Issues Management: From Community Relations
to Crisis Communications

Roy W. Reid, APR
Consensus Communications
Karen Breakell, APR
Progress Energy

(Download the Powerpoint presentation)

“Nature” of Change Course Objectives
• Fine tune planning and implementation strategies and tactics through issues management strategy
• Outline programmatic steps to better align operational and communication objectives for success
• Provide more strategic and proactive framework for developing and managing corporate communications functions
• Review case study of the application

Agenda
• Introductions
• Profile the Issues Management Approach
• Outline the Process and Implementation
• Case study of Progress Energy
• Evaluation Through Storms
• Conclusions

The Marketplace
• “The world has changed”
• Corporate scrutiny
• More active and sophisticated customers and communities
• More activist groups, watch dogs, etc
• Competitive issues
• The increasing intersection of business and public policy…politics and corporate agendas
• The business world is looking more like a battlefield… “The Art of War”
• Employee pressures
• Media cycles
• Internet issues

Issues Management
• Traditionally Issues Management is
– a campaign to manage communication efforts to affect behavior/influence for a
– specific issue that may be threatening the organization
• Issues Management SHOULD BE
– the proactive view of identifying possible issues aligned with
– operational objectives/actions from internal or external actions and
– planning communication/relationship efforts accordingly

Benefits of the concept: “Work Under Fire”
By incorporating an “issues management” perspective and template to planning, the organization can:
– better assess its situation and condition, before decisions are made
– plan for and implement effective community relations,
– more effectively communicate with key decision-makers and influencers, and
– prepare and deal with crisis situations.

Keys to Success
• Develop the plan from the INSIDE/OUT – operationally driven
• Recruit and raise a champion/sponsor in the executive ranks
• Understand the operational objectives and priorities
• Educate management regarding the balance of relationships
• Solid research
• Develop an effective follow-up mechanism
• Plan the work and work the plan…EXECUTION

Issues Management Models
• “RPIE”
– Research
– Planning
– Implementation
– Evaluation
• “Issues Management Campaign”
– Research
– Schedule
– Special Groups
– Grass Roots
– Earned Media
– Paid Media
– Budget

Setting the Stage:
• The “physics” law of the marketplace tells us that for every action we take, somebody reacts.
– Good or bad, someone will react to what we do in the marketplace, and it is incumbent on us to foresee the potential issues resulting from those reactions.

Anecdotes
• You can do everything right and still be wrong!
• Operations and relationships can often be out of line.

How do we foresee?
• STEP ONE (internal):
– Understand…research…ask: “what are all of the planned operational initiatives for the coming year?”
• What are some “standard” actions we may take this year
• What potential issues may carry over from this year?
• Where are we vulnerable to attack?
• What is our condition in the communities we serve or impact with these decisions?

• STEP TWO (external):
– Develop a database of foreseeable external issues:
• Elections
• Weather dates (Hurricane Season)
• Community milestones
• Annual “events”
• Special considerations

Issues Management Planning
• Issues Summit
– Identification of potential issues and prioritization of communication needs for the coming year. A comprehensive look and assessment of the good, bad and potentially ugly issues facing the organization.
• Community Relations Plan
– Programs that address the organization’s Spheres of Influence through specific outreach, philanthropy, or communication.
• Key Stakeholder Outreach
– Very targeted one-on-one relationship building programs with key influencers within the Spheres of Influence.
• Issues Management Program
– Organized campaign to address a specific issue that rises above the acceptable market intensity.
• Crisis Communications
– Program that addresses an issue posing an imminent threat to the organization.

The Issues Summit
• Pre-Event Actions
– Recruit C-level Champion
• Work with champion to sell up and across
– Survey “operational” leadership on ALL upcoming actions, plans and emerging internal concerns
– Develop external research database of “issues” and “issues drivers” in the marketplace
– Create pre-event package for participants
– Organize breakout sessions with operation and relationship participation
– Develop an event evaluation survey
• Event Agenda
– Present key issues and opportunities for the coming year
– Put the operational people together in a room for analysis, discussion, debate, arguments, etc.
– Cross pollinate the discussions by function and geography…operations and relationships
– Get first step commitments from participants
– Review specific issues and steps to manage or avoid
• Event Objectives:
– Demonstrate the connection between issues and operations…between community relations (relationship management / reputation) and results
– Get feedback to determine how to move forward with the ongoing effort – how will momentum carry forward
– Prioritize efforts to incorporate in Communications Plans
– Set follow-up dates and accountabilities

Objectives
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Contact

Community Relations
• Understand the Spheres of Influence in the community and their weighted strength
• Clusters help to show the collective impacts
• Plug in based on internal/external impacts on the organization
• Matching priorities
• Integrate the operational feedback and group work from the Issues Summit to the community relations plan
• Educate and speak the language
• Major Community Partnerships
– “Partner of Choice”
• Neighborhoods
– “Neighbor of Choice”
• Local Government
– “Citizen of Choice”
• Business and Associations
– “Provider of Choice”
• Schools
– “Partner of Choice”
• Faith and Service Community
– “Colleague of Choice”
» Corporate Community Relations: The Principle of the Neighbor of Choice, Edmund M. Burke

