Coping with a Crisis

Coping with a Crisis

Prepared for OC/RIMS

May 17, 2011

Top 10 Crisis Communications Readiness Questions

  1. When was the last time you updated your company's media policy? Does everyone in your organization know how to handle unexpected reporter visits or calls?
  2. Do you have a crisis communication team in place? Have you appointed primary and back-up team members including chief strategist, team leader, spokesperson(s), risk management, legal and media liaison?
  3. Do you have a crisis communications plan to anticipate issues that may escalate into crises, identify communications vulnerabilities and develop new procedures to manage traditional and citizen journalist interest?
  4. Has your primary spokesperson taken crisis media training to handle difficult interviews and videotaped messages with confidence? Have you enrolled other potential spokespersons in crisis media training?
  5. Have you provided media protocol training to key management at your different locations so they are prepared to serve as immediate, on-the-ground media liaisons?
  6. Do you actively monitor industry and watchdog websites and blogs to anticipate potential issues that could affect you?
  7. Do you actively monitor responses posted on your social media sites to identify and help resolve problems before they escalate?
  8. Do you maintain an external stakeholder contact list to ensure key clients/customers, vendors and others hear the news from you before they see it online?
  9. Have you created the architecture for a 'dark' crisis web page to enable you to immediately post information for customers, the public and the media?
  10. Have you identified an internal or external public relations expert to field all media calls in the first critical hours of a crisis?

About the Presenter

Since founding Gladstone International in 1989, Joan Gladstone, APR, Fellow PRSA has managed national media relations and stakeholder communications related to labor strikes, foreign-object-in-food crises, environmental issues, landslides, political protests, regulatory agency investigations, property rights lawsuits, executive transitions and more. The firm’s services include crisis communications plan development, 24/7 counseling and on-camera media training. Please visit for more information.

Media Questions in a Crisis

Reporters and bloggers will ask you the following six questions. Know that in the first critical hours of a crisis, you may not have all the answers. Provide the information you do have at the outset, and then provide frequent updates until the crisis is resolved.

  1. WHAT happened?
  2. WHEN did you find out?
  3. WHO was responsible?
  4. WHERE did it happen?
  5. WHY you chose the particular course of action?
  6. HOW will you resolve the situation?

12 Tips for Managing Media Interviews

  1. If the interview is by phone, remove all distractions so you can focus 100% on the interview. Shut your door, turn away from your computer screen and clear your desk of all papers EXCEPT for the Q&A and supporting information.
  2. With telephone interviews, jot down the reporter’s questions to help you focus on what they are asking and how to respond.
  3. If the interview is on TV, look at the reporter, not the camera. The reverse is true if you plan to post a video on your website or YouTube.
  4. Keep your key messages brief and top of mind. Repeat them throughout the interview. By consistently delivering one to three important messages you will help ensure this information is used in the story.
  5. If a reporter asks, “Why do you think this happened?” decline to speculate. Do not comment about what or who caused the crisis until you are certain of the facts. Let reporters know that you will contact them as soon as you have the facts.
  6. Express compassion if the situation affects employee or customer health and safety. Put the public first, not your operations.
  7. Take the time to pause and think before answering questions. Remember everything you say could be used in the story. It is very difficult, if not impossible to retract “off the cuff” comments.
  8. Never say anything “off the record.” Never say “no comment.”
  9. Control your emotions. Stay calm if a reporter appears angry or hostile. If the reporter persists, extricate yourself by saying, “I need to attend to the situation" and offer to continue the interview at another time.
  10. Don’t feel obligated to answer every question on the spot. If you don’t know the answer, say so. Then say you will try to get back to them with the answer as soon as you can.
  11. Elaborate when asked positive questions. “Yes, that’s correct, and what’s more…”
  12. Provide brief answers to negative questions. Set the record straight when the reporter has his or her facts wrong. Say, “No, that is not correct. Let me explain.”

Joan Gladstone, APR, Fellow PRSA

C: 949-633-9900

1278 Glenneyre Street, Suite 140

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

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