The document discusses key stakeholders that organizations must communicate with during a crisis to protect their reputation. It identifies the three key stakeholders as employees, reporters from traditional news media, and social media users. It provides tips for effective crisis communication with each of these stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of establishing communication plans and designating spokespeople, building long-term relationships, monitoring coverage, and being prepared to engage on social media. The crisis communication approaches highlighted include empowering employees, addressing media inquiries quickly, and correcting any false information that emerges online.

1. 14 • COMMUNICATION WORLD • DECEMBER 2013
by Oliver S. Schmidt and Dianne L. Chase
W
hile every business crisis and corresponding set of
affected stakeholders are unique, there are some groups
with which organizations must communicate in order
to protect their reputation, brand equity and the bot-
tom line during times of crisis. A successful response to a
business crisis
demands making and communicating far-reaching and
emotionally dif-
ficult decisions while under pressure and perhaps lacking
complete or
fully accurate information. To overcome the communication
challenges
that crises present, management must enable effective
communication
with three key stakeholders: employees, reporters from
traditional news
media, and social media users.
crisis communication talking points
Make sure your crisis
response includes these
key stakeholders

2. Communicating
inside and out
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15 • COMMUNICATION WORLD • DECEMBER 2013
Internal matters
Employees especially are often
neglected during a business crisis, and
as a result, many companies alienate
their best advocates—the people who
are excellent workers and whose opin-
ions and attitudes have an impact out-
side the company, through their daily
conversations with friends and family,
as well as through their social media
interactions.
Your company’s crisis communica-
tion plan should definitely include
an employee communication com-
ponent. (If your organization doesn’t
have a stated crisis communication
plan already, then creating one should
be a priority.) Processes, responsibili-
ties, channels and recurring training
should be determined and a frame-
work established that encompasses
employee communication, including
the following:
• Make sure senior management
understands the importance of two-

3. way communication and incorporates
employee feedback in its decisions.
Employee feedback during a crisis helps
identify the value of messages, helps
keep tabs on rumors and false infor-
mation, highlights employee concerns,
and enhances trust. Even questions
that seem inconvenient or unimpor-
tant should be addressed in order to
keep people informed and their morale
up. Follow-up messages should take
employee opinions into account and
provide information about the steps
company leadership is taking.
• Communicate first with employees
about matters that affect them. Think
about it: Wouldn’t you want to know
from your own company about a situ-
ation that could affect your job?
Empower your employees with the
facts, and let them function as com-
munication allies, carrying specific
messages into the community.
• Designate company spokespersons
to address stakeholders with carefully
crafted messages. Then consider using
employees as informal communicators
in times of crisis with official mes-
saging that was developed for various
crisis scenarios. Familiarity with com-
Empower your

4. employees with the
facts, and let them
function as communi-
cation allies, carrying
specific messages
into the community.
Employee crisis communication tips
1. Recognize the need for frequent two-way communication.
2. Develop and implement a customized plan before a crisis
strikes.
3. Obtain senior management buy-in and ongoing support.
4. Seek and act upon employee feedback to enhance trust.
5. Communicate crisis-related news to employees first
whenever possible.
6. Ensure consistent and coherent internal message delivery.
7. Turn employees into valuable communication allies.
8. Enable continuous dialogue to minimize employee
uncertainty.
9. Employ proven communication channels.
10. Address employee questions and concerns thoroughly.
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16 • COMMUNICATION WORLD • DECEMBER 2013
munication channels helps prevent

5. and overcome employee uncertainty,
and encourages continuous and con-
structive dialogue.
Breaking news
Organizations that are unprepared
to work with traditional news media
during a crisis often experience intense
media scrutiny and negative coverage
that can easily lead to unfavorable
stakeholder perceptions and lasting
reputational and economic damage.
It is the media’s job to report crisis-
related news, illuminate relevant issues,
influence issue portrayal and propose
solutions. While journalists gener-
ally seek to report news in an objec-
tive, fact-based and balanced manner,
today’s media environment is highly
competitive, and reporters must gen-
erate relevant information fast in order
to meet deadlines and stay ahead of
the competition.
As you develop or update your cri-
sis communication plan, keep in mind
how you work with journalists and
other media representatives:
• Be ready when a journalist calls.
Because reporters may be unable to
wait until the company has gathered,
verified and officially communicated
crisis-related facts (What happened?
Where? When? Why? Who is affected?
What are the relevant concerns? What

