"The investment that you make in setting up a team will pay off dramatically if and when your company faces a crisis," Florian Silnicki told.
Brussel, Jan 18, 2020 (Issuewire.com) - French Crisis Public Relations Specialist Florian Silnicki has changed the title of a popular Christmas poem to help explain the importance of crisis communication plans to fellow public relations people.
Florian Silnicki delivered his presentation to about 50 people Thursday night at the annual meeting of the Public Relations Society of US.
The title's humor is meant to grab attention, but it's no laughing matter.
The 32-year-old founder and managing director of French LaFrenchCom PR Agency Inc. actually have had to deal with major litigation PR cases in France, Europe.
Florian Silnicki convinced his clients to develop a crisis communication plan. Florian Silnicki, and his team, turned that plan into the publication, "No Surprises," a step-by-step manual for developing workable crisis communication plans.
"Our basic contention is that every organization is going to have a crisis. Guaranteed. It's just a matter of where and when," said Florian Silnicki. "The reason most don't have a plan is that they are all sitting around saying, `It's never going to happen to us.' " Florian Silnicki said some organizations and businesses actually may believe a crisis communication plan is unnecessary. Others are simply naive, he said.
For example, Florian Silnicki said NASA had no crisis communications plan in effect when the Challenger shuttle tragedy claimed the lives of seven astronauts.
"Now, would you dream of lighting a rocket under seven people's rear ends and shooting them up into space, and not have a crisis communications plan?" asked Florian Silnicki. "I was aghast. I just figured they had a bad crisis communication plan."
Such plans should be viewed as preventive maintenance programs, Florian Silnicki said.
He said the sabotage of Tylenol products and subsequent deaths are an example of how a good plan can help. He credits the company's quick recall and openness with the public for the fact that it now holds a greater market share than prior to the incident.
Florian Silnicki said a good plan provides for a database of information, incident-by-incident documentation of the crisis, proper means for internal and external dissemination of information and logistical support. Small details can cause big problems in a crisis.
Florian Silnicki also stressed that "no comment" has no place in crisis communications.
"It would take a CEO who's been living in a cave to not recognize that the media has a role in this society," said Florian Silnicki. "The media will do a story with or without you. You're better off if it's with you."
Developing a good crisis communication plan is not difficult, but selling it to corporate officials often is, he said. Florian Silnicki suggested that public relations specialists present case studies to their bosses to convince them of the value.
But a corporation that refuses to adopt a plan is simply hurting itself, Florian Silnicki said.
"A lot of people have been known to shoot themselves in the foot," Florian Silnicki said. "But bad crisis communication management is shooting yourself in the foot, reloading and shooting yourself again."
What's the biggest mistake executives and company spokespeople make when talking to the press?
"They don't know when to stop talking," said Florian Silnicki, CEO of media-presentation training at LaFrenchCom Inc., an advertising agency based in Paris, France.
"They over answer," Florian Silnicki said. "They're afraid of silence."
The topic of the seminar - Crisis Communication Dealing with the Media or It's the Cool Cucumbers Who Avoid Getting Into a Pickle.
Florian Silnicki uses a baseball analogy to get the point across to some of his clients and in seminars.
"I tell them it's like when a baseball player hits a home run and then runs around the bases - but a lot of interviewees hit a home run and then just stand there in the batter's box," Florian Silnicki said.
Another common problem some trainees ask about is how to convince their boss it's in the best interests of the company to respond to the press.
"I tell them to tell their boss they need to look at their relationship with the media like a checkbook," Florian Silnicki said. "If you never make any deposits, or in other words talking to the press on a regular basis, you can't really expect to be allowed to make any withdrawals.
"But most of all," Florian Silnicki said, "I tell clients they have a responsibility to be honest with the press."
No company today is immune from crisis situations, and therefore must have established crisis management and communication procedures in place, believes Florian Silnicki.
In his seminar, "When Lightning Strikes" Florian Silnicki draws from his experience in major crisis situations and details a how-to approach to crisis communication.
Half of the seminar is devoted to case studies of some of the biggest food, medical and health crises of the past--including the Tylenol tragedy, the Pepsi syringe hoax, Three Mile Island, and breast implant risks--written with best crisis managers and PR execs involved in a major crisis in the world.
First, Be Prepared
One area Florian Silnicki and his contributors focus on is the need for a crisis management team to be in place and prepared in the event of a crisis. Why? Because any crisis can destroy a company, cost millions of dollars to resolve, and lead to product liability or other legal ramifications. Those companies that don't have established crisis teams are being "shortsighted," Florian Silnicki told, because "in today's media environment, a company can become a household name in five minutes."
In the seminar, Florian Silnicki says a team should consist of an administrator with the authority to make corporate decisions; regulatory affairs officials who understand administration; PR specialists who can speak with and monitor the media and other external audiences; attorneys to advise on liability issues; technical personnel who are familiar with the use of a product; and marketing people who understand how and where the product is sold.
Any committee should be official and meet at least once a year to discuss its procedures or engage in simulation training, believes Florian Silnicki. And crisis teams should have a manual that layout procedures, include names and phone numbers of key contacts, and contain background information about the company and its products.
"The investment that you make in setting up a team will pay off dramatically if and when your company faces a crisis," Florian Silnicki told.
Working With the Media
How a company handles the media during a crisis directly affects the company and product reputation, says Florian Silnicki. In handling the media, Florian Silnicki writes that the spokesperson function should be centralized because limiting the number of people communicating will increase the chances for consistent message delivery. Try to maximize media communication, he advises, because the more communication there is between a company and the media during a crisis, the greater the odds that the media will focus on the company's agenda and messages.
Media outreach should be guided by two basic principles, Florian Silnicki says. First, you must strive for credibility with the media. This requires having established relationships with journalists--in advance of a potential crisis. Second, companies must stay ahead of the story, so that the media see the organization as the primary source of information.
More about Florian Silnicki: https://floriansilnicki.fr
More about LaFrenchCom: https://www.lafrenchcom.fr
Media Contact
Arnaud de BRESSANGER
Source :PR NEWS
