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Home TOOLS Development Tools From Community Relations to Crisis Communications
Home TOOLS Development Tools From Community Relations to Crisis Communications
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

 

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