach them with a helpful and positive approach.
Be honest and forthright: Honesty is the best policy. If media thinks you’re being deceitful and you have been, they will be relentless in finding the truth.
Follow up in a timely manner: Be conscientious of media deadlines
Consider the media your ally: Appeal to the media for help if necessary. They’re often useful in spreading information that can aid your cause.
Establish ground rules: Never hesitate to let the media, prior to speaking, what you will and will not be open to discuss. That said, realize that if the media’s sole purpose is to ask you what you will not discuss, you’re probably not ready to make a statement.
Be prepared for tough questions: If you’re company is in trouble and you have tough facts to face, be ready to answer those questions from the media, because it’s their job to ask the challenging questions.
Lock in on 3 key messages: Key messages are your “go-to” responses. You need only three solid go-to responses to fall back on, but be strategic with your use of them.
Treat the reporter as a friend: Don’t misunderstand, this is not about sucking up, but if you’re cordial and helpful a reporter may be more inclined to empathize with your situation rather than assume a suspicious position.
Say I don’t know, if you don’t know: But be sure you get the answer if you commit to getting it.
Use “layman’s” terminology: “Techie” language or acronyms that are proprietary to your business fall on deaf ears with media. At times, “inside baseball” language can be frustrating for media trying to get information.
Don’t:
Respond with “No Comment.” Forget what you’ve seen on television. When you say “no comment,” reporters assume the worst or suspect that you’re hiding information. There are dozens of ways to diffuse a question, but this is not one that you should ever use.
Go into an interview cold: If you’re addressing the media, be prepared.
Answer questions “off the record.”
Be afraid to discuss concerns you have about the behavior of a reporter with his or her boss. If you sense he or she is acting inappropriately or unethically, alert the reporter’s boss.
Divulge confidential information.
Speak on behalf of others, unless you’re asked to.
Speculate on hypothetical scenarios. There’s never a good reason to do this in a crisis situation.
Accept reporter’s facts and figures unless you know them to be accurate. You don’t know the reporter’s sources or how reliable the information is.
Allow reporters to put words in your mouth.
Lose your temper or walk away abruptly. Aside from becoming a laughingstock online, your bad behavior doesn’t make the media go away. They will come back again to get their story if they need the information. Or they’ll go somewhere else and perhaps get less reliable, or worse, inaccurate information.
If you don’t have a crisis plan in place, get one. Don’t wait until crisis hits your business. At bare minimum do the following today:
Identify a spokesperson (preferably not an owner or the highest ranking officer).
Create a phone tree that includes all parties that need to be contacted in the event of crisis and be sure you have updated cell numbers.
Have a contingency plan in the event the spokesperson is not available. Who’s next in line? Then whom? Then whom?
Lie. Ever.
Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media and crisis communications. Follow Ed on Twitter @erheil.
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