First of two parts
THE Philippines regularly faces challenges of crisis proportions that are brought about by typhoons and other catastrophes. But, without a doubt, when we Filipinos confront these events, which unsurprisingly put us in extremely tough conditions, we can only agree that it is a harrowing experience that we often vow never to endure again.
Catastrophes don’t just happen. “Virtually, every disaster is the result of a series of over-looked mistakes—each one set in motion because people simply refused to believe the evidence right in front of them,” says Robert E. Mittelstaedt Jr., author of Will Your Next Mistake Be Fatal? This series goes through what is called the “mistake chain,” which is a series of compounding errors that can cause a crisis. “You will make mistakes, but you can make fewer, less serious mistakes by recognizing a mistake or failure, and breaking the mistake chain before it results in a major mishap,” he adds.
After the crisis has ended, what to do next has to be clearly laid out and rapidly undertaken to turn the danger brought by the unfortunate event into an opportunity that can bring positive lessons. It goes beyond assessing the people’s physical and psychological woes, and economic losses. What is important is to quickly and continually assess the outlook of the people affected by the crisis, their perception of the government and its leaders, and what they think or believe about them after what they have gone through.
In the medium term, assessing the damage and establishing damage-control mechanisms are musts. The country must move quickly. Start with a survey among key stakeholders to measure public-opinion damage. And, even as the crisis is being addressed, the various publics, particularly the media, are becoming overly sensitive to the situation. They need to receive reassuring messages on how things are being handled and the way the victims of the crisis are being taken care of. During a crisis, the government’s actions should revolve around the principle of atonement, of rising from the fall, and of rebuilding from the broken blocks of normal daily living.
A country in crisis has to answer this fundamental question: Why should its publics trust its government and the people who run it? Eric Dezenhall of Nichols-Dezenhall PR Communications opined, “In this digital age, news about mishaps travel at breakneck speed. But slamming the brakes on bad [country] karma requires more than just simple spin doctoring. It calls for calculated calm—and a delicate balance between the art of shepherding public opinion and the science of showing executive leadership.”
In a crisis, the leadership should be filled with honesty, sincerity and courage—the honesty to take the necessary responsibility; the sincerity to provide for the health and safety needs of constituencies; and the courage to stand up and get at the root of the predicament. Countries pushed into the crisis spotlight confront forces ranging from negative local and international media coverage to the struggle for survival.
How should the Philippines respond? Mittelstaedt recommends these additional courses of actions to avoid getting into the rut and suffer serious setbacks:
- Leadership must react within the first 24 hours or less. It’s the most critical period that requires quick thinking and equally quick action. The government was criticized in the aftermath of Supertyphoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) for not immediately holding the bull by its horns, so to speak, and for not establishing its presence—perceived or otherwise—during the super typhoon’s critical hours. Many felt that there was nobody controlling the situation, even while many say that no country or community is ever prepared for a typhoon as powerful as Yolanda.
- Face the responsibility head-on. Accept the crisis as an inevitable part of the job, and avoid making its effects even more damaging by offering an unproductive response. Provide relief, demonstrate strength of leadership and show compassion immediately.
- Reinstitute integrity. Realize that the country is exposed, not only to its own particular pitfalls, but also to the universal and intricate challenges that intimidate other countries. With this understanding comes the resolve to correct errors and get the country up and running again. To be concluded next Monday
Bong R. Osorio is the communications consultant and spokesman of ABS-CBN Corp.
PR Matters is a rotating column of members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association, the association of senior PR professionals around the world.
PR Matters is devoting a special column each month to answer readers’ questions about public relations. Send comments or questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.
Image credits: AP