Key Stakeholders
• Build sustainable and ongoing relationships with key community stakeholders, groups and organizations through management and employee engagement with said leaders and community groups
• Institute and improve systems that coordinate strategic intent of our community relationship tactics; anticipate and respond to community expectation; and address key influencers’ concerns and issues -- creating LEVERAGE

• Focus the community support programs and package them to:
• build relationships,
• respond to community concerns
• position our programs in the media through partnerships
• strengthen quality of life
Key Stakeholders: Interaction
Key Stakeholders: Community Influence
Issues Management - Specifics
• Assign teams for emerging and defined issues in the mix
– Connect operational leadership with the issue
– Assign a team leader
– Assign relationship management
• Community Relations and Corporate Community resource managers
– Develop schedule
– Set milestones

Issues Management
• Create ongoing meetings for review and revision of the plan
– Quarterly Issues Review with Geographic/Functional Teams
– Monthly review with point people for Community Relations and Corporate Communications
– Regular updates for Company leadership

Crisis Communication
• Education
• Training
• Media training
• Follow-up

Progress Energy
Case Study
Company Needs
• Strengthen the corporate message and tell people the “new” company story effectively
• Align internal system issues with communications
• Establish stronger community relationships
• Develop communication plan for Florida

Develop a Plan
• Comprehensive communications plan
– Formal research
– Secondary research
– Set priorities
– Find a new approach to develop and implement…Issues Summit

Issues Summit Objectives
• Recruit champion to promote issues program
• Launch program with statewide Issues Summit event
• Secure 40 of the 120 managers for participation
• Create follow-up and maintenance program
• Integrate the Issues program into the community relations and communications programs

Steps to Launch the Issues Summit
• “RPIE”
– Research
– Planning
– Implementation
– Evaluation

Issues Summit: Research
• Internal:
– Survey company leadership statewide:
• Operational actions
• New initiatives
• Local issues and concerns
• Key audiences to address
– Employee focus groups
– Employee survey
• External
– Political issues
– Environmental issues
– Special interest groups
– Media agendas

Issues Summit: Planning/Vision
• These tools are only effective if they are managed from the inside of our company before moving outside to key constituents.
– Collaboration
– Communication
– Contacts

Planning
• Goals
• Develop a proactive process
• Set the stage for collaboration
• Identify issues by topic
• Raise level of awareness of key issues
• Deliverables
– Industry overview
– Issues by region
– Plan for regional summit
– Identification of future issues
– Network of contacts

– The process is as important as the end result.

Florida-Issue identification
• Understand industry trends
• Monitor changing environments
• Own decision-making
• Personal impact on corporate reputation

Implementation
• Agenda
– Case study
– Statewide overview
– Two working sessions
– Packet includes:
• Contact list
• Topical overview
• Issues assessment tool
• Feedback form
• Management Challenges
– Make friends before you need them
– Action plans are needed on complex issues
– Consistency across the state is key
– Everyone takes ownership
– Don’t forget the “surprise” issues
– On-going collaboration yields success

Evaluation
• Output Metrics
– 85 participants
• Goal was 40
– Cluster teams established for top five issues
– Timelines set for developing plans
– Projects identified to develop outcome measurements
– Media training set for identified spokespersons
– Participant feedback positive for the event and follow-up

Outcome Evaluation
Charley
Frances
Ivan
Jeanne
Hurricane Tracks
Working the Plan
• Build on the Regional and Functional teams established at the Issues Summit
• Establish communication protocols
• Enact the Issues Management Plan
• Research
• Special Groups
• Grassroots
• Earned Media
• Paid Media
• Scheduling
• Centralize Corporate communications Ops center to the storm
• Address “key audience” issues and assign duties

Working the Plan
• Create connectivity with operations based on the needs
• Coordinate schedules for calls and updates
• Four daily updates
• Executive updates
• Two calls a day
• Target communications accordingly
• Establish “lessons learned” reports daily
• Understand audience expectations
• We had to be nimble and fluid

Special groups
• Employees
• The Emergency Operations Centers
– Orange County
– Marion/Citrus
– Seminole
– Lake Wales
• Evolving issues:
• “Estimated Time of Restoration” (ETRs)
• Equity and conspiracy issues
• Customer expectations differed for each storm
• Operational improvement

Earned Media
• Proactive and open communication
– The Orlando Sentinel
– Radio
– Local Television
– Prep
– Managing Expectations
– Continued Follow-up

Issues Management
• Work from the Operational Level
• Develop an Issues Summit
• Integrate Issues Summit and output findings and results into Corporate Communications/Community Relations plans
• Create system to evaluate and revise the plans