CrisiscommunicationXsaga

Class: COAC4ECourse code: 2259XADV14

Lecturers name: Anna ZhuravelDate: 3-11-2014

Anne Ostendorp2188822

Lisanne Klaessen2184781

Table of contentsIntroduction 3Company analysis 4 Mission 4 Vision 4 Strategy 4 Core values 4 Product and/or service 4 Communication 5 Organisation culture 5 Clients 5 Symbols 5Issues analysis 6 Issues 6 Risk analysis 6 Arena analysis 8 ‘What if…’ 9Crisis communications advice 10Attachment 11 Attachment 1: Longlist 11 Attachment 2: Peer evaluation 12 Attachment3:CrisisdayEvaluation/reflection 13 Attachment 4: References 18

IntroductionThis report has been composed by two CO-IEMES (Communication – International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies) students: Anne Ostendorp and Lisanne Klaessen. It is commissioned by Fontys ACI in Tilburg.

The assignment is to choose an organisation within the EMEG branches. The chosen organisation receives an communication advice on a possible crisis in relation to a selected issue, based on the course literature and everything we know andfindabout(crisis)communicationadvice.

The ultimate purpose of this report is to give an communication advice to Xsaga based on our research and knowledge about possible crises. Xsaga is a consulting and production agency for brand activation, event and entertainment marketing.

This assignment was done in eight weeks (1 September 2014 till 3 November 2014).

Company analysisMissionThe mission of Xsaga is to make people curious to the story of the brand or organi-zation. Xsaga does this by developping special and inspired projects. Mostly they do this ‘live’. The challenge inevery assignment is to develop a solution that’s right: one, who surprises, relevant, creates a special experience and where the message is integrated naturally. Xsaga creates stages for brands and direct their stories and performances.

VisionBrands want attention. And that is a big assignment in our current fast and digital society. Because people only have attention for brands who surprise and fascinate them. With ideas and activities that connect with their views and lifestyle and with their own ‘stage’ where people with these ideas can experience live. Brands have to be true entertainers. As a brand you only can survive when people are curious about the story you have to tell.

StrategyThestrategyofXsagaistocreateafittingconceptforeveryproblem.Heretheyalways think further and present an concept that is comprehensive. This means that they always offer a solution which is a complete solution for the concept. They do not limit themselves with the assignment, they develop the right strategy.

Core valuesThe name Xsaga was formed by a combination of the Latin word ‘sagrem’ dat ‘story or message means and de X of ‘experience’. Combined refers the name Xsaga to the ‘experience from the story/message’ like is described in the vision.

Organisation cultureHenkKoendersisthebusinessdirectorandPatrickRoubroeksisthecreativedirector of Xsaga. Together they manage all the project managers. Because of the different backgrounds and insight, they complement each other and develop complete concepts with strategies.

StructureInXsagathereisanup-downorganizationstructure.Xsagahastwodirectors,HenkKoenders and Patrick Roubroeks. They manage 6 project managers, the project managers are supported by 5 production assistants, of which two are interns. Besi-desthatbothdirectorshaveonesecretarywhoisalsotakingcareofthefront-office.

There is an informal working atmosphere, with easy approachable communication between each other. Xsaga has one large workspace in which all workers are sit-ting at table blocks consisting of four workstations. As a result, the mutual contact is intensive. There is a lot of general communication and everyone stays well infor-med of the current business content within the company. In addition to a proactive approach, there are also regular social times such as lunch and Friday afternoon drinks.

Xsaga has experienced employees with different backgrounds from the event in-dustry, supplemented with some freelancers. During many productions Xsaga works together with external parties, such as specialized companies and suppliers.

Product and/or serviceXsaga stands for thinking and doing, for advice and production. They combine the knowledge from brand activation and from event- and entertainment marketing with production clout. They deliver total solutions: from strategy and concept to execution and production. Besides the brand related and corporate projects, Xsaga develops special public- and television event for clients like, government, broadcasters and (nonprofit)organizations. Communication XsagaisactiveonFacebook,LinkedInandTwitter.Heretheycommunicatetheirprojects, messages from their clients and messages from other event organizations. Xsaga also communicates on the website of IDEA. IDEA is an association for event organizations. They say that when you are a member of the IDEA you are an event organization focused on the professional market and the best choice for a agency. YoucanalsofindXsagaonhighprofileevents.Thisisamultimediaorganizationthat is specialized in giving information about business events. Their target group areinfluencersanddecidersinthebusiness.Thetoneofvoiceisreallyprofessional.

