Jeffrey B. Miller, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner (2003 to 2008), was preparing to take the stage at the University of Maryland to address a law-enforcement luncheon when his phone began to vibrate with a rapid cascade of texts. Miller immediately excused himself, established contact with his team who were in the middle of managing an unfolding crisis at a school back in his home state, and then hitched a ride to the scene on a Maryland State Police chopper.
Miller used every second of his trip to gather reports from the ground, manage the response, and ensure that several important procedures were being implemented. A secure perimeter had been established around the site to protect the public and the scene. Roadblocks were put in place to redirect traffic. The troopers quickly identified a suitable safe location to which to direct reporters and camera crews. The troopers had a process for these things because, unfortunately, tense, terrible things must be managed by the police all the time. They knew, from experience, what the media would demand at the scene of an incident—timely and accurate information, an authoritative spokesperson to deliver it, and a view of the scene from a safe distance. These same requirements are essential when the media show up at your place of business or at the location of something gone wrong—most often, on a much different scale, of course.
When Miller arrived, his was not the only helicopter in the vicinity. Choppers hovered above the scene and news vans from local stations had already arrived. Miller’s team was ready to manage not only the site, but the media’s voracious appetite for up-to-second information, insights, and images. It is after an incident has begun when adequate planning, decisive leadership, empowered teammates, and a conscious understanding of what is happening to your body and mind all come together. The lesson here isn’t about how to handle a crime scene. Those of us not in law enforcement will gratefully leave the handling of these matters to skilled and capable police professionals. What we take from this example are the lessons of how the Pennsylvania State Police responded after the crisis. Their protocols on handling and disseminating information were literally battle-tested because when something happens that requires police response, it is sadly all in a day’s work, and will often become a news story of local, regional, or national importance.
We need to have the same expectations of ourselves and of our team. Assuming no one will notice when things go wrong is just hope, pure and simple, and as we know, hope is not a strategy. Perhaps we have, thus far, only been confronted with problems that are internal, addressable, and correctable. But there is a very high probability that our luck will run out eventually. When it does, this is not the right time to start developing our communications strategy.
You don’t have to be engaged in combating criminal activity, managing the Super Bowl, or responding to a natural disaster for members of the press to quickly collect outside your door, in your parking lot, or at a location where your company’s products or services are sold. The press may be looking for information on a recall, a complaint, a delay, an injury, an illness, or a labor dispute. Even if they don’t show up physically, the press—and your customers—can bombard you with calls, texts, e-mails, and social media posts, looking for answers and information. Time is, yet again, of the essence.
Both Police Commissioner Jeff Miller and crisis communications expert Ivy Cohen stress the importance of getting in front of the situation; that is, taking ownership of the problem not only to manage and, if possible, solve the problem, but also to be the authoritative source of information about the issue at hand and the subsequent response. Being quick to resolve an incident is not enough. If we don’t simultaneously take charge of communicating and managing the message, the message will inevitably end up managing us. Instead of proactively establishing command, clarity, and confidence from the very start, the conversation about the problem will commence in a vacuum. Without having provided our information or insights, we will then be forced to confront and correct the misinformation and misperceptions that take root after they are virally dispersed through the press and the public. This is a much more difficult management proposition.
The Pennsylvania State Police identified a location near the scene to distribute information to reporters. They scheduled press briefings for Miller to provide fact-based status reports on the incident, updating the group with new information and fielding questions. Speculation and rumors were identified as such. If a fact was not yet confirmed, or Miller didn’t know an answer to a question, he said so, and promised to update the group with additional information at the next briefing. The anticipated times for follow-up briefings were also announced. Miller’s protocol is exactly how we should manage and serve the media if we experience a crisis of newsworthy weightiness.
Unfortunately, unlike the police, who are generally perceived as credible authorities when something goes wrong, the organizations we work for are not necessarily as highly regarded or perceived as trustworthy. Edelman, a global communications marketing firm, has been publishing the annual Edelman Trust Barometer for nearly two decades. This report annually evaluates public beliefs through a set of statistics referred to as the “Trust Index.” This measurement is “an average of public trust, by country, in the institutions of government, business, media, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).” According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, less than half (48%) of those surveyed across the 28 countries trust the combination of these four institutions. Between 2017 and 2018, trust in these institutions in the United States showed the steepest decline among all nations studied, from 52 percent to 43 percent. Among the general U.S. population, trust in businesses declined 10 points from 58 percent to 48 percent; trust in government declined by 14 points, from 47 percent to 33 percent, and trust in media declined by 5 points, from 47 percent to 42 percent.
By contrast, the 2017 Gallup poll that tracked American public trust in the police showed an average of 57 percent had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in law enforcement, consistent with the overall average over the past 25 years. So, when Police Commissioner Miller stepped to the microphone at Nickel Mines, the public were much more likely to believe and trust his remarks than they were to trust the media outlet that aired the coverage. When your company delivers information about something that went wrong, it is being done in an environment where an average of less than one-half of the American population trusts businesses to do or to say the right things.
