‘As communicators we deal with crisis all the time. If we do our jobs well, most people won’t know they ever happened.’- Victoria Harris, PR Newswire

Do you have a crisis communication plan in this social media age? Why? Well because bad things do happen from time to time. More so if you are operating a big business. Ask Kenya Airways (KQ) or Mumias Sugar Company (MSC).

Any brand that does not have a crisis communication team (plan) handy is planning to succumb to crisis hits. You would rather have a crisis communication team ready, without any incident; than be without and go through an incident that will drive you out of business. It happened to PanAm. Do you remember them?

Pan American Airline’s flight was destroyed by terrorists over Lockerbie. The company suffered a PR disaster when it emerged that warnings had been given about a bomb on the aircraft. The fact that PanAm received an average of four bomb warnings a day made no difference to the public perception. Shortly afterward, PanAm went out of business. Just like that.

However, this article isn’t so much about having a crisis communication plan: rather how do we plan for a crisis in this social media age? The idea here is integrating social media into your crisis communication plan. For reasons known: social media is the new media, and its reach has made companies more susceptible to potentially damaging situations.

In a research by Altimeter Group: ‘It has been more than 10 years since social media began to disrupt organizations. In that time, it has gone from being a “bright shiny object” that confounded business leaders, to becoming a widely adopted means of customer engagement.' This is where the people (customers ) who hold your brand's life are.

As much as social media has dissolved traditional boundaries, creating a sense of proximity between brands and consumers, it has also made companies more vulnerable. Considering that, we have over 1 billion facebook users and 400 million tweets sent per day: how can we afford not to integrate social media into our crisis communication plan?

The other day: we heard of how James Mwangi - CEO Equity Bank, allegedly sexually harassed Esther Passaris - founder of the adopt-a-light program. The article by Cyprian Nyakundi was validated by Esther’s own comment on the matter. I imagine, this ‘expose’ must have caught James Mwangi, unawares. Right? As much as its toll has not been felt, we all know it has left a crevice. Through social media, many heard about this. Even before the mainstream media picked it up. Back to the matter at hand.

For you to develop a strong crisis strategy, there are best practices that integrate social media into the traditional crisis communications framework that are essential. You need to know these 10 things in order to leverage social media to manage and even prevent crises:

1. Implement Policies to Address Potential Vulnerabilities

Have you noticed the way, employees don’t quite know when they should or shouldn’t comment on matters touching on the company? It is not their fault. Who wouldn’t want committed employees? But, this is tricky grounds.

In this age, there is a thin line between personal and professional lives. Once, this is not clear, chances are high of employees commenting on topics, which would otherwise result in irreparable damages. What to do? The team responsible for handling any crisis: should have clear policies, detailing what participants (social media) should do or not do in particular situations.

For instance: In the event a customer comments negatively about a product, let the social media manager, and or marketing director respond to the comment.

2. Use Social Media as a Tool for Crisis Monitoring

Where else if not on social media? If you would like to know what people are saying about your brand, go on social media and do the noble thing: listen. Armed with this knowledge, why not use social media to track issues that might affect your brand? Your social media team should man the social media space ready to fish any comment that might otherwise result in a full-blown catastrophe if left unattended.

3. Understand the Response-ability of Social Media

Gone are the days, when you only had to be close to traditional media to know your roof is on fire. Traditional media’s, inaccessibility, made it take longer for word to spread. Today, residents in Nairobi, in a matter of minutes, will know what is happening in Garissa. To imply that social media has significantly altered the rate at which information is exchanged and consumed. 

Social media has substantially reduced the window organizations have to respond in moments of crisis. On facebook, it might take 12 hours to respond to a crisis, while on twitter it is a matter of minutes. This new normal has to be factored in. Not only should you have people ready to act during normal working hours: but also after working hours – Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm.

4. Establish a Framework for Response

In a crisis communication, we have what we call, a war room. This is where; the crisis team goes in to put out the fire and come out either victorious and or the people who brought down an entire organization. You would not dream to be part of that team. At least when things pan out differently.

Regardless of the outcome: it is important that you have all passwords, gadgets accessible for such a time. You should well in advance, establish who will be your fighters in the “war room” as well as which individuals will be making decisions and communicating directives to teams tasked with responding to events on the ground. This team should be ready at all times: more so during this time.

5. Build a Social Media Crisis Toolkit

Make sure to include social media when preparing toolkits for your crisis response efforts. These include standardized, pre-approved templates for blog posts, tweets, and other social media platforms that are in harmony with the rest of the brand's response efforts.

