The one question communicators have asked since the oil spill began is didn’t BP have risk management and crisis communications plans in place for its oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico?
It’s hard to believe that millions and millions of gallons of oil have spewed into the Gulf since April 20 without an end date in sight. The damage to the environment, the Gulf and possibly up the Atlantic coast, the birds, ecosystem and flora, people’s livelihoods and way of life is almost beyond comprehension. And yet, even harder to understand is how British Petroleum, a US $240 billion multinational firm, could be so utterly unprepared for this crisis.
Courtesy of BP here’s a primer of how not to do crisis communications:
- Make accuracy an early casualty
- Point fingers at others as being to blame
- Attempt to tightly control media access to the site and surviving and injured workers
- Show you have no clue how to fix the problem by crossing your fingers and trying one method after another all with kooky names to stop the leak
- Have a CEO/spokesperson who comes across as out of touch and self-centred — the spill “won’t be so bad” because the Gulf is a “very big ocean” and adds it’ll probably have a “very, very modest impact.” My personal favourite is when he said, “You know, I’d like my life back.” It’s a safe bet millions could say the same and with better reason
- Allow a lame duck CEO your stakeholders do not believe or trust continue to be your spokesperson
Now that you have some idea of what not to do here is what you should do:
- Have a rock solid crisis communications plan in place
- Keep your key messages clear, concise, consistent and accurate
- Get your facts straight — what happened, what the problem is and how it is being fixed.
- Show genuine empathy for everyone affected and let them know how you’ll help
