Public Relations: 10 Ways To Prepare For A Protest

I read in The New York Times about an upcoming one-day strike involving fast food employees wanting more money. If your business ever faces such a situation and you have a heads up, how do you prepare?

1. Don’t always pass the buck and rely on a spokesperson from a trade association to talk on your behalf. This option is better than offering “no comment” but not significantly better. When I was a TV reporter, companies sometimes redirected me to a trade association. I considered that somewhat lame. If you can build a business, you can stand up for yourself. If you can pay a public relations firm, you can pay it to talk instead of simply not commenting and releasing a robotic statement.
2. Identify someone who is comfortable talking to the media. Your CEO might excel at making money but struggle with social situations when people are not kissing his or her butt.
3. If you plan to be brave enough to grant interviews, pick a location now. Do you consider your building a friendly location? Would you prefer to visit the media outlet itself? Is there a location that would strategically reinforce your key messages?
4. If your business faces something such as a protest, realize the media will hear personal stories about why you suck. You better come to the table with personal stories of why you are successful. You must have people, clients or customers willing to sing your praises.
5. Your critics will be plain spoken in explaining their concerns. Drop the lingo. Don’t act like a king who can’t speak like a regular person.
6. Hopefully somebody went through media training. You’re about to get questions you never considered. You should know how to address the unexpected without looking like a fool or making matters worse.
7. Don’t offer no comment. Why surrender the public debate? Why release a lame statement while your opponents tell emotional stories with passion? Sure, that’s the safe approach your attorney may relish, but what’s the longterm cost to your reputation and bottomline?
8. I shook my head when major corporations claimed they had no one locally who could speak to me on camera. You know the story is coming. Are you really going to win the war by huddling over some speakerphone and talking to the media from a New York office? Have people trained in major cities and regions to handle the media. Hire a team of spokespeople you trust. Buy someone a plane ticket to the necessary city. If this is not practical, offer a web interview. What’s your excuse for not doing that? What, you don’t have a Skype account?
9. Don’t act as if your fans don’t know your troubles or controversies. They know and would likely be your biggest defenders. So don’t forget about sharing your views on your website’s newsroom and across your social media channels. I love when companies are stuck in a brewing controversy and their Facebook posts only highlight their latest sales.
10. What about communicating with your employees?  In fact, one of your first steps should be to communicate with them, whether they plan to protest or not. You might need to craft separate messages to various audiences. Do you have a social media policy? Are employees clear about using social media in times like this?