ClientsThe last couple of years they developed and produced projects for a lot of big and small brands and organizations, like: ING, Interpolis, NOS, Vodafone, Audi and KWF.

That the qualities from their work is recognized and appreciated through the market is shown in the multiple national and international prices that they have won. (Xsaga, 2014)

Issues analysis

Issue 1: Media powerIn the Netherlands the government has to ensure that the media can operate independently and are accessible to everyone. The government also has to help people use the media safely and responsibly. (Government, 2014) People have to be more aware of what the media presents, how they do this and what factors affect the way it is done. Because in today’s age the media has a great amount of power over the way people look at certain subjects. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the internet play important roles in political debates and in shaping public opinions. (Global issues, 2012) The impact of media power can cause reputational damage to Xsaga. If Xsaga has to deal with a crisis situation it is important to try to maintain control of the media.

Stage of issue life cycle: Emerging issue. People are becoming more and more awareofthepowerofmedia.However,therearestillalotofpeoplewhodon’tknowabout it (yet). Some media are publishing about it. Tere are starting some dialogues but the issue is sometimes still unknown.

Issues

The Three most relevant issues for the organisation at this moment, in relation to the issue life cycle, motivated and with references. Issue – Motivation – Stage of issue life cycle – reference. The stage of an issue can be concluded by the use of an life cycle model. These models have been developed to clarify the distinction and relationship between different management elements. (Jaques, 2007)

Issue 2: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pressureCSR means that companies take account of how their business operations may impact on people, the environment and society. Measures that companies could take on CSR are waste separation, energy saving or hiring people with a disability. The government promotes CSR and it is socially desirable among all kinds of stakeholders of a company. (Government, 2014)

As a company you could lose stakeholders or governmental support if you don’t takecareofCSR.Itcanalsohavealotofinfluenceonyourimage.Despitethegood sides of companies taking care of CSR, there are also some down sides. Some companies only claim they participate on CSR, other companies are really good at bypassing the rules. An example of a CSR bypass is that companies move their factories to third world countries where the rules among CSR are less strict. By doing this they meet up to the rules in both countries but still damage the world. Some companies only use CSR to repair tarnished images and not because they really care about their impact on people, the environment and society.(Global issues, 2007)

For Xsaga it is important to take care of CSR. Further they should keep their agreements and at the last it is necessary that they are transparent about their CSR measures.

Stage of issue life cycle: Current issue. CSR is present at this time. The subject is not to miss and the media is regularly publishing new messages and insights. CSR is experienced as a matter of course. If a company does not take any CSR measures, there is a high chance that they will be held accountable for that.

Issue 3: Financial crisisTheglobalfinancialcrisisreallystartedtoshowitseffectsatthebeginningof2008.From that moment on the government had to take measures to limit the damage and capture the biggest problems. All around the world stock markets have fallen, largefinancialinstitutionshavecollapsedorbeenboughtout,andgovernmentinallnationshavetobailouttheirfinancialsystem.(Globalissues,2013)

Measures that the dutch government took where for example setting savings safeandsupportthebusiness,constructionandhousingindustry.However,theconsequence for the government is that as a result of these measures there is a shortage on the budget. Drastic measures are needed to reduce the shortage and tomakethepublicfinanceshealthyagain.Thesedrasticmeasureswillhitonallkinds of sectors in the dutch government. (Rijksoverheid, 2014)

Some of the drastic measures that the Dutch government is taking can hit the sector in which Xsaga is operating. Xsaga should be prepared for shortages on their financialgovernmentsupportandonlosingclientsbecauseoftheirownfinancialproblems.

Stageofissuelifecycle:Dormantissue.Thefinancialcrisishasbeenanissueforseveral years now. Therefore almost every organization is aware of the situation. Yet, sometimes there is no escape and businesses still get affected by the crisis. Companies have to stay alert.