Today, the lines of communication with our customers, fans, and partners are wide open and can be activated quickly thanks to the increasing penetration of social media platforms, accessible to both the media and the public. The risk of not getting truthful messages disseminated quickly is vividly illustrated by a 2018 study in the journal Science, which found that false information on Twitter “diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth.” How much faster? “It took the truth about six times as long as falsehood to reach 1,500 people,” according to the study. The diffusion was not spread by bots, but by actual, verified users because, as Dr. Luba Kessler wrote in Psychology Today, “made up stories simply entertain us. Like gossip, they are usually titillating and sensational, and many times they feature a clear villain we can blame.”
Being proactive and honest with the media doesn’t mean they will tell your story only from your point of view. They will often cover the situation from multiple angles. If what went wrong influences the opinions or affects the experiences of your customers, they will almost certainly include these perspectives in their reporting. It is important that your authentic and authoritative version is at least one of the sources on which they base their reporting. They will often ask us tough questions, and it is totally acceptable to not give them access to every fact and figure. Let them know that you will investigate, follow up, and update them, and let them know when you expect to do that.
The media are exceptionally good at what they do. Having communications professionals on call who can help you accommodate their needs, manage the volume of calls, e-mails and texts, monitor media reports and perceptions, help draft statements, and answer questions can help you shrink response time and better navigate your response and recovery. This is equally important in managing the message for social media because people start sharing what they believe happened immediately. Although you can’t control what people are saying, you must be quick to respond before the facts are distorted and swamped by the vast amount of misinformation that could spread virulently.
Ivy Cohen offers these rules of engagement for responding on social media, though most of these pointers are as valid for traditional media as well:
1. Be the first out with authoritative information if you can. If you can’t be first, be quick.
2. Take ownership over the response: “Here’s what went wrong, and here’s what we are doing about it.”
3. Respond factually to reports and posts that are inaccurate. Deliver information you can verify to be true. Don’t offer opinions and don’t get into arguments.
4. Be sincere, authentic, and candid.
5. Be concise, clear, and helpful.
6. Direct message (DM) people who have a specific complaint or want a specific response. Gather more information from them without bringing that conversation into the greater discourse.
7. Follow through on every promise to provide more or better information, whether as public posts or DMs.
8. Refresh your messages often to make sure you always provide the latest and most accurate information.
There, I said it. When something goes wrong, there are often legal ramifications that may impact what you say and how you say it. When the police respond to questions from the media or the public, they do not want to share information that could taint an investigation or adversely change the outcome. Neither do you. If there is an injury or worse, your organization may be subject to a lawsuit and what you say, in addition to what actions you took or didn’t take, could affect future litigation. Liabilities don’t require a physical injury. Damages can be pursued by customers or business partners who feel inconvenienced, defrauded, or defamed resulting from a mistake, omission, or statement. Depending on the nature of the incident and the industry in which you work, there may also be inquiries and investigations after the fact from a variety of local, state, or federal agencies.
Have your legal team on speed dial, or better yet, have a legal representative on your project team, so what you say or post online benefits from their guidance. On one hand, you want to be candid and cooperative and do not want to appear as though you are withholding or hiding information. At the same time, you must act in the best interests of all parties—both the public and the company. The intersection of the two requires you to:
• Acknowledge the problem.
• Act authoritatively.
• Speak truthfully.
• Accept responsibility for the response.
Your legal team will be skillful guides to help you navigate the potential risks and manage responses and liabilities stemming from things that go wrong.
Remember that it is impossible to completely walk back something you say or write, and you can never entirely erase the damage of a deleted post. So, do not make snide or sarcastic comments, resist the urge to indulge your ego with self-serving defensive statements, and avoid exaggeration. This is true in e-mails and texts, even ones you send internally. So don’t write anything you don’t want to read verbatim in The New York Times. Keep in mind that your microphone is always on!
Ivy Cohen schooled me when I asked her about the most common mistakes leaders make when something goes wrong. One of her answers surprised me, and upon reflection, I was more than a bit embarrassed when she said: “allowing employees to be an afterthought.” She is 100 percent right. Whenever something goes wrong, our teammates are just as affected as we are, whether or not they are directly involved in the response or recovery. From our position in the trenches, we try to keep things that go wrong from becoming personal, but for our teammates, with little information or control over the outcome, it can be intensely personal. They wonder how a mistake, especially a costly one, might affect the security of their jobs. If it is a problem with a public profile, their families, friends, and their network of business relationships will check up on them, concerned about their safety or security. Don’t let them get all their information through social or traditional media, or worse, the rumor mill. The same team that is invested in our achievements and success is profoundly affected by missteps and failures, even if they are not of our own making. Bringing them “into the know” will demonstrate your trust and concern for their well-being. Rumors, whether promulgated from the outside or spreading from within, can sap morale and be among the most damaging “sources.”
