Crisis Communication Crash & Burn

Employee scandals.
Illegal activity.
Product recalls.
These, and more, are all things that call for crisis communication.

Temple University recently announced the cancellation of seven sports teams and has found itself in the midst of a situation that could use a lot of crisis communication.  While an initial announcement was made, there has been a lot of backlash from students, parents and faculty about the issue and minimal information has been provided from the university.

I'm not here to place blame on Temple, I am simply analyzing the situation from the perspective of a public relations student. While I haven't had much first-hand experience with crisis communication, I've learned a great deal about it and there are several things that should be done in an instance like this:

• Get accurate information out fast. If you don't the press will and word of mouth will and the message you were hoping to convey is hopelessly lost in translation.
• Never say "no comment". Always have something to say, or others will end up putting words in your mouth and taking your caution as avoidance and guilt.
• Use empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of the people that are being affected. Make it known that you are doing so. Generic responses and cookie cutter actions are only going to show people that you're disconnected with your audience.

Based on what I've learned during my education here at Temple, the university could up their crisis communication and handle the situation more effectively. It's a tricky issue, I think everyone understands that. What would you do if faced with such a crisis?

#RealTalk: Crisis Communications

"In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."

This is a quote from a session at the PRSSA National Conference called From the Crisis Trenches: Blazing a New Trail in Communications. Speakers from the Mach 1 Group discussed the crisis the Livestrong Foundation was faced with when the Lance Armstrong scandal broke.

No matter how prepared we try to be, crisis will always knock us off balance.  Only so much can be learned about crisis communications in a classroom but it is something that will most likely face all of us one day. Here are some key takeaways that I learned in this PRSSANC session that made me feel more comfortable in my ability to handle a crisis situation.

• Work your company's mission statement into any answer you're giving the press
• Think "how can we turn this around?"
• Remember: we are more than the sum of the actions we take
• Be sure to show the big picture, not just focus on the problem at hand
• You always want to be the one to break the news so you can shape it
• Ethical and transparent communication is essential

Keeping these things in mind when handling a crisis situation will help ensure that it goes as well as possible. 

What tips do you have for dealing with crisis communications?

Deadly Fire in Brazil

Firefighters at the scene of Kiss night club Agencia RBS/AFP/Getty Images

I woke up this morning to the news that there was a devastating fire early this morning at a night club in Brazil. Almost 250 people have been reported dead so far. The suspected cause is sparks stemming from a pyrotechnic performance at the night club. Allegedly, some of the emergency exits were locked, preventing patrons from being able to escape, once the fire ignited and spread within seconds. However, many lay blame to asphyxiation caused by the fire. As a result of a lack of oxygen, people became confused and disoriented in a struggle to find an exit. 50 people were found in the club's bathroom, which was confused for an exit.

Kiss, the night club where the fire erupted is a popular party destination for college kids in Santa Maria. 300-500 people were inside the club at the time of the fire making it difficult for emergency personnel to get inside. The emergency services were commended for their quick response.

The night club fire is set to have the highest death toll from a fire since 2000. It is yet to be seen who will be liable for the accident; the band who launched the pyrotechnics, or the scene of the fire, Kiss.

A Prank Gone Wrong

When news broke that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate, are expecting their first baby, baby fever broke. Countdowns started, rumors of twins swirled and breakdowns of the royal hierarchy occurred on every news outlet. 

A radio show in Australia decided to chime into the commotion by prank calling the hospital that Kate Middleton was staying at, for severe morning sickness. The hosts of the show, Mel Greig and Michael Christian chose to impersonate Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. In the prank call, they spoke with a member of the nursing staff, Jacintha Saldanha. Grieg and Christian inquired about the baby and obtained private information about Duchess Kate's condition. For the rest of the prank, the talk show hosts rattled on about corgis and random eccentric comments before hanging up, failing to mention that this was all a joke.

Later in the week, Saldanha was found dead of apparent suicide. Soon after news of her death broke, Greig and Christian's Twitter accounts were suspended and their radio show pulled off the air.

What do you think about the prank? Is it fair that the radio hosts receive all of the blame? Let us know!