Issue 1: Media powerLikelihood: UnlikelyImpact: ModerateRisk: Low 1

The chance that the media will publish an untrue story about Xsaga is small. The relevance of the news is not big enough for the media. This because Xsaga is a small company and the chance that they will harm a lot of people is small. The impact is moderate, because we know that the media can be manipulative and we check the reliability of the news. When several media channels send the same message the reliability is higher than when just one channel sends this news. (Mens en Samenleving, 2008)

Risk analysis

Issue 2: Corporate Social Responsibility pressure (CSR)Likelihood: LikelyImpact: MajorRisk:High3

The impact of CSR pressure is really high. A lot of companies are using CSR. Even the government has stand up standers. When you don’t use CSR in your company you can lose governmental support. You can also lose stakeholders where CSR is a value. When they think it is really important, they only want to work with companies who doing it too.The chance that it will become a crisis for Xsaga is likely. You can adapt small changes in your company to have a CSR appearance.

Issue 3: Financial crisisLikelihood: Very likelyImpact: MajorRisk:High5

ThechancethatthefinancialcrisiswillhappeninXsagaisverylikely.Theincomeof Xsaga is based on clients. The clients have to cut on certain things. The things they chose the most are personal costs, business trips and staff parties. The last two are secondary needs, the product that Xsaga delivers is also a secondary need. The risk that the clients will not use the product of Xsaga anymore is very likely. The impactofthefinancialcrisisismajor.Thethingstheclientshavetocutalsoappliesto Xsaga. When the income decreases they must apply conditions. These conditions can have an major impact on the company. (Towers Perrin, 2009)

Conclusion:TheissueamongthefinancialcrisisistheissuewiththemostrisksforXsaga.Becauseoftheveryhighlikelihoodandmajorpossibleimpact,thefinancialcrisisbelongs to the highest risk factor for Xsaga. That is why we decided to write our advice for Xsaga among a possible crisis situation for them. In the next analysis we willfindoutwichfinancialcrisissituationwouldbethemostcatastrophic.

The long list for the selected issue can be found in the attachments. The key arena’s withthefivemostimportantstakeholderswillbeworkedoutanddiscussedinthischapter. These 5 stakeholders have the best connection with Xsaga. The employees and clients can have problems from the issue too. The stakeholders like, UWV, industry associations and governmental agencies and bodies can help or thwart Xsaga in this crisis. It is important to analyse these 5 stakeholders with an arena analysis too see what they mean in the possible crisis.

Arena analysis

Stakeholder: Industry association Degree of power: MediumWhat’s interest in issue: Collaboration and image Degree of activity: LowConclusion: in every industry there are written and unwritten rules of Engagement. If Xsaga helps others, others will possibly help Xsaga when they are in trouble. If so, Xsaga could possible get get temporary help of companies within their industry. From another point of view, when Xsaga has a bad image in their industry association, other companies won’t help them or work against them. If former employees of Xsaga want to work at other companies within the industry, or if Xsaga wants to work with external companies, they could experience the impact of Xsaga’s good or bad image.

Issue: Financial crisisStakeholder: EmployeeDegreeofpower: HighWhat’s interest in issue: Impact on job and working conditions Degreeofactivity: HighConclusion: WhenXsagahastodealwiththefinancialcrisis,workingconditionscanchange,employeescouldlosetheirsecondarybenefitsoreventheirjob.

Stakeholder: Clients Degreeofpower: HighWhat’s interest in issue: Products of XsagaDegreeofactivity: HighConclusion: WhenClientsofXsagaaredealingwiththefinancialcrisis,theycoulddecidetospendlessmoneyonsecondarybenefits,orevencutthesecondarybenefits.Inthiscase,theclientsofXsagawon’tuseXsaga’sproductsandservicesanymore,orinadifferent,maybelessprofitable,way.

Stakeholder: Governmental agencies and bodiesDegreeofpower: HighWhat’s interest in issue: Subsidies, fundings, laws and employment Degree of activity: MediumConclusion: Laws,subsidiesandfundingscaninfluenceXsagainawaythecompanyitselfortheirclientsgetinfinancialtrouble.Aresultofthisfinancialtroublecould be layoffs of the employees. In this case, the interest of governmental agencies changes in to the laws around layoffs and (un)employment.

Stakeholder: UWVDegree of power: MediumWhat’s interest in issue: Circumstances surrounding layoffs and subsequent process. Degree of activity: MediumConclusion: The UWV is a company that pays attention to the laws and helps employers and employees during the severance Period. Xsaga has to work togetherwiththeUWVwhenXsagahastofireemployeesforcedbytheeffectsofthefinancialcrisis.