That’s why Cohen recommends leveraging your human resources departments when something goes wrong. As we are developing our messages to the media and the public, we should also be communicating in meaningful ways with our teammates. They will always be our best ambassadors to our partners. Much as senior executives are often the most natural and desirable spokespeople for delivering news to the media, so too are they the most appropriate people to communicate authoritatively with the organization-at-large. Without divulging confidential information that you would not share with the media or public, let teammates know what happened and what the organization is doing to fix or manage the problem.
Express confidence in the team’s ability to recover from the challenge. Provide teammates with instructions on what they should do if contacted by the media. Tell them to refer all inquiries to a media relations executive or project team member, as appropriate to your organization. Let them know you will be updating them, and then be sure to follow up. If there will be a press conference or statement, let them know how they can see or hear it. If it’s not broadcast live, your PR team can set up a dial-in or web conference so they can stay current with developments. Involve the HR department to be helpful as counselors to concerned employees, and to collect any remaining questions for later responses.
I work on a lot of outdoor events, and I take particular notice when I hear that thunderstorms are expected in the area. Some events don’t operate at all in falling precipitation, like baseball games, car races, and many festivals. But, because of the deep economic ramifications of canceling or postponing, a lot more events do happen in the rain. So we sometimes get a bit soaked at football games and outdoor concerts.
Wet weather can make for a miserable experience for the participants and guests, but sometimes, it has resulted in some surprisingly memorable moments, like when Prince played Purple Rain in the rain at Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007. Or in 2004, at the post-game party for the NHL All-Star Game, when The Barenaked Ladies played outdoors in St. Paul, Minnesota, as falling snow piled up on the stage and was shoveled away by stage hands during the performance. “We’re from Canada,” announced lead singer Ed Robertson, brushing it all off. “This is nothing!”
Add in some random atmospheric electrical activity, however, and those fields, stadiums, and plazas filled with metal grandstands, lighting trusses, electronic gear, and people become very attractive to bolts of lightning. Although 90 percent of the people who get struck by lightning survive, you don’t want to be a part of the 90 percent or the 10 percent. So, when a thunderstorm is on its way, seek shelter immediately because when lightning hits a tree, which can’t take refuge indoors, the intense burst of heat can instantly vaporize the water contained inside and cause a mighty oak to literally explode from the sudden pressure.
I usually start to take note of the potential for thunderstorms three or four days ahead of an event, and my level of concern increases as the forecast becomes more short-term. Most outdoor venues subscribe to one or more commercial weather services, and some have their own weather station equipped with a local lightning detection system. We watch where, and how far away, the closest lightning strikes are, and whether they are heading in our direction. If lightning gets to within 12 or 15 miles and the storm’s trajectory has it heading our way, we get our teammates into position, ready to stop the event, and to begin evacuating the outdoor areas of the venue.
When the lightning is within 8 miles and closing, we start clearing out the venue and encouraging people to seek shelter. The crew begins unplugging electronic gear. If there are strong winds that accompany the storm, we may take additional measures to secure equipment and materials that might literally blow away. Chances are, the lightning that passes through won’t hit anything, but we are never going to take that chance. We have these protocols in place, just like the Pennsylvania State Police have theirs in place for managing crime scenes, because we know that thunderstorms are going to strike one of our live outdoor events at some point. And not to disappoint you, it’s happened to me on multiple occasions.
We have discussed in detail the development of operational contingencies to be prepared for anything and how we should respond in the event the most likely things go wrong, like evacuating outdoor venues ahead of a thunderstorm. Preparing contingencies to plan how we would contact our various audiences when an incident occurs can be just as important. When the power went out in New Orleans at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, it was vitally important to communicate as quickly as possible with the fans in the stands. This is why stadiums have battery-powered public address capabilities. If an outdoor event is going to be canceled or postponed, we direct people by public address announcement to leave and seek shelter, and we include instructions for guests to visit the venue’s website and social media feeds for details on rescheduled dates, cancellation policies, and refunding procedures. With an electrical storm approaching, we don’t want to delay their exit by engaging in question-and-answer exchanges, debates, or arguments.
If you become aware of a developing potential challenge that can disrupt operations for your company or project—from an emerging labor dispute, rumblings of a political protest, forecasted severe weather threat, a supply shortage, or literally anything that your intelligence (or even intuition) suggests is likely—add the need to prepare a communications strategy to your operational contingency readiness, as follows:
• Prescript key speaking points while you have time to be thoughtful.
• Identify who will deliver the message.
• Determine how to distribute the information before you are in the middle of a full-blown response.
Also, don’t be too quick to press the send button to send anything you drafted ahead of time without reviewing it one more time to ensure that the information is relevant to what is occurring, or what has already occurred. Why should you start thinking about messages and dissemination ahead of time? If whatever happens is newsworthy, you can bet that the media will be on the story the moment it occurs. And, if it is predictable, they are probably ready even now.