Event Recap: Five Critical Communications Tips To Tame A “Black Swan”

If you missed our Nov. 20th Event, “Five Critical Communications Tips To Tame A “Black Swan”, the IABC-LI wanted to bring some highlights to you.

Art Samansky, principal of The Samansky Group, offered these five “swan-stoppers” during his discussion:

Develop a “living” crisis communications plan, built on a foundation of truth, and aligned with the acronym T.R.U.E—Tested, Reviewed, Updated and Expanded, regularly.
Conduct quarterly dedicated “black swan” brainstorming sessions to ensure even the most extraordinary potential events are given serious consideration.
Determine well in advance of a potential crisis the answers to several basic questions, especially, whom do you have to reach, and how will you reach them.
Stay with the facts, never engage in speculation, and stay on-the-record.
Designate spokespersons with specific responsibilities, and be sure they are trained to be comfortable speaking with media and can discuss issues in non-technical, easily understood language.

For more information on Art’s thoughts about crisis communications planning, please visit the “about/news” button at: www.samanskygroup.com.

Katherine Heaviside, President of Epoch 5 Public Relations, commented, “Years of working to build respect and loyalty in your marketplace can be lost in a blinding flash when your company, your products or your services are attacked online. Social media has become the Wild West of communications, an undisciplined and even dangerous frontier. Competitors, ex-employees and disgruntled clients or customers can trash your reputation with user-generated content.”

Here are some basics to remember when a black swan threatens your organization:

Have a short and simple social media policy.
Use social media tools to track what is being said on the Internet.
Tailor the social media portion of your crisis plans to your organization.
Establish guidelines for who will respond to specific types of crises.
Develop a stakeholder map to both identify your stakeholders and define their critical interests and concerns.

For information about crisis communications management, contact Katherine at Epoch 5 Public relations www.epoch5.com.

Special thanks to our generous sponsor Sterling National Bank.