Conclusion: We see that the issue has the highest degree of power and activity among the employees and client’s. In the next chapter we will look at possible situations among the stakeholders.

What if we lose clients. This means that the income of Xsaga decreases. When Xsaga has less income, they have to survive otherwise they go bankrupt. One of the optionsistofirepeople.Thismeansthattheworkloadfortheremainingemployeesgetshigher.Thefiredpeopleneedagentleandcarefulfiringprocess.WhenXsagais not handling this right, it can damage their reputation.

Another thing where they can cut in, is rent. They can move to a smaller accommodation. It is possible that the working conditions are not as good as they were. As result that employees go in protest. This gives a bad reputation to the company. This is also relevant on other secondary working conditions like; staff parties, business trips and business diners.

What if the budget from the clients is lower. Companies still expect the quality of the product they used to have. Now when clients have less money to spend on certain departments, Xsaga needs to be creative with a lower budget. They need to be creative with less, but they still have to stand out to save their reputation.

WhatifXsagahasabadreputation,afterhandlingafiringprocessnotwell.Areputation is an evaluation stakeholders make, about how well an organization is meeting stakeholder expectations based on his past behavior (Wartrick, 1992). Whenthereputationreduced,becauseofabadfiringprocess,Xsagacanreceiveless clients. For some companies that can be a core value and they expect that their partners have that value too. Furthermore, Xsaga will have a bad reputation among possible new employees. If they ever need new employees, those will question if Xsaga will handle them well.

WhatifXsagadoesnotfollowthegovernmentalprocessoffiringemployees.Xsagacangetprosecutedbytheirfiredemployee.WhenXsagaisnotfollowingtheprocedureaccordingtotheprocessoftheUWV,theUWVcancancelthefiringprocess. In this case, the resignation can be undone and Xsaga has to start over with the process.

Conclusion:Tobeinafinancialcrisisisalreadyhard,witheverysituationpossible.Xsaga has to make a choice in what way they will save money. Xsaga can use theadviceinthisplaniftheydecidetodotheircuttingonpersonalcostsbyfiringemployees.Thewhatifoffiringandnothandlingthefiringprocesswell,canbeabig crisis for Xsaga. Xsaga is a small company, with a few functions. The most like solutions is to use less people on the same function. For example, one secretary instead of two. But, it is really important to handle this well, like Wartrick (1992) said: “A reputation is an evaluation stakeholders make, about how well an organziation is meetingstakeholderexpectationsbasedonhispastbehavior”.Nothandlingafiringprocess well can really damage their reputation and that can cause more problems, because the clients are the most important earnings of Xsaga.

What if...

Crisis communication adviceFiringemployeescanbeverypainful.Notonlyforthefiredemployeebut also for the employees who are still working in the company and also for the company itself. When the company is not handling the redundancy process right, it can damage the reputation. A person that is not treated right, can spread that around. It is like mouth to mouth communication. To not have reputation damage is the mean objectives for this advice.

To cause no reputation damage Xsaga needs to have a clear strategy. One-to-one is a clear and friendly strategy for this issue. When you communicate this message on massa level it is a lot more painful than one-to-one.

First Xsaga needs to have everything clear and on paper. What is the exact reason for the dismissal. Defend it with facts, like numbers and figureswithclearexplanations.ThisisnotonlyhelpfulintheprocesswiththeemployeebutalsowiththeUWV.Whenyoufiresomeoneandyou want help from the UWV, you need to hand in a resignation and documents to substantiate the resignation. The UWV helps the ex-employeewithfindinganotherjob.AthingthatXsaganeedstogivetohelptheex-employeeisanexperiencecertificate.Thiscertificateshallbe prepared by an employment specialist. Sometimes you can get a diplomawiththiscertificateoryoucandoaneducationinashorttime.You learn things at your job, so the employee is able of some qualities wereheorshenotownsadiplomafor.Withthisexperiencecertificatethe employee can show where he or she is able of and helps with findingforanewjob.(UWV,2014)

But before the help of UWV, it is necessary to have a conversation with the employee. With the information on paper and just one person the conversation can start. With the one-to-one strategy it is important to stay calm and clear. It is important that the employee understands why this is happening. In this conversation there can be a lot of emotion involved. That is why it is important to stay calm and to show empathy.OfCourseXsagaisverysorrybutfirsttheyhavetoofferacompensation, to make it less painful. After the compensation Xsaga needs to apologize and to ingratiate. As secondary response strategy, it is good to praise the employee with the past good works by the company (Coombs,2007). Furthermore, it is important to have a suitable farewell drink and regular contact for a while to keep the connection with the ex-employee and the company good. This can lead to less bad reviews.

