Module 7 – Stakeholder/Partner Communication

Deborah Grigsby SmithState of Colorado

Director of External Communications Homeland Security

Bird flu hits Florida…

Stakeholders and partners

• Stakeholders have a special connection to you and your involvement in the emergency (Can be internal, external)– Interested in how the incident will impact them

• Partners have a working relationship with you and collaborate in an official capacity– Are interested in fulfilling their role in the

incident and staying informed

About stakeholders

• Not all stakeholders are created equal…– Some love you

• Effort to reinforce that “love”– Some hate you

• Identify and prepare to respond appropriately– Some ride the fence

• Chance to increase support/criticism– Some may even “swap sides” mid-course

• Can stem from existing stakeholder controversies

Stakeholders

• Employees• Families • Retirees• Board members• Clients/customers• Community leaders• Elected officials• Unions• Labor organizations

• Legal advocates• Competitors• Media• General public• Other businesses• Nat’l/local/tribal

counterparts• Students• Volunteers• Donors

Trust and mistrust

• Stakeholders judge the response to an issue based on trust

• Trust is based on consistent behavior; is the natural consequence of promises fulfilled

• Mistrust is an outgrowth of the perception promised broken, values violated

• How does your organization fulfill trust?

Consequences of mistrust

• Recommendations are ignored; lives and property at risk

• Resources wasted• Policies circumvented; loss of control• Opportunists prey on the “trust gap”• Hard to accomplish your mission

Why jump though hoops?

• Ensure you get information from the people you need– They represent a variety of points of view

• Also gives you a chance to share your point of view as well (prevent misunderstandings)

• Improve your organizational performance• Also can serve as a force multiplier for your

mission, cause, or program

The five big “boo-boos”

• Inadequate accessibility– Not returning phone calls, missing appts.

• Lack of understandability– Jargon, acronyms, ambiguous, too technical

• Lack of energy in response– No sense of urgency

• Timeliness (too little, too late)• Perceptions of arrogance

– Stakeholders not valued

When stakeholders are upset

• Four elements are crucial– Speed of your response– Avoid creating more problems during crisis

resolution– Accept responsibility– Acknowledge the emotional context

When harm has occurred

• Stop doing whatever is causing the harm• Apologize—if appropriate and when it can

do the most good• Seek feedback, make it better• Try not to do it again• Nothing happens until you communicate

that it is happening

Conspicuously bad mistakes

• Deny the problem exists• Shoot the messenger• Silence• Respond with evasions and half truths• Selectively tell the story• Over-tell the story• “I” perspective• Point fingers

So how do I deal with all this?

• Start with a crisis communication plan• Do as much in advance as possible

– Fact sheets, stock photos, press release templates, stakeholder surveys, key messages, draft statements, media training

– Develop PIO partners within your stakeholder communities…and share information

– Participate in major exercises, plan your own

Be forthcoming with info

• Try to be two steps ahead– Anticipate their concerns and questions– Be ready with well-crafted answers

• Coordinate your messages with others– Consistent messages across the board

• Your stakeholder may be someone else’s as well

• Never let them see you sweat– Keep confusion and power struggles out of

the limelight

Assess stakeholder reaction

• Define:– Your advocates– Your adversaries– Your ambivalents

• Estimate/prognosticate:– Who is likely to be involved & what they want– Estimate necessary level of management

involvement and plan for it– Focus on key stakeholders’ reactions

Methods to communicate

• Designated Web page for partners and stakeholders

• Calls from management/leadership• Periodic updates• Reciprocity with newsletters

Develop partnerships

• Do this BEFORE the crisis– Create a partner contact list– Draft a plan for partner communication during

a crisis (e-mail alerts, twice daily faxes, etc.)• Collaboration on press releases if appropriate

– Be cautious, this can foster an increase in the risk of leaks.

• Negotiate the same for your organization– Clearly know each partner organization’s

leader/authority/approval process.

Continued…

• Build stakeholder/media contact lists well in advance– Local, national, regional– Newspaper, television, radio, magazines

• Consider subscribing to a news “push” service– www.prnewswire.com

– Update them monthly• Good job for interns, volunteers• Break it up into sections per week

Community relations

• Community leader/institutions valuable partners during a crisis– Help gain support, distribute information,

counter rumors– They are familiar, trusted, and often influential– Reach out to them BEFORE a crisis

• Develop fast and reliable channels of communication

• Understand their role, and make sure they understand yours

Building consensus in a crisis

• Don’t try to do it all yourself • Don’t let the media do it for you• Consider engaging a neutral third-party to

speak on behalf of all involved (mediator, counselor)– Focus on commonalities– Acknowledge different views– Assure stakeholders effort to find consensus

Convening a citizens’ forum

• Can help expedite resolution to issues• Can also fan the flames• Professional facilitator/arbitrator may be

needed– Must include all elements of community, not

just those that make the biggest noise– Empower the group to act independently– Make sure you can clearly articulate your

decision and why it was selected over others

Engage in quality listening

• Asking questions will help show you care– Listen actively

• Take notes (two people take notes)• Listen for intent (feeling)• Listen for content (facts)• Who is speaking?

– Qualified to give expert opinion?– Any underlying motives or connections?– Prejudices that will compromise objectivity?

Dealing with an angry public

• Crisis situations often yield imperfect decisions that have to be made in minutes– Complicated by instantaneous ubiquity of

press/cell phones/leaks• Understand anger is a defensive response

– When people have been hurt, when they feel threatened by risks, when they believe fundamental beliefs/rights are being eroded

More on angry public

• Anger can intensify when people feel powerless– Important to engage them, treat them with

respect no matter what their views are• But be careful as anger can also be a tool to

manipulate– Don’t lecture, make it easy for the audience to

discover the answer themselves• If they figure it out, you don’t have to “sell” them• Ask the right questions, leave the “breadcrumbs”

Let them sell themselves

• Questions to help stakeholder persuade themselves– Open ended questions– Then ask questions to uncover their explicit

needs and desires– One they “purge” it’s easier to demonstrate

your ideas

De-escalating conflict

• Always seek common principles upon which to base common dialogue

• Remain open to reason• Strive for fairness, especially where either

real or perceived inequality has occurred• Work to get input from all stakeholders• Open up as much information as possible

(sans criminal or other protected info)

De-escalating conflict

• Try to get as many “yeses” as you can. Get them early in the meeting.

• Reframe accusations– “Your proposal is totally unrealistic…”

• (Are you saying you don’t understand how my proposal can respect citizens rights and stop the spread of disease?)

Wrap-up

• Stakeholders are crucial part of your organization (before, during and after)

• Timely, tailored and consistently accurate information builds trust

• Identify all stakeholders, their anticipated reactions to likely crisis events

• Pre-plan communications• Network and develop new partners

BEFORE crisis events

Wrap-up

• Don’t try to handle everything on your own.

• Listen to your stakeholders, don’t pass judgment (immediately)

• Know when to bring in a professional facilitator/mediator/neutral third party

• Don’t lecture; let stakeholders discover the answer themselves

Wrap-up

• Seek common principles• Be open to other ideas (but don’t waffle)• Rack up the “yeses” as early and as often

as possible• Take care of yourself and your staff during

times of crisis (sleep, food, mental breaks)