6. Know Where to Respond

With the many channels, you must know where your constituents are. The idea is to make sure that your message reaches your constituents directly. This proves that you are willing to engage with your audiences, in the forums where they are. Do not stop there. Make sure that you include all other communication channels.

7. Prepare Your Employees in Advance

To be forewarned is to be fore-armed. As management, you want to maintain a consistent message across the company. From customer care to the c-suite, everyone should read from the same script.

8. Establish the Proper Tone

Remember when you were developing your strategy: there was that section of choosing a company tone: formal or informal? In the wake of a crisis, you must not let that restrict you in your responses. Make sure that in your message, you do not come out as insensitive just because you chose to an informal tone when responding to a crisis. Just remember to choose a tone depending on the context and situation at hand.

9. Hit the Automation Kill Switch

With the many social channels owned by a company, the use of software to manage these channels has been necessary. But in a crisis, all these software must be shut down. Everything needs to be brought under the care of the crisis communication team. The reason is, in the event that your release a post off topic, you might just be seen as insensitive and carefree of the needs of the customers and all affected parties.

10. Be Honest, Be Transparent

Ultimately, in all crisis honesty will help you go a long way. “There is no such thing as too much information. During a disaster or crisis, Twitter, and other social media can provide an instant view of conditions on the ground.” – The Guardian

Continued transparency and communication will help keep the public informed and updated throughout the duration of a crisis. Even sharing bad news in these moments will be appreciated for its honest and will help re-establish long-term trust once the crisis abates.

Listening, watching and or reading the news today, you won't miss one or two things going wrong. For instance, yesterday (10th November) a manager shot dead his colleague at Nakumatt stores. Absurd, right?

The Money Markets

Prior to that, we have had cases of Cabinet Secretaries, prominently, Ann Waiguru at the center of massive corruption cases. In fact, calls to have her ousted, and the deaf ears they fall on have resulted in her baptism from Ann Waiguru to Ann-Wa-Ikulu (Ann of the statehouse). Funny.

See, either way: guilty and or innocent once hit by a crisis, your image never remains the same. The Tyson like blow, will send you down. Getting up is one thing. Recovering from the blow is another. Unfortunately for us, we go ahead and re-elect people who are the most corrupt. Whose images are beyond repair. What a forgiving society.

For those of us in the professional realm, we never let it slide. We hold you ransom, for your conduct.
Then going forward, we ask ourselves, how do we best handle this situation. For deep down we know, failure to tackle the matter will result into devastating effects for anyone with close ties with the organization and or you. Bearing in mind that a crisis is a negative threat to operations, that can have negative consequences if not handled properly. (Institute for PR)

For us to clearly correct the situation we need to understand the threats posed by a crisis. These threats are categorized into three:

• Public Safety
• Financial Loss
• Reputation Loss

Although interrelated, we need to understand each threat independently.

Public Safety

We are lucky that our country (Kenya) has never experienced chemical explosions or something of that magnitude. The only other time Kenya has witnessed a crisis that shook the fabric of her people is during the terror attacks. 

After years of peace and tranquility, the enemy saw us as sitting ducks. He struck mercilessly. Lives of Kenyans all over the country, from Mandera, to Mpeketoni to the 'famous' West Gate, were lost. It didn't take long before it dawned on us that our security apparatus were off. Measures to oust Security chiefs were put in place but still, the enemy didn't bow down. He kept coming. 

Today, we sit pretty. I wonder if the threat was eliminated or the terrorist are waiting for the right time to strike? This period proved hellish for the Jubilee government. Public Safety was under threat. People were scared. Knowing well, that the first responsibility of any government is to protect its people; the Kenyan government lost face. The damage was done.

Financial Loss

On July 31st, I read a daily nation article titled: 'Turbulent Times for Kenya Airways as it Records a 26 billion Loss.' This is big money, right? This was a few months after the media gave prominence to the failing Mumias Sugar Company. In one case: Kenya Airways, the thought of the national carrier making such huge losses was unpalatable.

After being dubbed as the highest loss making company in East Africa: we the public cast our suspicion to management. Could it be embezzlement. However the report alone was enough to make shareholders loose trust in the national carrier. For Mumias Sugar Company, it was outright embezzlement. Its near collapse, has made all shareholders watch from the periphery.

In both cases the corporate giants were linked to cases of corruption and or embezzlement. This triggered a ripple effect that led to their loss making. Which in turn led to shareholders losing trust in the corporate giants, and selling the shares. The hardest hit has been Mumias Sugar Company. Whose shares currently are trading at Kshs. 1.55. Whoa!

Reputation Loss

In the world we live in, Image is everything. This is why we are encouraged to always make a good first impression, as an individual or business.

