1. OAHRI
HUMAN RESOURCES MEDIA hrmon Iine.com.au APRIt 2015
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ACCI CEO KATE CARNELL SPEAKS OUT
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2. IHISIS? l|O DHAl[/lA
Bad news can damage a business internalty and externally. Atthough not on the frontline,
HR managers who understand effective media strategy can help staff deal with the fatlout.
BYSUSAN MULDOWNEY
S(/HEN N{ALAYSIAN AIRLINES FLIGHT N{H370, carrying
239 passengers and crew, went missing en route from Kuala
Lumpur to Beijing on 8 March last year, the traged,v was
compounded by the official response. As the rvorld tuned in to
reports of the search for the missing plane, they were also r'vitness
to a !'ase olt how nor to manage a crists.
If a company is judged rrlore on horv it handles the bad times than
the good, a clear strateg,v for effective media engagement is essential.
In the case of Mala.vsian Airlines, the strategy appeared uncertain.
"The,v broke nearly everv rule," sa.vs Anthony lvlcClelland of
public relations consultanc,v AMC Media. "The-v lost credibilit,v
within 48 hours of the plane going missing. They had multrple
spokespeople often sa,ving contradictor.u- things. They handled
the key stakeholders - the relatives of the missing - atrociously. It
"YOU CAN USE SOCIAT MEDIA IO SPREAD
THE WORD BUT ALSO AS A FEEDBACK LOOP TO
INFLUENCE THE RESPONSE."
GRAEME 1{EWTON, CRISIS MAI{AGEMEl{T IEADER, DELOITTE
seemed like they had no fcrisisl plan at all."
Disaster is always a hot media topic. And when a crisis hits the
rvorkplace, it can make front-page news. It could be the result
of a financial crash, computer security breach, poorly managed
redundancy or workplace fatality. rX/hile HR professionals mav not
be the conduit for media engagement during a disaster, there is great
value in understanding effective media strategies.
A proactive response is one of the first rules of crisis
communication. "You need to engage with the media," sa1's Graeme
Neu.ton, crisis management leader rvith Deloitte. "A vacuum will be
filled and ir's irnportant that someone else doesn't fi1l it. You need
to make a statement, even if it's a holding statement that says you're
gathering more information."
Nervton adds that social media can be a valuable part of proactive
communication. "You can use social media to spread the word but
also as a ieedback loop to influence the response. It can be a source
to pick up sentiment, i.vhich can be used to issue statements to try to
pur thingt rr er5e. he say..
The 6rst 48 hours of a crisis are critical for an organisation
to communicate a response to stakeholders. "There needs to
be a process in place where quick decisions can be made," says
-IcCIelLan. "A crisis is not a time to have lots of committee
meetings to tr)- to seek a consensus - you need a leader u'ho is
empos.ered to make decisions and take control."
{cClellan adds that the leader will generall.v become the
spokesperson for rnedia engagement. "They need to be articulate,
honest, credible and medi:r trained. There's a need to speak in
simple and digestible language. One o{ the problems I run into is
trf ing to 'de-jargon' people in a business. If I hear the expression
'going forrvard' one more time I'm going to scream."
In times of drama, honest communication is both a moral it
36 HR hrmontine.com.au

3. FEATURE: MEDIA STRATEGY
obligation and a business imperative. "I deal r'vith the
media in the same rva.v that I'd want to deal rvith internal
communications, and the fundamental things are to
be transparent and open," sa.vs Paul Beglel', AHRI's
national manaEJer of gor.ernment and media relations.
"It's not a court of lar,n but concealing material facts
r'vould be a ver,v negative thing to do."
"People in mv job n,ho tr1'to cover up are dorng
the opposite of u,hat the1, should do because it r'vill be
counter productive, almost certainlv," adds Begley. "If
the n-redia can find an angle on the cover-up, then the
cover-up becomes the stor,v."
The same level of transparencl' should be applied
to internal communications. So hou, can HR ensure
employees are kept informed u,hen a crisis hits?
"Staff, in a general sense, are the first stakeholder
group that needs to be told r'vhat's going on," says Simon
Mossman, director of communications and media
training firm lvlossman N{edia.
"Even though you might not know r'vhat a crisis
or issue looks like or rvhen it n-ray strike, there's huge
value in planning for the u,orst and horv it rvill be
communicated," sa,vs Mossman.
One u.ay to do that is to be an active consumer of
neu,s. "Even if an HR person doesn't think there's
something in the media for them to worry about, it still
pays for them to be across it."
Effective internal communication when a business
"YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE
STAFF HAVE THE INFORMATION
TO RESPOND WHEIHER IO CUSIOMERS
OR AI A BARBECUE"
CHRISTII{E PARKER, WESTPAC GROUP EXECUTIVE, HRAI{D
CORPORATE ATFAIRS
crisis is making headlines can help sustain loyaltn
productivitv and even retention, sa,vs Christrne Parker,
'!(estpac group execr-1tive, HR and corporate affairs.
"It's important that,vou have aligned and engaged
emplol,ees lr.ho are advocates for 1,ou. You can't just do
fthe internal communication] as a one-off.
"l don't see HR in isolation from hor.r, ).ou run,vollr
broader communications, erternal and internal."
Parker sa.vs business challenges must be
communicated to employees and follorved up rvith
specific tools. These mig;ht include question-and-answer
documents, customer information for distribution,
leadership sessions to help people comrnunicate the crrsrs
to their teams and lvorksl-rops.
"You need to make sure they have the skills and
information required to respond, u,hether that's
to customers or at a bzrrbecue," sa1's Parker. This
means giving emplovees tl-re information they
need to confidentll,articulate the facts and the
company's position on the matter. "lt's part of the
overall integrated strategy around customer care,
multibranding and sustainabilit.u*."
McClellan says companies have a responsibility to
communicate erternall.v and internally during a crisis.
"lfa media release is being sent out, send it to staffso
the,v knou. rvhat you're saying. The advantage rs having
a constant message. You need to tell everyone the same
thing otherrvise you create confusion." ($
MEDIATBAINING IIPS
by former ABC newscaster
Richard liorecroft
(pictured).
HR professionats may
not be targets for media
approaches but if you're
the focus of media
attention, it pays to get your
organisation's point across
with minimatnerves.
.BE PREPARED
"Think about what
you might be asked so
questions are not a surprise.
Prepare the most important
things you want to say."
.BE SELF AIiIARE
"Devetop an understanding
ofyour body language.
These are etements ofour
professionaI tootkit that
need to be improved, lust
[ike a golf swing. lt takes
practice. People can look
at themsetves on video and
get constructive feedback."
.DISCOVERYOURVOICE
"We atl have a wide range
of naturalvoices. We need
to access the appropriate
voice forthe right
circumstance. Bring a suite
of communication skilts to
an interview."
Richard Morecroft is
the MCatthisyeafsAHRl
NationaI Convention .
HR hrmontine.com.au
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