Uki

Crisis Public Relations:
How to deal with?
Universitas Kristen Indonesia,
November 16, 2011
Firsan Nova
PR Strategist,
Bostonprice Asia &
In-Line Performa Asia Consulting

Crisis
• Your rector wake up in the morning, read
news paper and news paper head line said
that someone killed/injured/broke the law in
University Area. What he/her can do?
– Act quickly and take punishment

Crisis Facts
• Corporate spokespersons beware: many Americans don't
believe everything you say in the heat of a crisis--even if
you are telling the truth.
• In fact, corporate spokespersons are perceived by the
public as the "least believable" sources of information
about corporate crises, a recent survey found.
• Most companies don't effectively communicate their side
of the story when a crisis strikes. Many Americans, the
survey found, are upset about how companies respond to
crises. (Porter/Novelli)
• Consumers have a keen memory of past crises and often
don't trust what they hear from companies about negative
events.“ (Bob Druckenmiller)

Crisis facts
The survey asked 1,000 people to recall recent crises and probed their feelings and reactions
on how companies and the media handled these situations.
• 75% respondents say companies refuse to take responsibility for crises.
• Only 19% feel companies are totally truthful in a crisis situation.
• More than half (57%) believe companies either withhold negative information, or worse
yet, lie.
• 95% said they are more offended about a company lying about a crisis than about the
actual crisis itself.
• 65% of respondents feel that declining to comment always implies guilt.
• The public finds journalists more trustworthy than business executives, but finds neither
to be believable. Only 23% trust journalists in a crisis; only 9% trust company executives.
• Corporate crises have a lasting impact on consumers and affect their intent to purchase a
company's products.
• The public is critical of the media's handling of corporate crises.
• Almost nine out of 10 (89%) Americans say the media blow crisis events out of proportion.
• When asked to describe how the media react to a crisis, 57% said "like vultures circling for
the kill;" 24% said "like a pack of wild dogs;" 16% said "as neutral observers reporting the
facts;" and 2% said "like cavalry to the rescue."
• TV is the most believable source of information, said 34% of the respondents. TV was
followed by newspapers (29%), magazines (22%), and radio (12%).

What is a crisis?
• Crisis is any event that jeopardizes or harms
your image, reputation, or financial stability.
• The key here is potential impact. How badly
can you or your institution be hurt?
• The more serious the potential harm, the
greater the crisis

The nature of Crisis
• Crisis is cost of life
• Most small businesses think that “Crisis ” is the
concern of only Fortune 500 companies, but a
crisis can strike any organizations at any time.
• If u think that your tiny business, out of public
eye, is invulnerable to a crisis, you’re wrong.
Smaller businesses, which often rely on one or
two key customer, can lose that business at the
drop of a hat. For this seasons, you should plan
for any possible crisis that could occur.

In business there are three main
types of crisis :
1. Financial crisis – short term liquidity or cash flow
problems; and long term bankruptcy problems.
2. Public relations crisis – More commonly called
“crisis communications”, negative publicity that
could adversely affect the success of the
company.
3. Strategic crisis – changes in the business
environment that call the viability of the
company into question.

Potential crisis situations
– Public health (for example, a cancer causing products
– Safety and security issues
– Financial and business issues
– Environmental issues
– Disasters (product tampering, service outages)
– Business practices and ethics
– Worker misconduct
– Legal issues Accident and disaster (driver accidents,
crashes, fires, building collapses)
– False advertising
– Customer complaints
– Out of stock products

1.Pre-Crisis Stage
2.Warning
3.Acute Crisis
4.Clean-Up
5.Post-Crisis
Crisis Life Cycles

The goals of crisis management
1. Terminate the crisis quickly
2. Limit the damage
3. Restore credibility

What we can do?
A PR’s guide
a

Crisis Rules for leader
#1 Your chief communications leader – the person
responsible for managing the chaos should it occur –
the president, agency head or nonprofit CEO must
have full confidence in your crisis abilities, and you
must have 24/7 direct access to the boss.
#2 As the chief media/PR/marketing team leader in
higher education, an independent school,
government agency, or nonprofit association, your
job is to build, strengthen, nurture, and protect the
institution’s image and reputation.
#3 In time of crisis, you have a moral obligation to
communicate quickly and effectively with key
audiences.