Besides communicating to the ex-employee it is also important to communicate one-to-one with your current employees. The chance that the work pressure is going to change is big. When there are less clients theworkpressuredecreases,butwhensomeonegetsfiredtheworkpressure increases. After the bad news is told to the ex-employee it is important to immediately tell the news directly to the current employees. Make clear what is going to change and what effect it will have on them.

The most important thing is to communicate intern. With the means; financialplan,personalresignationtalkandtalktotheemployees,itisnot likely to use social media. Social media is a mass communication meanandthatisnotinlinewiththestrategyone-to-one.However,whenthe news is going to be published it is important to send a press release to the involved channels. The most important channel is the industry association.Theyhavealotofinfluenceonacompanyinacertainindustry. When an industry association is releasing bad news about you it can really harm the reputation.

Attachments

Longlist Financial Crisis

All the stakeholders with the key stakeholders underlined: - Accountant- Clients- Company lawyer- Consultancies- Employees- Financial bank- Governmental agencies and bodies- HRM- Industry association- Lawyers- Legal adviser- Media- Society- Subdistrict- Trade unions- UWV

Attachment 1: Longlist

Thoseaffectedby,orwhosignificantlyaffect,theissue:Clients,companylawyer,employees,financialbank,media,society

Those with information, knowledge and expertise about the issue:Accountant,consultancies,HRM,industryassociation,lawyers,legaladviser, subdistrict, trade unions, UWV

Thosewhocontrolorinfluenceimportantfactorsthatrelatetotheissue:Governmental agencies and bodies, media, society

Attachment 2: Peer evaluation

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Attachment2:Peerevaluation

EvaluationLisanneKlaessenaboutworkingwithAnneOstendorp Yes/No  Grade

Anneattendsmeetingsregularlyandarrivesontime. Yes  10Annecontributesmeaningfullytodiscussions Yes  8 Annecompletesassignmentsontime Yes  9 AnnePreparesworkinaqualitymanner Yes  9 Annedemonstratesacooperativeandsupportiveattitude Yes  8 Annecontributessignificantlytothesuccessoftheproject Yes  8 Openquestion:     

DidyoulearnanythingnewfromworkingwithAnnethatyouwillcarryintoyournextgroupexperience?ItwasreallynicehowAnneworkedalongwiththecontentofourclasses.Shesynchronizedourplanningwiththeplanningofthelessonssowecouldaskquestionswhenneeded.

   

Overallexperience:  Good  9 Totalgrade  Good  8.7 

EvaluationAnneOstendorpaboutworkingwithLisanneKlaessen Yes/No  Grade

Lisanneattendsmeetingsregularlyandarrivesontime. Yes  10Lisannecontributesmeaningfullytodiscussions Yes  9 Lisannecompletesassignmentsontime Yes  8 LisannePreparesworkinaqualitymanner Yes  8 Lisannedemonstratesacooperativeandsupportiveattitude Yes  8 Lisannecontributessignificantlytothesuccessoftheproject Yes  9 Openquestion:     

DidyoulearnanythingnewfromworkingwithLisannethatyouwillcarryintoyournextgroupexperience? LisannestartworkinginGoogleDriveandmadeaclearoverviewofthepaper.Thiswasveryhelpfulandstructuredintheprocess.

   

Overallexperience:Wemadeclearagreementsanddividedthepartswell.Weconsultwitheachotherwhensomeonehadahesitation.

Good  9 

Totalgrade  Good  8,7  

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Attachment2:Peerevaluation

EvaluationLisanneKlaessenaboutworkingwithAnneOstendorp Yes/No  Grade

Anneattendsmeetingsregularlyandarrivesontime. Yes  10Annecontributesmeaningfullytodiscussions Yes  8 Annecompletesassignmentsontime Yes  9 AnnePreparesworkinaqualitymanner Yes  9 Annedemonstratesacooperativeandsupportiveattitude Yes  8 Annecontributessignificantlytothesuccessoftheproject Yes  8 Openquestion:     

DidyoulearnanythingnewfromworkingwithAnnethatyouwillcarryintoyournextgroupexperience?ItwasreallynicehowAnneworkedalongwiththecontentofourclasses.Shesynchronizedourplanningwiththeplanningofthelessonssowecouldaskquestionswhenneeded.

