2. 1. Introduction
2. Context … and challenges
3. Understanding what's behind a message map
4. Preparing a message map
5. Delivering the message map
Today’s presentation
3. PIO support to incident commander
Pressure to communicate is immediate
Not just traditional media
Every incident has a reputation management
component
Need for SM monitoring
Changing expectations
4. What is emergency information?
What our audiences need to know to protect
themselves, their families, property and the
environment.
What we need to communicate to help ensure
our audiences will adopt the right behaviour
during a crisis or emergency.
Also important: presenting your organization’s
response to an incident under the best possible
light.
Introduction
7. Audiences expect a response from authorities
within minutes.
Changing expectations
8. What’s a crisis?
◦ Surprise
◦ Public scrutiny
◦ Media coverage
◦ Not routine
◦ Loss of control
It's likely you, and your audiences,
will be under stress!
9. Why use a crisis communications approach?
• Avoid communications regret !
• Use efficient risk communications process
Meeting the new challenges
10. Why use a crisis communications approach?
• It’s about speed … and occupying the public space
• To meet the challenge … need the five Ps
• Procedures
• People
• Preparation
• Practice
• Platforms
Meeting the new challenges
11. The first P: Procedures
•Simple, intuitive
•Your people need to be familiar with them
•Principals, alternates and second alternates
•Think middle of the night on a weekend !
•Delegation of authority
•Flexible
The Crisis Communications Plan
12. The second P: People
•Trained spokesperson
•Top commanders and executives
•Principals, alternates and second alternates
•Familiarize with plan and procedures
•Demonstrate confidence and competence
What you want to avoid
The Crisis Communications Plan
13. The third P: Preparation
•Crisis communications technique
•Pre-approved messaging
•Identified audiences and channels to reach them
The Crisis Communications Plan
14. The fourth P: Practice
•A plan untested is a plan unproven
•Principals and alternates
•Communications component to every exercise
The Crisis Communications Plan
15. The fifth P: Platforms
•Notifications and alerts
•Social networks
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Youtube
• Others
•Social media monitoring
The Crisis Communications Plan
16. Message Mapping
Crisis communications technique
developed by Dr. Vincent Covelo from
New York.
Advised Mayor Giuliani prior to 9-11
Successful communications response
using message mapping
◦ Message maps pre-approved
◦ Trained people
◦ Lots of prior exercises
17. Message mapping
• Science-based … on target messaging
• Based on difference in brain functions/processes during
a crisis as opposed to routine situations
• Easy to use …. Visual representation
• Anticipate issues and questions and develop key
messages ahead of time
Message Mapping
18. Why use a crisis communications approach?
◦ Ensure effective communications and that your
audience adopt the right behaviour.
◦ Enhances your capacity to offer a prompt
communications response to incidents and crises
◦ Helps establish an organization’s credibility.
19. Message Mapping: Prepare!
If you want to communicate promptly,
you need to have pre-approved
messages ready!
20. How your prepare the message
maps … Routine vs Crisis
To be heard, you need to craft the
right messages!
Routine … Crisis …
22. Brain Processes
What it means for communicators …
the rule of 27/9/3
23. The rule of 3 (cont’d)
• 27/9/3 model: a critical tool
• Based on rule of 3: three key messages each with
three supporting messages or key facts
• Easy to visualize and share for multiple purposes …
24. The rule of 3
• 27/9/3 model: a critical tool
• Media: broadcast and print
• Matches what brain retains during crises
• Works for images too … different part of the brain …
give you the ability to convey more info
25. Changes in cognitive abilities
• What’s also important?
• The order of your messages …
27. How you craft a message map
•The order of your messages …
• Impact on how you craft and deliver a message map ...
• Level of comprehension ... we normally write for grade
6-8 level .... during a crisis, you need to adjust your
language/vocabulary to grade two or three level ...
Here's what a message map looks
like then
28. Message Map Example
H ow you re ad it ... from le ft to righ t th e th re e ke y m e s s age s and th e n you
re p e at e ach m e s s age followe d b y th e th re e s u p p orting facts or m e s s age s
… you can ad d m e s s age of e m p ath y to s tart, e nd with call to action.
30. Delivery
• Verbal vs non-verbal
• Things are totally reversed.
• Routine: 75% verbal and 25 % non-verbal
• Crisis: 75% non-verbal and 25% verbal
• What’s also important? Show poise!
31. Feel … No Mr. Roboto
Compassion, Competence, Optimism
32. Virginia Tech … example of a good delivery
• CCO template
• Compassion
• Competence/Conviction
• Optimism
33. Delivery
• We will recover ...
• Continue to invent the future at Virginia
Tech, through our tears and blood.
• Words matter and how you express them
34. A textbook case
May August January
2008 2008 2009
Good opinion 74% 57% 88%
Bad opinion 7 34 7
35. Anticipate
Prepare
Practice
Questions ???
In Summary
Notes de l'éditeur
Here’s a brief overview of what we’ll cover today … Don’t hesitate to interrupt me !
authorities criticized for waiting hours to respond to incidents … pressure is increasing: US Airways took heat for waiting for 13 minutes to put out information after one of its planes landed in the Hudson River in New York.
Two perspective: from our audiences and from our own.
Everyone armed with a phone/camera Twitter used extensively during the Mumbai crisis … 80 messages from witnesses every 5 seconds ! + blogs from hostages ! Pix and tweets seconds and minutes after Sunrise propane explosion/ People in their kitchen as fire approaches acting as “news gatherers” …
People can now share their own experience directly with each other … and information … a challenge. now at least one third of our audience does not get its information from traditional media: print, TV or radio
authorities criticized for waiting hours to respond to incidents … pressure is increasing: US Airways took heat for waiting for 13 minutes to put out information after one of its planes landed in the Hudson River in New York.
Forget the normal way you do things … Can’t think the same way or say things the same way … Because your audience WILL NOT think the same way they normally do !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
Proven record … lots of scientific evidence and research behind it. Used by many large government organizations involved in emergency response/management. Based on differences in how our brains process information in routine situations and during a crisis or stressful times. Let me explain …
A communications response to a crisis must be: immediate … occupy the public space … because of social media being out there with relevant, accurate information within minutes will go a long way to establish your voice as one of authority … people will then look for you !
Let me explain … Can we afford to wait hours before we talk to the media or our audiences? Or wait hours for approval of a news release?
Brains turn mushy … diminished ability to process and retain info
Why should we continue to do things in the normal way … when our message won’t be heard ?
That’s a critical piece … Whole way to structure our messages.
Media clips: about 9 seconds North American: 3 words/second Three quotes/key messages in print stories
Media clips: about 9 seconds North American: 3 words/second Three quotes/key messages in print stories
If it works in a crisis situation and is easy to process … why not use the same process for communicating for special events … such as the G8?
Normally in the OPS we write for about grade 8 level … papers, usually between grade 6 (sun) and grade 8 (star/globe) … academic paper: much higher … During crisis: write for grade 2 or 3 to ensure right comprehension No jargon, no technical terms
If it works in a crisis situation and is easy to process … why not use the same process for communicating for special events … such as the G8?
Foleyet train in quarantine Possible bio threat Here’s how we handled it
Foleyet train in quarantine Possible bio threat Here’s how we handled it
Perception is reality
“ I feel your pain” … Establish emotional connection if possible …
Perception is reality
Perception is reality
Crisis communications nowadays closely linked with reputation management …
Prepare message maps on all your hazards … risk-specific communications Ensure you have trained spokespeople exercise key crisis communications components regularly … as part of exercise program crises will happen … are you prepared?