The Atkinson Vinden Lawyers/GBD ‘Media Crisis’ breakfast seminar staged last Thursday morning attracted 60-plus operator delegates, with a considerable number travelling from interstate.
Attendees were telling us that enquiry rates by prospective village residents have been hit in QLD as well as NSW. Calls from families of village residents have also picked up, concerned about their parent’s contracts.
The keynote presentation was made by Anthony McClellan, billed as the ‘foremost media crisis management expert in Australia’.
His core points:
- be prepared for a crisis by investing in a regular ‘audit’ of issues that could blow up
- focus on the events that could generate ‘reputational damage’
- audit overseas markets as indicators of what could happen here
- interview (confidentially) staff for issues
- beware of ‘corporate capture’ – staff don’t tell you the real issues because of fear for jobs
- Correct language is extremely important – must be empathetic
- beware of lawyers that don’t appreciate ‘reputational damage’ – they will focus on ‘risk’, resorting to legal ‘language’ that will create more damage in communiqués
- most important to acknowledge mistakes and move on
- the public understands ‘mistakes’ but not continual mistakes
- you need a social media response plan – put out media releases on social media first
- use social media as a weathervane for what will happen in mainstream media (MSM)
- understand the power and use a professional for ‘off the record’ dialogue with journalists
- off the record rules:
- must have a clear agreement on the rules before you start the conversation, namely
- can’t be quoted
- the information can be published
Guy Vinden (of Atkinson Vinden Lawyers) also outlined the legal speed bumps in managing the messaging and the ‘intent’ of responses in a media crisis while Jeff McGarn (GBD) related experiences on the need for urgency in a positive response.