   

Overallexperience:  Good  9 Totalgrade  Good  8.7 

EvaluationAnneOstendorpaboutworkingwithLisanneKlaessen Yes/No  Grade

Lisanneattendsmeetingsregularlyandarrivesontime. Yes  10Lisannecontributesmeaningfullytodiscussions Yes  9 Lisannecompletesassignmentsontime Yes  8 LisannePreparesworkinaqualitymanner Yes  8 Lisannedemonstratesacooperativeandsupportiveattitude Yes  8 Lisannecontributessignificantlytothesuccessoftheproject Yes  9 Openquestion:     

DidyoulearnanythingnewfromworkingwithLisannethatyouwillcarryintoyournextgroupexperience? LisannestartworkinginGoogleDriveandmadeaclearoverviewofthepaper.Thiswasveryhelpfulandstructuredintheprocess.

   

Overallexperience:Wemadeclearagreementsanddividedthepartswell.Weconsultwitheachotherwhensomeonehadahesitation.

Good  9 

Totalgrade  Good  8,7  

Attachment3:CrisisdayEvaluation/reflection1. ProcesA. What did you know on forehand about the situation (facts)?we both didn’t know a lot about the RFID chips and about the Ebola virus just what was told in the news. Furthermore we had access to all the information on the hand out an the informationwecouldfindontheinternetaboutbothsituations.

B. Can you determine the type of crisis you are dealing with?By looking at the Situational Crisis Communication Theory we can conclude that the Rock Werchter festival was dealing with an accidental crisis. Actions of the organization leaded unintentional to a crisis. Rock Werchter thought they could trust their partner with the privateinformationoftheirvisitors.Howeverthepartnercouldnothandletokeepthedatasafe. Rock Werchter should have checked the capacity of their partner and conclude that the situation was not trustworthy.

The Burning man festival is also dealing with a accidental crisis. The organization’s actions made the crisis even bigger. The festival couldn’t know that the visitor possibly has Ebola.However,theycouldknowtherewasachanceofanEbolaoutbreak.Visitorsfromthe Burning man festival attend from all the continents of the world. Burning man could have decided not to allow visitors from the countries with a current Ebola outbreak. The visitor who died on the festival was from West-African original. Furthermore,whenthefriendsofthevictimbroughtthevictimtothefirstaid,theemployeesofthefirstaidshouldhaveheldthefriendsincasethevictimdiedofanythinginfectious. The risk of infective diseases is already big on a festival like Burning Man. Not to mention the fact that the possible infected friends are lost on the the enormously huge festival grounds. This is a big mistake of the organisation and could have been prevented withagoodplanofactionforthefirstaidemployees.Thisplanofactioncouldhavebeencomposed in cooperation with the red cross and also been applied on the evacuation of the festival after the incident.

C. Who was part of the ‘spokesmen team’ (not names but roles: police, mayor etc...)In the spokesman team we had the director of the festival, the communication manager, the issuemanager, the director of Live Nation, a professor about RFID and the director of the company that delivered the RFID for Rock Werchter.

D. The spokesmen team: Why did you choose those people/roles?The director was an obvious choice, because he is the spokesman of the festival. After thatwethoughtaboutquestionsthattheycouldaskus,like:“Howareyougoingtocommunicatethistothevictims?”“Howareyougoingtosolvetheproblem?”“Isthisalsoa risk for other festivals?”. So that’s how we came with the communication manager, issue manager and director of Live Nation. The last two members of the spokesmen team were from external partners. We choose to include the company of the RFID chips to tell their side of the story. We also included a RFID specialist to talk about the future and possible risks.

E. What do you think of the preparation in your team?The preparation was very well. The room was well arranged. There was a logo, a registration form and handouts. We prepared how to open and what the opening would be, what questions could come and who would answer them. So there would be no uncomfortable situations.

F. What do you think of your role during the preparation and press conference(reflectonbothspokesmanandjournalist)Anne: My role in the preparation was active. I helped to prepare the spokesmen team and we created possible questions. I helped the director with his opening speech and helped creating rolls. During the press conference I was monitoring.

