This article is the first of a series that will examine how a Crisis Communications Team Leader keeps his or her team effective in the heat of a crisis.
As our videographer, John, unloaded a third camera from his SUV, I asked why he brought so much equipment to our media skills training course. After all, we only had five students.
Without looking up he replied, “Because two is one and one is none.”
John explained how that maxim he learned in the Coast Guard applied to equipment for a media training program. He said if you have an important piece of equipment, called “mission essential,” you should assume that if it can break it will break. Once you’ve identified such a piece of equipment you should have a backup.
This advice also applies to the hard-working people on your Crisis Communications Team. Let’s begin with your spokesperson.
Spokesperson: A Human Touch
The most exhausting duty on any crisis communications team is unquestionably that of the spokesperson. There’s no doubt this job can become very difficult especially if you are responding to the same questions in multiple interviews with no new data.
Even if things appear to be going well, the spokesperson is under pressure to deliver the words in the initial press release with a human touch in the sometimes brusque and impersonal atmosphere of press conferences and one-on-one interviews. After awhile even the most seasoned public relations veteran will need a break.
Time also plays a factor in determining when a spokesperson may need relief. I’ve seen oilfield and refinery managers become emotional when asked by a reporter about injuries and fatalities. Rely on your professional judgment to make this decision.
One way to keep your spokesman or spokeswoman effective and focused is to designate an initial and primary spokespeople. As we discuss in the book, the initial spokesperson’s focus should be on the basics of the event and pertinent information for employees, families and neighbors.
The primary spokesperson should be someone with direct knowledge of the crisis subject so he or she can provide a clear picture of the problem. For example, if the crisis is centered in the manufacturing department a manager from that business unit should be appointed primary spokesperson.
No one should be asked to fulfill the role of the initial or primary spokespeople spokesperson without having been through media training.
Review your crisis plan and determine who might need to act as a spokesperson. For example, new managers, supervisors and those who haven’t participated in training for two years should attend. If possible, senior management should have one-on-one sessions with a media trainer to allow for in-depth training because if a crisis is big enough they may have to represent the organization to its many audiences.
