Dealing effectively with a crisis – Phil Hall presentation

In these turbulent times, there’s a potential crisis lurking round every corner. Whether it’s the threatened break up of the Euro, this summer’s London riots, the implosion of the News of the World, BP’s problems in the Gulf of Mexico, Toyota’s recalls or Thomas Cook struggling to meet its financial commitments, the unexpected way in which events unfold means there’s no excuse for failing to have a robust crisis communications plan in place.

Leading PR practitioner Phil Hall, a former editor of The News of the World, gave a very interesting presentation on this subject at the CIPR Northern Conference. In it, he discussed different kinds of crisis – and how best to minimise the chaos they unleash. Perhaps not surprisingly given his background, Hall’s starting point was to underscore the role of the media. The media, he warned, “can impact everything”. Whether you look at share price, brand values, sales, staff morale, personal profile or private life, the media has the power to put a positive or negative interpretation on events. In his talk he identified four key crisis scenarios:

  • Pre-warned and avoidable (for example a celebrity expose)
  • Pre-warned investigation (eg a TV expose on a chicken factory)
  • Pre-warned but unavoidable (Lord Browne’s resignation from BP)
  • No Warning (oil depot explosion at Buncefield)

Hall has successfully handled briefs in all of the above scenarios- and the following was his advice to individuals and organisations which find themselves embroiled in any (or all) of the above:

Pre-warned and avoidable
  • Establish the facts.
  • Investigate the background and motivation of the source.
  • Assess the legal appetite of publications planning to run the story.
  • Appoint a specialist media lawyer.
  • Challenge the accuracy of the story and credibility of source.

Pre-warned investigation
  • Seize the upper ground (possible because you have the facts).
  • Challenge the methodology of investigation.
  • Counter the story via other media.
  • Utilise hard-hitting media lawyers.

Pre-warned but unavoidable
  • Agree the message.
  • Identify the target audience (internal and external).
  • Appoint key advisors.
  • Identify and train media friendly spokesperson.
  • Communicate and network with all relevant parties.
  • Maintain relations with media during and after.

No Warning
  • Don’t be an ostrich “be a tiger”.
  • Assess the extent of the problem.
  • Challenge the validity of claims.
  • Target in-house media lawyers and question version of events.

As Hall’s categories show, not every crisis scenario is the same. But he does provide a basic template for any scenario. It goes like this: Don’t Panic!, establish the full facts, identify the key people involved, know your enemies, agree the message, establish the best team, realise that no comment is no answer, be proactive and insist a communications consultant is involved in top table decisions. Ticking these boxes won’t make your crisis go away – but it might be enough to minimise its impact on your business. For more on Phil Hall’s crisis management offering, go to: www.pha-media.com/pr-departments/crisis-management/