Note from Neil Nixon - May 2008

Many organizations make the strategic mistake of focusing their statements during emergency response activities to the news media rather than the ultimate audience – the public.

While in the context of crisis communications, many may tend to look at the public as “John and Mary Q Citizen” who read newspaper accounts or watch television coverage of a breaking news event. In reality, “the public” represents a variety of important constituencies – including such parties as political figures whose very lifeblood is the relationship they have with their voting bloc; regulatory bodies who serve the general public; attorneys, who might seize on the perception that the company is struggling in its response or messages to the public to begin class action lawsuits against a company.

It’s critical that an organization work quickly to communicate to all of these critical audiences with the media as a conduit. Remember, the news media is not “the audience” but is a critical filter or highway to the audience. As such, an organization’s focus should not be a simple recitation of facts (what time the fire started, how high the flames were, etc.) to satisfy the media’s need for the who?, what?, when?, where?, why? elements that are the core of breaking news stories. Rather, the focus and key messages should instead be geared to satisfying the public – and all the various and important constituencies that are represented in that term – that your organization is well organized to control the situation.

In short, we counsel our clients that during an emergency response your ultimate goal from an image/public relations perspective should be that you want the reader of that newspaper account, the listener to that radio coverage, the viewer of that television report to say to themselves “I’m sorry this event happened, but I’m glad these people are dealing with it because they seem to know what they are doing.”

In your crisis communications efforts you’ll tend to minimize interference from political officials, curb lawsuits and perhaps curtail additional scrutiny from regulatory bodies if the primary party that all these groups serve -- the public -- is satisfied with your crisis response and communications efforts. Keep the focus on communicating to your real audience, the public, not the filter to that audience, the news media.

Nixon & Associates offers media training for executives and front-line personnel to help clients prepare to take control and proactively provide critical information to the public in an emergency or crisis situation. Our Crisis Media Training seminar is an award-winning program that has been implemented by more than 250 companies with participation by more than 7,500 individuals. More information about our media training services and tips for communicating during a crisis are available at http://www.nixonassoc.com/services/media_training.asp.