Jordan-Meier Communication/Media From the BP oil spill and the Egyptian revolution to the Haitian earthquake and the Australian floods, social media has proven its power to unite, coalesce, support, champion, and save lives. Presenting cutting-edge media communication solutions, The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management explains how to choose the appropriate language and media outlet to properly convey your message during and after a crisis. The Four Stages Highly Effective of Crisis Management Four The Unveiling the secrets of how to manage the media in a crisis, the book examines how rapidly evolving social media and Web 2.0 technologies have changed the crisis management landscape. It illustrates the four distinct stages of media reporting during a crisis and details the information that must be provided. The author provides readers with a wealth of helpful tips and tools—including guidelines, checklists, and case studies that illustrate best practices in crisis media management. Divided into five sections, the book: • Examines how the kingdom of news has changed and considers the new hybrid model that is emerging • Identifies the four distinct stages in which both old and new media report a crisis • Addresses the use of spokespeople according to the four stages, as well as when to use the chief executive officer • Discusses media interviews, including how to handle news conferences, bloggers, and the importance of media training • Considers the communication aspects of crisis management—including how to harness the power of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, Wikipedia, Flickr, and social media releases The book’s resource-rich appendices include a checklist for briefing a spokesperson, sample media release, a step-by-step flowchart for creating a crisis communication plan, and social media policy guidelines. Complete with a detailed guide on what tools to use and when to use them, this book provides the techniques and understanding required to communicate effectively and avoid any potential bad press and embarrassment that could result from information mismanagement. About the Author: Jane Jordan-Meier is a former journalist with more than 25 years of experience in the media and communication management. Working at the forefront of media training developing powerful methodologies in crisis media management, she has worked at the highest level in strategic planning and communication including the Australian bicentennial celebrations and the Sydney Olympic Games. Visit www.crisismanagementbook.com for more information. K12481 ISBN: 978-1-4398-5373-3 90000 www.crcpress.com 9 781439 853733 www.crcpress.com K12481 cvr mech.indd 1 2/15/11 3:09 PM The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age The Four Stages of Highly Effective Crisis Management How to Manage the Media in the Digital Age Jane Jordan-Meier CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business No claim to original U.S. Government works Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-1-4398-5374-0 (Ebook-PDF) This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit- ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright. com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC, a separate system of payment has been arranged. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the CRC Press Web site at http://www.crcpress.com This book is dedicated to my late parents, Joyce and Leigh Seccombe, wonderful country parents from the bush in North West NSW, Australia. Without my mother’s dedication, commitment to, and encouragement of my education, I’m not sure that this book would have been possible. Thanks Mum for the determination! My father’s steadfast belief that women could achieve anything in life was both inspirational and supportive—I took that belief and support to heart and followed my dreams. This book is also a by-product of those dreams and his love. Thanks Dad! © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC CONTENTS Preface xv Acknowledgments xix Author xxiii Section i Media, crisis, and new Reporting tools Overview 1 1 What Is a Crisis? 5 Unfolding Crisis 5 Crisis Is Triggered 6 A Crisis Stops the Show 8 Case in Point: Virginia Tech 9 2 The Role of Media in a Crisis 11 3 Social, Interactive, and Everywhere All the Time 15 Today’s News from Multiple Platforms 16 Old Media Play a Role in the Social Media Revolution: Social or Leave 16 Power to the People: The Rise of Hyperlocal News 19 Mainstream Media Are Still a Factor 20 4 Social Media’s Role in Crisis 23 5 Media Ethics: What Drives Traditional Media Behavior? 27 6 Twitter: Is It a Fad or the “8-Bazillion Pound Gorilla?” 31 Overview 31 Background 32 vii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Contents Pointless Babble: A Critic’s Take 34 Saving Lives, Saving Reputations 35 Breaking News: Twitter and the Media 37 The Power of 140 Characters 38 Rules of Engagement 39 Section I Summary 42 Section IIâ Stages of a crisis 7 Stage One—Fact-Finding Stage 47 Stage One Characteristics 50 8 Beware the ST Factor: Remember the Context 53 Remember the Context 56 9 Stage Two—The Unfolding Drama 59 Stage Two Characteristics 63 10 Stage Three—Finger-Pointing Stage = Blame Game 67 Stage Three Characteristics 69 11 Stage Four—Resolution and Fallout 75 Stage Four Characteristics 78 Section II Summary 80 Section IIIâ Spokespeople—Speed Matters and Perception is everything 12 Who? 85 Golden Rules 87 Communication Style 87 viii © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Contents 13 To CEO or Not? 91 To CEO or Not? 93 CEOs and Social Media 95 Spokespeople and Social Media 96 14 Head and Heart 99 15 Role of the Frontline 103 Guidelines Please! 105 Training Please! 106 Summary 107 16 Policy Guidelines for Social Media 109 Can You Facebook at Work? Policy First Defense against Risk 109 Guide—Don’t Stop—Social Media Use 111 Section III Summary 116 Section iV Media interviews—Rules of engagement in a crisis 17 Understanding Journalists’ Questions 121 18 Techniques to Get Your Message Across 125 Bridging Technique 126 When You Do Not Know the Answer 128 Getting behind the Question 129 Question the Questioner 130 Give-and-Take in an Interview 130 19 Dealing with Difficult Questions 133 Q = Hypothetical 133 Q = Loaded 134 ix © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Contents Q = Leading 135 Q = Either/Or 135 Q = Closed 136 Q = Multiple 136 Q = Guarantee 137 Q = Question from Hell 138 Handling Silence 138 Handling Interruptions 138 20 Never Repeat the Poison: Avoid Negative Language 141 21 How the New Media Are Changing the Rules for Interviews 143 Crowdsourcing 143 Limiting Direct Access to Mainstream Media 144 E-mail and Blogs 145 22 Lights, Camera, Action—The Interview 147 Before the Interview 147 Know Your Audience 147 Know Your Key Message 148 Practice Your Message 149 Know Your Media 149 Know Your Dress 149 During the Interview 149 After the Interview 154 Television Interviews 154 Dress for the Part 155 Face-to-Face Interviews 156 Animation and Gestures 156 Sound Good 157 Speak in Stand-Alone, Whole Sentences 157 Phone Interviews 157 Radio Interviews 159 Print Interviews 160 E-mail and Twitter Interviews 162 x © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Contents Dealing with Bloggers 163 News Conferences 166 Managing a News Conference 167 23 Media Training 171 Who Should Be Media Trained? 173 Stage One 173 Stage Two 174 Stage Three 176 Stage Four 176 Group or Individual Training? 177 How Often, How Much? 177 Section IV Summary 179 Section V communication—Rules and tools 24 Why Communicate in a Crisis? 183 Key Questions 185 25 What to Communicate? 187 Standby Statement 192 26 To Apologize or Not—The Role of the Apology in a Crisis 193 27 Language in a Crisis—Fall in Love with We: No Toxic Language, Please 197 Positive Language, Please! 198 28 How to Get Your Message Across 201 xi © 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Contents 29 Where? New Media Tools 203 Overview 203 Web Messages: Content Brutal and to the Point 206 Twitter 206 Media Relations 208 Protect Your Brand 209 Hash Tags (#) 209 Facebook 210 Facebook Dark Groups 212 Facebook: The Future 214 Univision: An Alternative to Facebook—Useful for the U.S.