Only Morons Say "No Comment"

By Brian J. Stephens

Every organization is vulnerable to a crisis. From accidents or rogue bloggers, to product recalls or community relations challenges, crises can occur in many forms. Quick, well-thought out action, is necessary to protect your reputation and your bottom line. Delaying or fumbling your initial response can create long-term damage, and a failure to respond can be even worse.

Advanced planning is paramount in dealing with a sensitive issue, crisis or emergency. Prior planning
will allow you to respond quickly, manage the court of public opinion and give confidence to stakeholders
and employees.

Communicating openly and in a timely fashion with an accurate message is the first step to containing a crisis. Our team will ensure the correct messenger's convey the best information to all the appropriate audiences. We can also see you through the crisis and conduct an after action review to determine what was done right and what can be improved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667884097

Book preview

Title

Only Morons Say No Comment

Practical Rules for

Crisis Communication

© 2016 Brian J. Stephens

Published by Adriel Publishing

www.adrielpublishing.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever, including photography, xerography, broadcast, transmission, translation into any language, or recording, without permission in writing from the publisher. Reviewers may quote brief passages in critical articles or reviews.

Printed in the U.S.A.

ISBN: 978-1-66788-409-7

www.brianjstephens.com

DEDICATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

FIVE STEP PROCESS TO CONNECT IN A CRISIS

Step 1 Determine Key Targets

Step 2 Establish Your Mission

Step 3 Pick Your Strategy

Step 4 Develop 3-2-1 Message Points

Step 5 Connect

SECTION 1: GENERAL RULES FOR A CRISIS

RULE 1 Take Control

RULE 2 Remain Flexible

RULE 3 Hey Narcissist, It’ Not About You

RULE 4 Fight, Flight, Or Strategize

RULE 5 Keep Your Cool

RULE 6 Emotions Matter

RULE 7 There Are Always Options

RULE 8 If You Consider It A Crisis, It Is

SECTION 2: RULES TO USE DURING A CRISIS

RULE 1 Stop The Harm

RULE 2 Deal With Victims

RULE 3 Speed Is Key

RULE 4 Bring In A Hired Gun

RULE 5 Fact Finding Is Critical

RULE 6 Don’t Over Respond

RULE 7 Avoid Mission Drift

RULE 8 Build And Educate Your Team

RULE 9 Loose Lips Sink Ships

RULE 10 Pivot

RULE 11 Communicate, Or Someone Else Will

RULE 12 Take Responsibility

RULE 13 Tell The Truth

RULE 14 Never Joke About A Serious Issue

RULE 15 Beware Of Dragons

RULE 16 Only A Fool Trusts A Reporter

RULE 17 Facts Do Not Change Our Minds

SECTION 3: RULES TO PREPARE FOR AND PREVENT A CRISIS

RULE 1 Preparing Is More Important Than The Plan

RULE 2 Have A Communication Back-Up Plan

RULE 3 Know Your Strengths And Weaknesses

RULE 4 Establish A Crisis Response Team

RULE 5 Develop Ground Rules

RULE 6 Conduct War Games

RULE 7 Practice Makes Better

SECTION 4: RULES FOR DEALING WITH THE MEDIA

RULE 1 Use Silence

RULE 2 Learn When To Shut Up

RULE 3 Call Reporters Back

RULE 4 Avoid Personal Opinions

RULE 5 Only Morons Say No Comment

RULE 6 I Don’t Know

RULE 7 You Are Not Bound To Yes Or No Questions

RULE 8 Learn To Interrupt

RULE 9 Body Language Matters

RULE 10 The Camera Is Always On

RULE 11 Keep Your Message Consistent

RULE 12 Stay Ahead Of The Media

SECTION 5: RULES FOR AFTER THE CRISIS

RULE 1 Conduct An After Action Review

RULE 2 Eradicate Yes Men

CONCLUSION

MY FAVORITE RESOURCES

ENDNOTES

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

CAISSA PUBLIC STRATEGY

INTRODUCTION

WHY WRITE A BOOK?

