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How to run a crisis press conference
Let’s be clear about the point of the early press conference when an emergency has occurred.
I didn’t think it was something that needed to be explained but after running many press conferences after significant emergencies I was horrified to see the New Orleans press conference some hours after the horrific New Year’s Day incident.
It is hard to know where to start when looking at what happened in that conference. At a time when they should have been providing reassurance and giving vital information to help to protect people, it descended into jostling for position, disagreements with journalists, defensive statements and a huge dose of backslapping. There were so many people surrounding the podium that it was difficult to understand who was in charge.
I understand the challenges of local and federal resources but this needs to be managed so that the operational and the political can happen but don’t cause confusion or increase concerns among people.
Let’s just be clear about the point of the early press conference when an emergency has occurred.
It is not for you to try to provide a narrative, or to defend your approach and actions before, during or after the incident. It is not for you to make political points or to get rid of the media.
The reason they are carried out is to explain the facts that are known at that point in time, to give people vital urgent information about how to protect themselves and stay safe, and to give an insight into what is happening to respond to events. But ultimately it is about the people affected to ensure people know where to go and what to do to access help.
If we accept that is the purpose then demonstrating a calm and confident approach to the response is essential. Running a press conference after an emergency is not the same as at other times. Here are my tips on what to do.
- Speak to journalists before the press conference and off camera to make them aware of what areas of the response or investigation cannot be discussed. This will not prevent the questions being asked but will provide some clarity on the information they will be given.
- Decide on which two or three people are going to speak and what areas of the incident and response they are going to cover. There should rarely be more than three people providing details about an incident as it becomes confusing and can repetitive unless they have something important to add. Remember there are lots of other ways to give information.
- Prepare what is going to be said by each person and work through the responses to the questions that you may not be able to answer. If you know that there are key bits of information that the media will ask for that you can’t give have a sensible reply. Never guess, estimate or provide off the cuff comments. Keeping to the facts that are known at that time is critical.
- Ensure you reflect the mood of what has happened. Appearing to dismiss, be jovial or start to talk about other matters such as tourism is distressing for those affected by the incident. Keep focused on what matters – the people affected.
- Be in the right mindset. Delivering information at press conferences in the immediate aftermath of a significant incident or emergency can be stressful. Those delivering information need to be able to remain calm under pressure.
- Have a press officer or information officer to run the press conference and give the details of how it will run, and have copies of the statements to hand to journalists after the conference. The admin of such press conferences is important and assists with a feeling of confidence in how things are being managed.
- Give the media details of how much time there is available for questions. If you can’t answer questions don’t offer it or say there is time for only two questions. Be ready to walk away without getting into difficult exchanges with the media.
- You are always on camera. During the set up of a press conference journalists may be reporting live so be aware of your body language. Sadly during the New Orleans press conference I saw senior people laughing and joking. This is very distressing when such a serious incident has occurred.
- Ensure your press conferences is accessible to all. This includes in the language used and information given. One thing New Orleans did well was ensure there was someone providing sign language of the conference.
- Keep the press conference focused as you can provide further updates at another conference later or through other methods of communication.
We all could be face the task of running such a press conference and I hope that if you do the tips may help to ensure it runs smoothly and effectively.
Amanda Coleman is a PR consultant whose blogs on crisis communications are often published on Influence. She is the founder of Amanda Coleman Communication and the author of Crisis Communication Strategies. Read a review of Amanda's latest book, Strategic Reputation Management.