Those who enjoy the limelight are the ones hardest hit when a crisis hits town. Scandals are usually the forces operating in the background when one losses his reputation. Pick an example that comes to mind and you a re right.

These three are the dark clouds that a crisis comes with. Knowing which one you are tackling makes it easier to devise a crisis communication plan to repair the damage caused. Regardless of how hard you are hit, we in the communication profession will always find a way of getting you out-Olivia Pope style.

However, of the three the most fragile is reputation. Security you can always build and put in place formidable apparatus. Money you can loose it and make it all. However, image takes time to build and once sullied, it takes time to restore. Image is everything, indeed. Perhaps this should guide you into answering Shakespeare's famous question: What's in a name? Answer: Everything.

They say, all is well, that ends well. This is something we tell ourselves after going through murky waters. Sometimes how something ends, does not imply it is well. It could be the beginning of something dire.

Forest Wildfire

Growing up we were always told that, the devil comes out to patrol at night. Those he finds still awake, will have to meet him. In our tiny minds we deciphered what it meant. We would make haste to fall asleep as soon as we went to bed. Many years later, now an adult, I have come to appreciate that despite the old story,  bad things do happen at night. A time when the world is fast asleep.

The money market crashes. A company that was worth billions, files for bankruptcy. A certain political figure decides to have sexual relations with a notorious prostitute. His illustrious career takes a nose dive. Thugs, go after the director of a company and kill him. Culminating in an investigation that drags the good name of the company through mad. Teachers, issue a 12 midnight ultimatum, which the government fails to honour. An office building burns down sending thousands home. One catastrophe after another. Eventually, when morning comes, you find yourself staring at multiple crises straight in the eyes. Whoever blinks first, looses.

If you wake up to this rude stare; always remember the ultimate goal is to maintain the image of the affected party. The company whose stocks went down. The Politician who strayed. The burnt office building: you have to maintain their respective images. And how do you do this?

Benoit, a proponent of the Image Restoration theory (1995) put forth techniques used when faced with a crisis. These are:

Denial

This strategy is employed by many, like it is second nature. Usually, when a crisis hits, one with a scandalous vibe to it, the affected party usually deny their involvement. The Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal comes to mind. When striking teachers in Kenya, demanded that the government revisit their request and make due their promise as passed by the courts, the Teachers Service Commission denied having the money to meet the request. Creating a back and forth kind of reaction, to date. It is now 4 weeks.

The famous Moses Kuria, after being caught on video inciting a local community against a particular community, he denied it. Efforts by one of the leading media houses, Citizen TV, to clarify the matter were met with an apathetic response. He had the audacity to walk out of an interview on air, when they were about to play the footage. A clear statement that he is distancing himself from the issue.

In all these cases, to date no party has accepted responsibility. It follows, we have forgotten about the whole issue.

Evading Responsibility

This tact is employed to throw the ball to someone else. Perhaps in an effort to strategise, if and when the issue gets worse.

The Kenyan government has realized that the teachers will not budge. They have resorted to involve the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

It has called on the teachers to indulge the SRC in the dispute for they are mandated to handle anything and everything that appertains to Salaries of all public servants in the country. Despite the teachers demanding the government to heed the court's ruling, which was again reversed, the government sits pretty knowing it has tossed the ball to the SRC.

The media outlets reported, that Sarah Serem, would in fact resign if the government would decide to pay the teachers. Well, we wait.

Reducing Offensiveness

We often hear people saying; if the kitchen is too hot, get out. This is true in a crisis. If one party realizes, the one on the defense, things are getting hotter an act of making it less offensive is devised. The aim is to cushion the defensive party from the heat.

This may take many forms, but dialogue is the most common. The disputed elections of 2007/08 led to a national catastrophe. The whole fate of the country lay with Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga and retired President Mwai Kibaki. If they wouldn't have agreed to get into a room and talk it out; the Kenya we know today, wouldn't be in existence.

Corrective Action

In all crises, their is always an objective in mind. Let alone image maintenance: this is the objective. Consider the striking teachers; for the strike to end, the government has to effect the 50-60% pay rise. And as far as the union is concerned, the teachers seem not to be interested in any other outcome. Unless the government heeds this call, then the strike is still ongoing.

In other words, if employees are  striking for better pay, unless management meets this demand then the crisis will morph into something catastrophic. That is what we refer to as corrective action: deciding to take action in a bid to correct the situation that caused the crisis in the first place. Usually, the sooner the better. Effect the pay and be done with it.

Mortification

According to dictionary.com, mortification is a feeling of humiliation or shame, as through some injury to one's pride or self-respect. The after math of a crisis will always drag with it a sense of shame. More so to the party that seemed immovable rather arrogant during the whole period.