There are a lot of great crisis communication books written by a lot of seasoned professionals in the field. Each book has story after story that provides great reading and key lessons we can all learn. So, why did I decide to write another book telling us how to deal with a crisis? The answer is pretty simple, really.

Over the 15-plus years that I’ve worked in the crisis management field, I have noticed significant similarities and patterns among the many problems I have been asked to resolve. However, what I found to be more significant than the crises, were the patterns among clients’ responses to the problems.

People are their own worst enemies in far too many situations. They are unprepared, lead with their hearts when they should lead with their minds, and fail to communicate a clear course of action. These responses are the biggest challenges to effectively managing a crisis, especially when the response is defensive or when people try and cover up the truth.

I have seen destructive responses not only from entry-level managers, but also from CEO’s and executive directors of large multimillion-dollar organizations. While these seasoned veterans are well prepared to run an organization, the same competitive spirit that has led them to success can lead them to make poor choices during a crisis. The reason for these poor responses is pretty reasonable considering how personal a crisis can be. Attacks can come not only against the products or services your company offers, but also against the leadership team running the company. When the attacks seem personal, people can be reduced to their most primal nature. They want to ignore the problem completely, attack the opposition, or circle the wagons and defend all their actions, even if those strategies are clearly mistakes.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. I saw the need for a succinct tool to guide my clients when they were dealing with a crisis, because there was no clear-cut list of rules for people in trouble to follow. As leaders, they needed something that helped them to think strategically despite the emotional upheaval that lay ahead; a guide that would assist them in evaluating the issue logically and that would help them to discover the right answers. Answers that would protect and even grow their reputation, their brand, and of course their bottom line. That is why I wrote this book.

WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?

Throughout this book, I will cover the factors that influence people to react poorly when faced with a crisis and ways we can react more effectively despite how our instincts would have us behave. The public, our team, and the media will be forgiving to a point, but they still expect us to control and manage a crisis appropriately. And that means controlling the (at times) seemingly uncontrollable urge to make a fool out of ourselves because we’re afraid of losing all that’s at stake.

In order to handle a crisis well, what most people need is proper training and a guide to follow. From determining the initial response and communicating your message, to resolving the crisis and ensuring it will not repeat itself, this book’s aim is to be that guide. (And if you want the actual training, my shop will be happy to assist you, just visit www.caissaps.com.)

I began implementing the first outline of these rules nearly a decade ago, and began to see how my clients and team members in training would use them. What I saw was that the rules helped my clients and new team members to think before they acted, which is goal number one in crisis management. On top of that, I saw that the rules maintained the flexibility to adjust if circumstances demanded another path to victory. This is crucial, as a crisis can change at the drop of a hat. And most importantly, I noticed that these rules helped guide everyone to act with purposeful speed – a must in today’s highly connected world. These rules provided a clear guideline that anyone could follow in short order. A quick scan will give insight and help your team stay on course. So far, so good.

Over the years, my team and I have continued to expand the rules, some merely for internal purposes, some to improve our responses or for use in media training or other workshops. Some ideas never made it as a rule, especially if they did not hold to the universal truths I was striving to find.

These universal truths reached beyond any one type of client. I found that if a rule was true for a political client, it was true for a business. A nonprofit should follow the same set of principals as a publicly traded company. If the rule were true when a company launched a product that flopped, then the rule would also work when an employee posted something defamatory on the Internet or when a product caused harm.

Now, after years of perfecting the framework, I have my universal truths outlined and ready for you to use in the heat of battle. These rules are meant to teach in a very clear, concise manner that is void of fluff and allows even the most novice member of your team the ability to react to in way that will set you up for success.

It is my sincere hope that you and your team can use these rules to get out of a crisis and get back to work.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Typically, I relish in the art of story telling. It is the most powerful way to get a point across. Especially if the lesson is clear