• A public is any group that has an actual or
potential interest in or impact on a company’s
ability to achieve its objectives
• Communication strategic begin on know your
public (stakeholder) and prepare your
communication method after then
• Every public is unique and require difference
communicartion method
Understanding the public

Considering the wide range of crisis situations that may
occur in an organization, there consequently needs
to be separate responses from different groups of
people. These groups are primarily:
1. The operational people, who are responsible for
keeping the disruption under control.
2. The top management people, who are responsible
for allocating resources and for making critical
decisions needed to resolve the situation.
3. The communications people, who are responsible for
making sure that those who need to know are
informed initially and are kept informed until the
crisis is resolved.
Who are responsible?

1. The corporation in crisis should be prompt, addressing
the public immediately following the discovery of the
crisis
2. The corporation in question should maintain honesty
because the public is more willing to forgive an honest
mistake than a calculated lie.
3. It is important to be informative because the media as
well as the public will create their own rumors if no
information given to them.
4. It is important to be concerned and show the public
you care, because people will be more forgiving if it is
clear that the corporation cares about the victims of
the crisis.
5. Maintain two-way relationship. Corporation can learn a
lot about the status of public opinion.
How to manage crisis properly

1. School can attack the accuser attempting to
eliminate the attacker’s credibility.
2. School can use denial claiming that no crisis exists.
3. The third response is justification where the school
claims no serious damage was done or that the
victim was at fault.
4. The school can use ingratiation to appease the
publics, such as giving away coupons.
5. School can use corrective action to right their
wrongs.
6. School can give a full apology asking for forgiveness
for their mistake
6 responses to crisis

• School spokes person job is to make sure that:
– The company responds promptly to unflattering
media report or controversies
– Gets its side of the story
• The basic tools communication officer include:
– News releases, news letter, press conference,
tours of plants & other company facilities, articles
in trade or professional journals, company
publication & brochures, TV & radio talk show
appearances by company personnel, special
events & the internet
The function of communication
officer?

When crisis hits, the organization must assess its communications
–particularly in evaluating media requests-- by answering the
following questions:
1. What do we gain by participating?
2. What are the risk?
3. Can we get our message across?
4. Is this audience worth it?
5. How will management react?
6. Is there a better way?

Growth of risk communication
• Models of risk communication have been developed based on
the position that “perception is reality”.
• Risk communication deals with a high level of emotion. Fear,
confusion, frustration, and anger are common feelings in
dealing with environmental issues
• Therefore, frequent and forceful communication is necessary
to inform, educate, and even dampen emotion.
• The first rule in responding to a perceived public risk is to take
the matter seriously.

The key communications in dealing
with a crisis (cont’d)
• In saying nothing, an organization leader is perceived as
already having made a decision.
• When most people –upward of 65% -hear the words “no
comment” they perceive the no commenter as guilty
• Silence anger the public and media and then compounds the
problem
• On the other hand, inexperienced spokespersons, speculating
nervously or using emotionally charged language, are even
worse
• Most public relations professional consider the cardinal rule
for communications during a crisis to be: TELL IT ALL AND TELL
IT FAST!
• As a general rule, when information gets out quickly, rumors
are stopped and nerves are calmed

A shorthand approach to communicating in crisis
would include the following 10 general principles
1. Speak first and often
2. Don’t speculate
3. Go off the record at your own peril
4. Stay with the facts
5. Be open, concerned, not defensive
6. Make your point and repeat it
7. Don’t war with the media
8. Establish yourself as the most authoritative source
9. Stay calm, be truthful and cooperative
10. Never lie

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