During the summer of 2015, Dr. Walter Palmer, a dentist from Bloomington, Minnesota, sparked both national and international outrage when he killed a lion in Zimbabwe named Cecil. This tragic event led to a public outcry that called for Dr. Palmer’s dental license to be revoked, forced the shuttering of his office doors for more than a month, led to death threats against him and his family, and a barrage of negative reviews against both his private and professional life. Dr. Palmer claimed that to his knowledge:
“Everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted. I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared, and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt."
Unfortunately for Dr. Palmer, this statement came out a month after the incident and did very little to temper the monumental negative opinion the public held of him as an individual and, for some, dentists in general. Within the span of 24 hours, Dr. Palmer had more than 15,000 negative reviews on YELP. Of course, this egregious act by a dentist sparking international fury doesn’t occur on a daily basis. It does, however, raise the question of what steps a person (in this case, a dentist) who relies on public sentiment should take when a negative event occurs in order to “mitigate a crisis.” Scenarios can run the gamut from being involved in serious crimes, such as fraud or tax violations, to having a scorned patient who writes a scathing review on social media or the Internet.
Matthew Berritt, a New York City-based publicity executive and director of the Lifestyle Division at EVINS Communications, says, “Mitigating a crisis is monumentally more challenging than preparing for one. However, there are some very key elements to post-crisis management that must not be ignored.” He outlines seven steps that one should take in order to avert a crisis after a negative encounter:
1. Define the scope of the crisis: You may consider hiring a public relations manager.
- Local, regional, or national?
- Who is affected? What is the human (or animal) element?
2. Immediately establish a unified response: Make it apologetic.
- Designate one person authorized to clear statements to the media and the public; responsible for getting clearances from lawyers, safety officials, etc. It is best to have had this role in place pre-crisis, but if you didn’t, then it’s time to act fast!
- Develop and maintain a unified position and messaging that supports your stance.
- Keep messages simple, clear, and consistent. Remember: You upset (and maybe even hurt) enough people that this is a “crisis.” Apologize. Take responsibility. Don’t pass the buck.
- Know your audience and speak their language while being true to your own voice.
- Designate one authorized spokesperson and one alternate. Don’t forget to inform your staff and team who they are—and where they are and how they can be reached, 24/7.
3. Create a central information service: Have one clear and concise message.
- To avoid inconsistencies in media responses, have all requests funneled through information central.
4. Act promptly: The longer you wait, the more the public will think you are guilty.
- Answer all social media claims: Do not ignore them!
- Notify media and cooperate with reporters.
- Immediately make a simple statement indicating awareness of the situation. State the actions being taken and willingness to inform media and public of details as they become available.
- Openly and honestly provide as much detail as possible.
- Arrange for a news conference for the designated spokesperson as soon as facts are known. Make the spokesperson available for interviews.
5. Establish a media response policy: Use the media to your advantage, don’t make them the enemy.
- Schedule regular briefings to relay data, correct misconceptions, and maintain positive media relations.
- If humans were harmed, provide no information about victims until families have been notified.
- Keep media away from families until approved by appropriate person. Now is your chance to be a protector.
- Do not stonewall or deny that there is a crisis. Get your head out of the sand.
- Treat all media equally; no exclusives here.
- Stick to the facts.
- Limit statements to the immediate problem.
- Keep records of all replies (media, reporter name, date, time, respondent, summary of response, follow up requests).
- Have a media-monitoring plan, program, or software.
- Arrange for photographer/videographer to document important developments for media, lawyers, and insurance companies.
6. Document everything.
- Keep thorough and accurate records of everything—planning sessions, crisis-management team meetings, reports, and all public conferences; tape thoughts and reasons for making decisions.
7. Conduct a post-crisis review.
- Appoint a crisis-evaluation team to assess handling of the crisis and recommend changes in crisis procedure
- Your evaluation team should not be the same as your crisis team. A fresh set of eyes is required here.
Matthew Berritt is a New York City-based publicity executive and director of the Lifestyle Division at EVINS Communications. For more information, visit http://evins.com/eng/Team_MatthewB.
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