Page 160 - Crisis Communication Practical PR Strategies

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There is No Substitute for Media Training 141
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Training concept 4 – use pre-written scenarios
Design them to be specific and realistic for the individual client. The
degree of complexity is up to you. For example, the premise could be
as simple as: ‘Your company headquarters has gone up in flames.
Here’s a reporter who wants to ask you about it.’
You could then provide written updates to the interviewees, with
more specifics included in each round. The interviewees would have
the task of deciding which of the new details should be released and
then deliver them as messages in the next round.
The variations and embellishments to this basic approach are nearly
endless. You can distribute a fake internet ‘news update’ or have staff
members call into the training room pretending to be reporters, cus-
tomers, or outraged neighbours. We very often go so far as to visit a
client facility to record fake TV news reports to be used in the drill.

Conclusion

The dual keys to successful crisis media training are: 1) preparation,
and 2) practice. In fact, those are the same keys to a successful crisis
communication. Please keep them in mind the next time your organi-
zation is facing a crisis.
When media training, it is important to ensure the right team is
trained so there is full coverage should a crisis occur. While there are
resources available online and in print format, you will probably look
to an experienced PR agency for outside assistance. In this chapter we
looked at how to choose the right agency with the right experience for
your organization. We also looked at exactly what should be taught in
the training – who the press are, how to deal with the press and how to
deal with those difficult questions. We also looked at the advantages of
using learning tools such as video, professional journalists and pre-
prepared scenarios during your training sessions.