CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS CODY BANNISTER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

1. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS CODY BANNISTER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR OKLAHOMA INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

2. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS ACCIDENTS HAPPEN

3. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS BE PREPARED • Build a crisis management team. • Have a plan of action. • All employees should know who to refer questions to. • Have a prepared statement.

4. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS EXAMPLE OF PREPARED STATEMENT A ___________________ at ____________________ involving __________________ occurred today at ________________. The incident is under investigation and more information will be forthcoming. EXAMPLE An explosion at 1210 Market Street, the main plant for the Acme Toy Company occurred today at 3 p.m. Acme is working closely with the local authorities. The incident is under investigation and Acme will provide more information as it becomes available.

5. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA RELATIONS 101 • Be accessible. • Be polite. • If you are not prepared, tell reporters a news briefing will be held later in the day. • Instruct reporters on visual images. • “No comment” means “You are absolutely right.”

6. KEEP IT SIMPLE Don’t go into too much detail. Don’t speak for too long. Keep sentences short. Use basic, universal language. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS

7. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS THE RULES • If you make a mistake, correct yourself immediately. • Don’t speak “off the record.” • You have no right to see the story before publication. • You may ask when the article will be published. • Monitor media reports and correct errors immediately.

8. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS BLOCKING AND BRIDGING • “Block” a negative question. Respond briefly in a non-specific way. • “Bridge” with a smooth transition. Change the subject to a positive message.

9. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS BLOCKING AND BRIDGING PHRASES • That’s an interesting questions, and to put it in perspective … • I’m glad you asked that because it brings up a point I want to make … • I don’t have precise details, but I do know … • That is important, but what is more important is …

10. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS AFTER A CRISIS • Evaluate the effectiveness of the crisis plan and how people responded. • Correct problems so they don't happen again.

11. CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS QUESTIONS?