APOLOGIES DURING CORPORATE CRISES

Transcription

1 GOING BEYOND APOLOGIES DURING CORPORATE CRISES STAN POLIT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION Why are we here? In the midst of a crisis, the last thing an organization wants to do is apologize

2 It starts with this I m sorry Taylor Just because you apologize, doesn t mean you regain credibility Fear of apologizing stems from our youth Communicating is easy. Rebuilding credibility is hard.

3 Best Crisis Communication Book Ever Written! Our stakeholders want something more than we can offer! Our stakeholders are like mice Their initial requests are simple a cookie or an apology

4 If you give a mouse a cookie he s going to want a glass of milk! If you give your stakeholders an apology, they re going to want something more! Moral: Our stakeholders are often highly demanding They have an insatiable need for resources we may not be able to provide particularly in a crisis

5 A crisis represents an important decision point Can a crisis be a beneficial opportunity for an organization? The monkeys say it all Everything we say or don t say during a crisis communicates something to our stakeholders

6 Actions speak louder than words.but how can effective crisis communication efforts prevent long term stakeholder backlash? Road Map

7 So why do we apologize, anyways? The goal.rebuild credibility after a crisis

8 APOLOGIZE REBUILD CREDIBILITY CRISIS CONTINUITY Apologies help start the image repair process Helps us bridge the divide between crisis and continuity Communicating is never as easy as it seems

9 1) We are bad at apologizing 2) Stakeholders like to blame rather than forgive Two problems! What does this definition tell us? The meaning of an apology is open to interpretation

10 2011: The Great Year of Apologies Everyone is apologizing for different crises but in the exact same way! Crises of Omission I apologize if I stepped on any of that PR that Mitt Romney needed or wanted that day. -Sarah Palin

11 Crises of Supposed Self-Interest Apologies to everyone if our earlier Amy Winehouse 'download' tweet seemed purely commercially motivated. Far from the case, we assure you. -Microsoft British PR Crises of Stupidity My sincerest apologies to the Sheriff's Department, and it was a joke gone wrong If my apology is not enough, I don't understand what else can be done. -The Game

12 What do all of these apologies have in common? The stakes of these crises are low! Apologizing becomes difficult when the stakes of the crisis are personal

13 or the crisis is so diverse and complex. it affects numerous direct and indirect stakeholders.

14 Apologies and Organizations What do fries tell us about credibility? An apology is a good thing if it comes from your heart but this is just another level of deception -Harish Bharti, Attorney

15 Organizations in crisis are faceless until.. the public gives them an identity! A great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money." -Matt Taibi, Rolling Stone Magazine, April 5,

16 In the wake of this complexity, what does the public do? Try and find a way to simplify the situation Find someone or something to blame! Gives stakeholders a sense of control, when the crisis deprives them of that feeling

17 If you don t speak.someone will speak for you! Or write a song about your lack of apologies! United, United You broke my Taylor guitar.some big help you are.you broke it, you should fix it You re liable, just admit it should have flown with someone else or GONE BY CAR Cause United Breaks Guitars!

18 Public perception impacts views on responsibility Organizations are susceptible to outside attacks Bush doesn t care about black people -Kanye West

19 Overarching Crisis Organizationa l Crisis Communicati on Crisis The big crisis can create an organizational crisis An organization can create a communication crisis that is different but equally damaging You cannot have trust without transparency FEMA s fake press conference

20 Apologies and Leadership A tale of two crises One country two crises two different apologies

21 Apologizing Sony-style Its all about respecting your audience Apologizing for Fukushima Apologizing is not always the first step towards rebuilding credibility

22 Traditional view of leaders involved in a crisis Why do executives dodge apologies? Because communication often creates lose-lose situations

23 Executives as PR Specialists? In a crisis, executives become the face of the organization as well as the crisis itself! One of these is not like the other I d like my life back -Tony Hayward

24 Sound bites are powerful They reflect an organization s awareness of the crisis and its impact Apology happens (3) Public wants an apology (2) Public angered by the apology (4) Crisis Happens (1) Apologies can create a vicious cycle for executives

25 A) Vikram Pandit (Citigroup) B) Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs) C) Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan Chase) Name the apologizer! We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret.we apologize It does not say anything! Why are you apologizing? For what are you apologizing? How are you going fix to the problem? What s wrong with this apology?

26 When we use specifics bad things can happen How do you lead when your organization defines a moral crisis? Apologizing as a PR act? How do you lead when no one expects your organization to create a moral crisis?

27 Recommendations and Best Practices A crisis is part of a larger narrative Identifying where you are in the crisis narrative is vital

28 Finding the common ground in a crisis Organizations and their stakeholders have the same goal return to normal Audiences matter! What s important is not what you want to say.but what your audience wants you to say!

29 Words matter, too! The way that we apologize, says a lot about the credibility of an apology! Ask the right questions! Fit the narrative to the audience

30 Who are the key stakeholders of the crisis? What are the effects of the crisis? Where are these stakeholders located? When are we expected to respond? Why should our apology be perceived as credible? How can we ensure continuity? The 5 questions crisis communicators must ask Apologies as the first step towards change They can signal a larger change in the way an organization engages with stakeholders

31 Thinking beyond communication efforts! Conceptualizing communication as a form of crisis marketing How do we reframe BP s story?

32 Don t just apologize make the situation right Reframe the story in a way that matches the hopes, dreams, and goals of your audience Yes they have! BP addressed the numerous sub-crises created by the spill

33 Match your apologia products to their needs Find ways to use the effects of a crisis as means of lessening its impact Tylenol s Packaging Disaster Communication: Extra strength crisis relief?

34 The impact of a disaster beyond one s control How do you find continuity after such an event? The $100 million apology Johnson & Johnson has effectively demonstrated how a major business ought to handle a disaster -Washington Post

35 Follow the Davy Crockett School of Crisis Management What ever is the right thing to do in a situation.do that! Apologizing still matters A product is nice, but offering the cookie is still important

36 Special Thanks Disaster Recovery Journal and George Mason University