I remember hearing terms like: 'Can't pay, won't pay.' The teachers responded with their, 'Can't teach. Won't teach' version. Whichever direction the strikes goes, one party is bound to experience some humiliation. Usually, its the management or a politician in case of a sexual scandal. They end up being the victims of shame.

In quick review; when in crisis mode consider Benoit's regimen. Denial, evading responsibility, reducing offensiveness, corrective action and mortification. In your everyday encounters, use the above to fix a crisis in your company and or surrounding. Let me know how it goes.

Protesting: Crisis Management

'The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…’ John 10:10-New King James Version (NKJV). This is paints a picture of what to expect when a crisis strikes. Rarely will a crisis leave an organization intact: its effects are worrisome. A crisis can put a whole corporation out of business. Send thousands of people packing and destroy property worth millions. A crisis is a communications professional proverbial ‘between a rock and a hard place’.

 Of the top of my mind, I can mention several crises that have hit hard. First in line was the terror attacks, in all corners of the country: Kapedo, West Gate, and Garissa. Many lives were lost. I remember the government running short of air in their attempt to justify their legitimacy when they were failing to protect and preserve life. 

Second, came the Ebola outbreak. Despite being a global threat, it did not bring relief to individual countries. Due to the severity of the disease, it was important for the government to assure the public that it would not let the disease permeate the country. Measures to screen anyone and everyone who came in the country were heightened. Despite a few scare cases in the country, we survived.

 Then came the strikes. Medical professionals and teachers have downed their tools, not once but many times. Both times, protesting for better pay. Medical practitioners want the greater Human Resources role to remain with the National government. Whereas governors still want to hold on to this function. Despite there being cases of delayed payments for months. Oh, well.

 As far as our beloved teachers are concerned, they have not resumed school. Reason being failure by government to affect their due salary increment of 50-60%. This makes it a case of who will blink first.
 From what we gather, it is not the teachers. It is the third week and still schools remain closed. Echoing the sentiments of the government who are not budging with their ‘won’t pay, can’t pay’ phrase. Teachers response: ‘won’t teach, can’t teach.’ 

We have seen National Youth Service, officers taking to the streets with two agendas. One, to demand their withheld payments and two, demanding the removal of CS Anne Waiguru from the ministry. However, from a far, you can smell some tribalism brewing underneath. When party supporters call out on each other to back off and or as the opposition led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga wants, get out of office.
 

Weather reports, without forgetting, have indicated the approach of deadly rains known otherwise known as El Nino. Another crisis, in the making. 

All the foregoing scenarios are clear indicators that crises are part of society and therefore us. It is only proper that we equip ourselves with the necessary resources to fight back if prevention measures fail. This article aims to equip you, as far as knowledge resource is concerned that should you ever find yourself in the midst of a crisis, then you will have the wherewithal to manoeuvre your way out.

 For every crises, there is a theory that scholars use as a basis for any decision making.The proponent of this theory Benoit W.L analysed crises and applied his theory to come up with a framework for which to combat a crisis when it happens.

 This theory: Image Restoration (Benoit, 1995) provides scholars of strategic communication a range of options to understand more clearly how and why an organization responded to a given crisis. 

 The theory incorporates five main categories: denial, evading responsibility, reducing offensiveness, corrective action, and mortification (Benoit, 1995). This analysis specifically looks at the reduction of offensiveness category and two of its subcategories: bolstering, which stresses good traits and accomplishments; and attack accuser, which reduces an accuser’s credibility and lessens their damage to reputations (Blaney & Benoit, 2001).

 Moreover, as (Clark & Delia, 1979) point out, Image Restoration Theory builds on the premise that communication is goal-centred. And that maintenance of a positive image is among these primary goals.

• Denial,

• Evading responsibility,

• Reducing offensiveness,

• Corrective action, and

• Mortification

In the aforementioned crises: the government, source of money for the teachers, has denied having the cash and or being responsible for the teacher’s predicament. As a way of evading responsibility, the same government has tossed the ball to the Salaries & Remuneration commission to step in and look into the plight of these teachers. To try to reduce the offensiveness, we have seen the government (TSC) run to the courts to try to find fault with the teacher’s strike. A ploy, lawyer Paul Muite finds baseless.

The only two stages that remain in solving this debacle is corrective action and mortification. Eventually, the government must find a way of solving the ongoing strikes as a corrective measure. Finally, mortification.

Either knowingly or unknowingly, the government has employed the use of three of these strategies already.

Next time you are in a crisis (hopefully not), or happen to notice one: identify how these strategies have been used. Better yet, use them.

Like a fire fighter, your asbestos suit and water are in check. Go fight the fire!

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