Trying to avoid a crisis with the media may be well and good, but the fact is that a crisis can not always be avoided. When one does occur, it is essential to know how to handle it, and, as importantly, what you should not do.

photo credit: biloud43

1. Ignore the problem
One of the most common reactions to a crisis is to ignore it and hope it goes away. This rarely works, especially when it is a media crisis. When you have a crisis, you must meet it head on and deal with it immediately.

2. Not changing your decision making model
One of the most common mistakes organizations make is to try to overcome the problem by working harder. Whenever there is a communication crisis, a team that is already overworked suddenly must take on even more of a burden. To effectively deal with the crisis, new decision making protocols must be established. In some cases, you may need to form a completely separate communications team to specifically address that crisis.

3. Allowing lawyers to direct public relations policy
While it may be advisable to have the best attorney representing you if you go to court, when you are facing a crisis in the media you need an expert on the court of public opinion. Choose the right advocate to handle the right battleground.

4. Withholding information
If you attempt to withhold information, it will eventually come out. When that happens, it will add to the crisis and make it appear as if you are trying to hide something.

5. Not immediately correcting errors
The public understands that people are human and will, from time to time, make mistakes. When a mistake is made during a communications crisis, it is going to be amplified. If you say something erroneous, do not hesitate to correct it immediately. Failure to do so will only cause reporters to believe that you misled them on purpose. The result? They might just tell a few million listeners or readers that you deliberately deceived them. It is far better to come clean and own up to your mistake and correct it on your own.

To learn more about how to effectively handle a media crisis, consider TheCapitol.Net’s Advanced Media Relations Workshop.

Reference: Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch, Section 12.15 Eight Mistakes to Avoid in a Crisis

For more information about media training from TheCapitol.Net, see these resources:

• Media Relations Handbook, by Bradford Fitch
• Live courses in Washington, DC:
  • Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals: Media Relations 101
  • Advanced Media Relations Workshop
  • Effective Executive Briefings: The Art of Persuasion
  • Speechwriting: Preparing Speeches and Oral Presentations
  • Capitol Hill Workshop
• Capitol Learning Audio Courses:
  • Media Relations for the Public Affairs Professional, A Seven Course Series
  • Public Affairs Primer for Nonprofits and Associations
  • Media Relations: Merging Policy and Media Strategies
  • How the Media Works and How to Work the Media
  • Press Conferences and Media Interviews for Scientists and Engineers

When working with a principal and preparing them for coping with the media, one of the most important tasks you face is assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Part of the process of getting to know your principal is conducting an honest assessment. The result should allow you to develop a fair understanding of what will make them look good and what should be avoided.

photo credit: Annie Mole

One of the best ways to do this when you first take over a communications operation is to review your principal’s clips and taped interviews to gain an idea of the best forums that will help to advance their message. It is also important to develop an idea of where they fall in three categories: paranoid principal, media hog, or media mouse.

Some public figures tend to have the idea that the media is “out to get them.” The only way to successfully work with the paranoid principal is through education. The paranoid principal often focuses on a single poor story, but when you redirect them and reveal the totality of coverage they will see that for the most part coverage is balanced and fair. You must make sure that this type of misconception does not interfere with the potential for positive media coverage in the future.

Another common type you may encounter is the media hog. In this case, whatever coverage they get is never enough. There is often very little that you can do to please a principal who does not have a good understanding of the media and therefore expects too much. The only thing you can really do in this scenario is to work toward changing the way your principal views the media. You should also make a point to document their successes and try to manage their expectations by making clear and consistent predictions regarding the amount as well as the quality of press coverage prior to an event.

In some cases you may find you are dealing with a media mouse. This type of principal often believes the media simply is not interested in them. You need to exercise extreme persistence and patience when dealing with this type of principal. Standard media training techniques can go a long way toward helping your principal overcome their fear of speaking in public and moving beyond the idea that they are not yet ready. To learn more about preparing to speak in public, consider media training workshops from TheCapitol.Net: Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals, Advanced Media Relations Workshop, and Speechwriting.

Reference: Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch, Sections 7.3-7.6 Dealing with the Principal

For more information about media training from TheCapitol.Net, see these resources:

• Media Relations Handbook, by Bradford Fitch
• Live courses in Washington, DC:
  • Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals: Media Relations 101
  • Advanced Media Relations Workshop
  • Effective Executive Briefings: The Art of Persuasion
  • Speechwriting: Preparing Speeches and Oral Presentations
  • Capitol Hill Workshop
• Capitol Learning Audio Courses:
  • Media Relations for the Public Affairs Professional, A Seven Course Series
  • Public Affairs Primer for Nonprofits and Associations
  • Media Relations: Merging Policy and Media Strategies
  • How the Media Works and How to Work the Media
  • Press Conferences and Media Interviews for Scientists and Engineers

When working with a principal and preparing them for coping with the media, one of the most important tasks you face is assessing their strengths and weaknesses. Part of the process of getting to know your principal is conducting an honest assessment. The result should allow you to develop a fair understanding of what will make them look good and what should be avoided.

photo credit: Annie Mole

One of the best ways to do this when you first take over a communications operation is to review your principal’s clips and taped interviews to gain an idea of the best forums that will help to advance their message. It is also important to develop an idea of where they fall in three categories: paranoid principal, media hog, or media mouse.

Some public figures tend to have the idea that the media is “out to get them.” The only way to successfully work with the paranoid principal is through education. The paranoid principal often focuses on a single poor story, but when you redirect them and reveal the totality of coverage they will see that for the most part coverage is balanced and fair. You must make sure that this type of misconception does not interfere with the potential for positive media coverage in the future.

Another common type you may encounter is the media hog. In this case, whatever coverage they get is never enough. There is often very little that you can do to please a principal who does not have a good understanding of the media and therefore expects too much. The only thing you can really do in this scenario is to work toward changing the way your principal views the media. You should also make a point to document their successes and try to manage their expectations by making clear and consistent predictions regarding the amount as well as the quality of press coverage prior to an event.

In some cases you may find you are dealing with a media mouse. This type of principal often believes the media simply is not interested in them. You need to exercise extreme persistence and patience when dealing with this type of principal. Standard media training techniques can go a long way toward helping your principal overcome their fear of speaking in public and moving beyond the idea that they are not yet ready. To learn more about preparing to speak in public, consider media training workshops from TheCapitol.Net: Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals, Advanced Media Relations Workshop, and Speechwriting.

Reference: Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch, Sections 7.3-7.6 Dealing with the Principal

For more information about media training from TheCapitol.Net, see these resources:

• Media Relations Handbook, by Bradford Fitch
• Live courses in Washington, DC:
  • Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals: Media Relations 101
  • Advanced Media Relations Workshop
  • Effective Executive Briefings: The Art of Persuasion
  • Speechwriting: Preparing Speeches and Oral Presentations
  • Capitol Hill Workshop
• Capitol Learning Audio Courses:
  • Media Relations for the Public Affairs Professional, A Seven Course Series
  • Public Affairs Primer for Nonprofits and Associations
  • Media Relations: Merging Policy and Media Strategies
  • How the Media Works and How to Work the Media
  • Press Conferences and Media Interviews for Scientists and Engineers