We talk about our 24-hour news cycle but the reality is it is now an 86,400 second a day news cycle. No ones knows this better than the communications team at Malaysia Airlines who managed information flow during the most extraordinary aviation event in global history.
This was really the first time the full head-on impact of the social and traditional media has been tested on a global scale. The corporate communications profession has never witnessed anything like this. The media has never witnessed anything like this. I don’t recall a time when CNN broadcasted an event continuously, analyzing every angle to the point where it became difficult to watch.
I don’t think it surprised anyone recently when the prime minister of Malaysia admitted that they weren’t ready and ‘didn’t get their communications right to begin with and in the later part we got our act together.” Let’s be honest, how many companies are ready to take on a crisis of this magnitude on a global scale? It was unprecedented. How many airlines are ready to handle a crisis when a plane literally vanishes? We all bemoan how busy we are today but I think it‘s an excellent investment in time to examine how prepared your organization is for a crisis.
Do you have a crisis plan? If you have one, do you know where it is located and who manages it? I believe it is a must for any company but it’s critical for those who manage human life, our health and our money. Malaysia Airlines has taken a reputation hit from which they may not recover. Their focus as a company is now finding the plane, looking after the families of victims, consumer confidence, legal woes, and a whole host of issues that may never disappear.
For a few years starting in 2005 I was the point person for business continuity communications for RBC and I can tell you back then it was a round the clock job making sure no client experienced a disruption in their service. Social media was a niche communication tool at that time. Now we have so many social media channels and they have added a complex level of transparency and demand to crisis communications, but they haven’t changed the principles of good crisis communications.
I think the smartest headline during the crisis was Here’s what we know. This is the guiding principal of crisis communications. Even if you have throngs of media coming at you from around the world, you can only communicate what you know and communicate it as quickly as possible. Never speculate and don’t comment on anything beyond your area of expertise. This is true of the spokesperson and the media. We’ve seen many examples of media outlets jumping in to be first to cover news that wasn’t accurate.
As I watched the Malaysia Airlines crisis unfold in our new 86400 second news cycle I had these observations…
The crisis communications plan is your company’s most important document - I have seen more crises in the last ten years than I’ve seen in my entire life. It isn’t that we’ve had more crises, it’s just that we have more channels to share information. It started with 24-hours news channels like CNN, then the Internet and social media has ratcheted up the flow of information so our eyes can barely keep up with the Twitter feed on TweetDeck. If you go for coffee, the biggest news in the world may appear in your Twitter feed. You may be the news. Can you start executing your plan and protecting your organization as soon as the crisis begins?
A good spokesperson could save your brand - The focus on any crisis communications plan should be a good spokesperson with a proven ability to deliver and create confidence that everything is under control. You don’t want a spokesperson fumbling along trying to explain how a passenger flying on your missing plane with a stolen passport looks like a famous football player. This person reflects your brand and if you’re in the blinding spotlight like Malaysia Airlines it’s because you brand impacts lives. Your passengers trusted your brand to keep them safe. There is nothing more important than a human life. You need to ensure you choose a key spokesperson who wants the job and feels confident in his/her abilities. Then set them up for success with thorough training, regular update training and annual mock training exercises with the entire crisis communications team. You should choose the right experts for the team. The team members should know their role, the roles of others on the team and everyone should be confident they can contribute effectively. I also think it’s important to prepare approved messaging for every crisis scenario so at least you’re not creating copy from scratch in front of a blank screen when the pressure is on. No amount of planning is too small when it comes to crisis.
Understand social media - Ironically, social media may create your crisis and it might be the channel that saves you. Social media is a dream for crisis communicators because you can drive instant information and obtain feedback from those in need. If you don’t have at least one account, it’s wise to create one. Put someone in charge of your channels who is confident, calm and skilled enough to create the right messaging and images for your stakeholders. They will be demanding and will scrutinize your regular updates. That’s why they trusted you with their business.
This was really the first time the full head-on impact of the social and traditional media has been tested on a global scale. The corporate communications profession has never witnessed anything like this. The media has never witnessed anything like this. I don’t recall a time when CNN broadcasted an event continuously, analyzing every angle to the point where it became difficult to watch.
I don’t think it surprised anyone recently when the prime minister of Malaysia admitted that they weren’t ready and ‘didn’t get their communications right to begin with and in the later part we got our act together.” Let’s be honest, how many companies are ready to take on a crisis of this magnitude on a global scale? It was unprecedented. How many airlines are ready to handle a crisis when a plane literally vanishes? We all bemoan how busy we are today but I think it‘s an excellent investment in time to examine how prepared your organization is for a crisis.
Do you have a crisis plan? If you have one, do you know where it is located and who manages it? I believe it is a must for any company but it’s critical for those who manage human life, our health and our money. Malaysia Airlines has taken a reputation hit from which they may not recover. Their focus as a company is now finding the plane, looking after the families of victims, consumer confidence, legal woes, and a whole host of issues that may never disappear.
For a few years starting in 2005 I was the point person for business continuity communications for RBC and I can tell you back then it was a round the clock job making sure no client experienced a disruption in their service. Social media was a niche communication tool at that time. Now we have so many social media channels and they have added a complex level of transparency and demand to crisis communications, but they haven’t changed the principles of good crisis communications.
I think the smartest headline during the crisis was Here’s what we know. This is the guiding principal of crisis communications. Even if you have throngs of media coming at you from around the world, you can only communicate what you know and communicate it as quickly as possible. Never speculate and don’t comment on anything beyond your area of expertise. This is true of the spokesperson and the media. We’ve seen many examples of media outlets jumping in to be first to cover news that wasn’t accurate.
As I watched the Malaysia Airlines crisis unfold in our new 86400 second news cycle I had these observations…
The crisis communications plan is your company’s most important document - I have seen more crises in the last ten years than I’ve seen in my entire life. It isn’t that we’ve had more crises, it’s just that we have more channels to share information. It started with 24-hours news channels like CNN, then the Internet and social media has ratcheted up the flow of information so our eyes can barely keep up with the Twitter feed on TweetDeck. If you go for coffee, the biggest news in the world may appear in your Twitter feed. You may be the news. Can you start executing your plan and protecting your organization as soon as the crisis begins?
A good spokesperson could save your brand - The focus on any crisis communications plan should be a good spokesperson with a proven ability to deliver and create confidence that everything is under control. You don’t want a spokesperson fumbling along trying to explain how a passenger flying on your missing plane with a stolen passport looks like a famous football player. This person reflects your brand and if you’re in the blinding spotlight like Malaysia Airlines it’s because you brand impacts lives. Your passengers trusted your brand to keep them safe. There is nothing more important than a human life. You need to ensure you choose a key spokesperson who wants the job and feels confident in his/her abilities. Then set them up for success with thorough training, regular update training and annual mock training exercises with the entire crisis communications team. You should choose the right experts for the team. The team members should know their role, the roles of others on the team and everyone should be confident they can contribute effectively. I also think it’s important to prepare approved messaging for every crisis scenario so at least you’re not creating copy from scratch in front of a blank screen when the pressure is on. No amount of planning is too small when it comes to crisis.
Understand social media - Ironically, social media may create your crisis and it might be the channel that saves you. Social media is a dream for crisis communicators because you can drive instant information and obtain feedback from those in need. If you don’t have at least one account, it’s wise to create one. Put someone in charge of your channels who is confident, calm and skilled enough to create the right messaging and images for your stakeholders. They will be demanding and will scrutinize your regular updates. That’s why they trusted you with their business.
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