6. is being done about it?), they may turn
to unofficial and less reliable sources.
Quickly coordinating the manage-
rial, operational and communication
response to a crisis is critical, but
only designated spokespersons should
address the media.
• Build long-term relationships with
relevant journalists. Mutual familiarity
and trust will increase the likelihood of
fact-based and non-sensational report-
ing if a crisis does occur.
• View media interviews and news
conferences as valuable opportunities
News media crisis communication tips
1. Understand the role of the traditional news media and how
they work.
2. Build long-term relationships with reporters long before a
crisis hits.
3. Identify and train company spokespersons on a recurring
basis.
4. Establish and follow a companywide media policy.
5. Get crisis-related facts out fast via carefully crafted
messages.
6. View media interviews as valuable opportunities to convey
key
messages.
7. Study reporters’ tendencies, previous stories and interview
techniques.
8. Continuously monitor news coverage and correct the record

7. as
necessary.
9. Follow up with reporters as promised even if no new
information
can be shared.
10. Provide recurring crisis communication training to crisis
response teams.
Don’t delay
following up with
reporters even
if new information
is not available or
cannot be shared.
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17 • COMMUNICATION WORLD • DECEMBER 2013
to convey key messages. The reporter
functions as a filter through which
your carefully crafted messages pass
before they reach various stake-
holders. In addition to recurring
on-camera media training, proper

8. interview preparation includes study-
ing the assigned reporter’s tendencies,
previous interviews and interview
techniques.
• Closely monitor news coverage,
especially during a crisis, so that any
false or incomplete information can
be identified and corrected right away.
Don’t delay following up with report-
ers even if new information is not
available or cannot be shared for legal
or other reasons. Keep a media inquiry
log to track inquiries (Who inquired?
Which outlet? When? Reason for call?
etc.) and to streamline processing and
follow-up.
Social gains
Simply put, no company today can
afford to ignore what is said online
and in social media about its business
practices, brands, performance, prod-
ucts and services, and that is even truer
during a crisis situation.
Employees, customers, competitors,
reporters and other stakeholders turn to
the Internet and social media to obtain,
publish and distribute crisis-related
information. As a result, uncensored
and potentially damaging content,
including audio and video clips, may
be published and syndicated across
borders in real time, and rumors and
false information may remain available
on the Internet indefinitely.

9. Be prepared to communicate and
engage with a broad range of stake-
holders by way of peer-to-peer con-
versation using various social media.
Determine what social media outlets
Because every
crisis is different,
management must
evaluate the crisis
response continuously
and make adjustments
as necessary.
Social media crisis communication tips
1. Establish, communicate and enforce a companywide social
media policy.
2. Continuously monitor online content and social media.
3. Determine what engaging stakeholders via social media
should accomplish.
4. Engage a broad range of stakeholders by way of peer-to-
peer
conversation.
5. Carefully listen to and act upon stakeholder feedback
provided

10. via social media.
6. Identify and connect with key online influencers.
7. Rebut false claims and accusations appearing in social
media.
8. Refrain from engaging in pointless debate with negative
social media posters.
9. Link your organization’s website and social media tools.
10. Evaluate your crisis response on social media and make
any
necessary adjustments.
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18 • COMMUNICATION WORLD • DECEMBER 2013
stakeholders are already using, and
which channels might be particularly
effective in reaching specific groups.
In addition, consider the following:
• Establish, communicate and enforce a
social media policy that clearly outlines
what employees are permitted to do
with social media while on company
time. Thorough Internet and social
media monitoring has to be conducted
around the clock as well, and should
include issue- and crisis-specific mon-
itoring, with the results shared within

11. the company.
• Listen and respond to stakeholder
comments and feedback provided via
social media, especially if the informa-
tion posted is incorrect and potentially
damaging. Identify and connect with
key online influencers who will share
your messages with a large number of
individual stakeholders.
• Address and correct any false claims
or accusations as soon as possible.
Make sure any content pertaining to
the crisis that is added by or on behalf
of the company is clearly identifiable
as such. Because every crisis is differ-
ent, management must evaluate the
crisis response continuously and make
adjustments as necessary.
about the authors
Oliver S. Schmidt is managing partner
of C4CS, which specializes in strategic
communication and crisis manage-
ment. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl-
vania, Schmidt has worked with clients
in the Americas, Asia and Europe, and
has provided consulting and training
services to managers in more than
40 countries. Follow him on Twitter:
@C4CSinfo.
Dianne L. Chase is senior partner of
C4CS and head of the firm’s office in

12. Charlotte, North Carolina. Chase is
currently serving as chair of the board
for IABC’s Southern Region. Follow her
on Twitter: @C4CSinfo.
read more
Kellie Cummings, ABC,
discusses how responding
to citizens’ needs during
a devastating crisis, such
as Hurricane Sandy or the
2011 earthquake in Japan,
is an effort increasingly
shared by business and
government. She also offers
tips for how organizations
can prepare their stakehold-
ers for the next disaster.
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