Podesta Group

We advise virtually all of our clients to think ahead when it comes to communications planning: clarify priorities, identify and understand key audiences, develop messages and train messengers, and always prepare for the worst.

A communications crisis can strike any industry, company or individual at any time, especially in Washington, DC. Heightened partisanship, the 24-7 news cycle, and the proliferation of social media have increased the number and intensity of politically-driven, publicly-facing controversies. And the dearth of substantive legislative activity often means high-profile, even breathless, oversight and investigative work is left to fill the vacuum on Capitol Hill.

Wayne Gretzky said his key to success was that while others were skating to where the puck was, he skated to where the puck was going to be. The same holds true for crisis communications. You need to think of your organization’s communications plan as a fundamental element of its overall strategy – a vital, living document that is driven by an organization’s goals and vision and values and beliefs, and also includes consideration and anticipation of the (political, economic, cultural) factors that are often beyond your control.

Today’s news cycle moves at warp speed. Will you be able to keep up with it should the uninvited glare of media or government investigators shine down on you? Here are some tips to help make sure you can:

•    Plan Ahead. Develop a crisis communications plan now, and in doing so, assume the worst.  Scrutiny – of corporations, individuals, entire industries – has never been more intense. So don’t hesitate to predict the predictable: what might happen to your organization? Who needs to be involved in the response if and when that happens? Who are your most important audiences? What will your message be?  What information and data do you have to back that message up? Whatever the crisis, you’ll want and need to lean heavily on your underlying key messages throughout it. Begin forming and communicating them now.

•    Own the crisis. Nothing is more important than moving fast; that’s why advance planning is essential. Distortions will become reality if you fail to control the message, which means decision-makers and spokespeople need to be identified and trained in advance. As coverage and commentary on your crisis spread, you’ll need to monitor it around the clock. Update your audiences regularly. Set expectations on communications updates. Swiftly and forcefully respond to erroneous information.

•    Tell the Truth. Be transparent and accurate. Investigative journalists and staff are bloodhounds for evasiveness or half-truths; if you feed that, you will forever be on the defensive. If an apology is necessary, offer one, clearly and unequivocally. The key to accountability that will engender sympathy is proactive leadership. Admit your mistakes before it appears you’ve been forced to do so. Explain the concrete steps you are taking to make things right and prevent similar missteps in the future. Set timelines and announce progress.

•    Speak in plain English – in other words, like a human being.  Don’t let the head get in the way of the heart. Avoid jargon and legalese. Don’t let the lawyers (I know, I’m a recovering one) lead the messaging. There’s no substitute for clear, concise acknowledgment of any unrest or pain you have caused. Simplicity equals authenticity.

•    New media isn’t new anymore. It’s a requirement, and may in fact be the root cause of the crisis you are facing. Even before the rise of digital media, effective media relations was not simply blasting out a press release and praying it got picked up. Remember that while information travels quickly online, it can be difficult to be compelling or convincing in this medium, so consider more personally appealing formats, such as video. Words alone won’t do the trick. As you do your advance work and craft your overall communications plan, know that most organizations still lack a coherent approach to communicating online. Fix that.
 
•    Understand what media relations is – and is not. Try to think like a reporter, or a congressional investigator (where you find one, you’ll likely find the other). What’s driving their interest? What perspectives or context do they bring to that interest that might help or hurt your message? Ideally you won’t be introducing yourselves to the reporters that matter after the crisis strikes. Make continuous communication with them (via phone, email, coffee) an ongoing part of your communications plan – that way, your organization’s key messages won’t be first introduced under an unflattering glare. And don’t pick fights. You won’t be able to control everything, so don’t sweat the small stuff and don’t make a bad situation worse by antagonizing those you need to positively inform and influence.