Page 100 - Warwickers Communication Counts v2015
P. 100
100 TOOLKIT NEGATIVE PUBLICITY Head in sand and blind How to deal internally with
to what is happening negative publicity
In the age of Twitter - when things go wrong you may find yourself in
an environment determined by breaking news, speculation, arguments,
rumours and panic – intense times where an agreed crisis process and a
clear head are essential. In times of change and crisis, internal
communication must work with leaders and their management teams
to win the support of staff and keep them engaged.
Do not ignore the publicity – SAY SOMETHING and say it
1 soon – the ostrich approach is the worst you can do. If you
pretend the negative publicity is not happening, people will
assume you are trying to hide something – even if you
aren’t. Recognise with the speed and intensity of online
communication how quickly things will move and you need
to adapt and react accordingly.
THERE IS NO WAY TO AVOID COMMUNICATING – think of the messages you give
out if you do nothing. If you aren’t saying anything, you can be assured that your
employees are spending a lot of company time speculating about what is
happening. Not only can this have a demoralising effect on the workforce and cost
a lot of money in wasted time, but it breeds myths around the publicity, making it
harder to combat.
Acknowledge what is being said – and acknowledge people’s concerns – you do
2 not need to agree with the publicity to acknowledge that it is happening. Even if
you believe the publicity is unfounded, you should demonstrate to employees that
you recognise the effect it has on them and then explain the facts you can.
3 If the publicity is unfounded or incorrect, identify what needs to be done to
remedy this or identify any information you need to add to it – sometimes
information in the press will only be partly accurate or will be sensationalised so
you may need to explain more information or give background supporting details.
to what is happening negative publicity
In the age of Twitter - when things go wrong you may find yourself in
an environment determined by breaking news, speculation, arguments,
rumours and panic – intense times where an agreed crisis process and a
clear head are essential. In times of change and crisis, internal
communication must work with leaders and their management teams
to win the support of staff and keep them engaged.
Do not ignore the publicity – SAY SOMETHING and say it
1 soon – the ostrich approach is the worst you can do. If you
pretend the negative publicity is not happening, people will
assume you are trying to hide something – even if you
aren’t. Recognise with the speed and intensity of online
communication how quickly things will move and you need
to adapt and react accordingly.
THERE IS NO WAY TO AVOID COMMUNICATING – think of the messages you give
out if you do nothing. If you aren’t saying anything, you can be assured that your
employees are spending a lot of company time speculating about what is
happening. Not only can this have a demoralising effect on the workforce and cost
a lot of money in wasted time, but it breeds myths around the publicity, making it
harder to combat.
Acknowledge what is being said – and acknowledge people’s concerns – you do
2 not need to agree with the publicity to acknowledge that it is happening. Even if
you believe the publicity is unfounded, you should demonstrate to employees that
you recognise the effect it has on them and then explain the facts you can.
3 If the publicity is unfounded or incorrect, identify what needs to be done to
remedy this or identify any information you need to add to it – sometimes
information in the press will only be partly accurate or will be sensationalised so
you may need to explain more information or give background supporting details.