Lisanne: My role in the facility team was active. I created a press kit handout for the participating journalists. Together with my team we prepared the room with enough chairs, nameplates and drinks for the participants. We made an attendance list and made sure every participant signed in and that there were no unwanted visitors.

As journalist we prepared well. We had a special team that prepared topics and questions. These questions were divided by all of us. Together we came up with the ‘act’ that a woman kissed the person who died from Ebola. This caused some unwanted attentions and reactions for the spokesmen team of the Burning man festival.

G. What do you think of the press conference in general? Tips & tops.We both thought it was a meaningful moment where you could learn a lot and really come in action. Our team took it very serious and that made it more fun. A tip was maybe to watch one press conference together and analyze that one. But we think we still did a good job, without having an example.

2. ContentRole spokes manA. Did you prepare a Q&A and did it cover all the questions?Our team prepared really well on the Q&A we received. Nevertheless, there was one question where we didn’t prepared on. The question sounded: When do you expect the results of your investigation? Although we did not prepare for this question, we handled it well. We told the journalists that we would inform them as soon as possible via their contact details we received by the attendance list.

B. Did you think of a key message, how did you use the knowledge from thecourse?With our key message we used the knowledge from the course about the three ways of saying sorry as a guideline. The three ways of saying sorry are denying, diminishing and rebuilding. We decided in which form and with what goal we wanted to say sorry. Based on these decisions we choose to rebuild crisis response strategies by immediately apologizing.

Besides this step we also thought of step 1, 3 and 4. In step 4 determine message, they talkedaboutthetoneandformatofthemessage.Wechoosetobecalmandconfident.This because in step 1 determine communication objectives, we decided to limit the reputation damage. To achieve that staying calm is the best tone.

C. Did you think of a strategy and how did you follow that strategyYes we decided to use the strategy of saying instantly sorry and we followed it during the press conference.

Role journalistD. Which questions did you prepare, why those questions, were the answersatisfactory and if not, how did you react?Anneasked:Howisitwiththemedicalcare?Arethereplacedemergencyhospitals?The answer was in contradiction with some information they said before. So I quoted that and then they recovered their answer.

Lisanne asked: What advice do you have for the visitors who are still on the festival?The answer was to leave the festival as soon as possible to get checked on the Ebola virus at the exit. After leaving the festival the visitors should make sure to get checked again after a couple days. I asked if they had any control over the second check. The organisations answered that the responsibility was with the visitors themselves.

3. ExperienceA.Whathaveyoulearnedfromthisexperience?Reflectonbothroles(journalistandspokesman.Anne: I learned that it is important to keep serious and to prepare yourself when you are a spokesman. It is awful to say something that can use against you. When you don’t know the fact don’t come up with facts because that is never helping you.

As journalist I learned that it is important to introduce and stay critical. You are not satisfiedwithasimpleansweryouwanttoknowmore.

Lisanne:AsaspokesmanIlearnedtopreparewelltomakeagoodfirstimpressionandagoodstart. A good preparation and impression already blows away a lot of questions. It also makessureyouhaveaconfidentfeelingaboutallthebasics.Ifyoustillreceiveaquestionyou did not prepare for, you can always rely on the facts that you do know and on the fact that you can inform them afterwards with more information.

As a journalist I learned to be on time, prepare good and when I want to ask a question I need to stand up, introduce myself and keep asking until I receive the answer I want. B. What would you do the same and what would you do differently next time.Anne: The preparation is something I would do the same and learning the names is something I would do differently. As monitor it was more professional if I would say Mr. of Mrs. can answer this question, instead of she can answer the question.

Lisanne: The preparation I did for the spokesman team is something I would do the same. But my preparation as a journalist would be different. I would search for examples and readtherulesforjournalisttoknowmorespecificallyhowIneedtoaskthemoststrategicquestions within the rules.

C.Howhasthisexperiencecontributedtoyouasaprofessional?Anne: This experience is contributing a lot, because in every company crisis communication is possible. A press conference is the best known mean to use, so to have experience with it, is really helpful.

Lisanne: I like that we putted the theory into practice. These experiences help me prepare for the ‘real world’. I have never practiced or experienced an press conference before. This experiment made me decided to soon participate on real press conferences.

Attachments of Attachment 3:A. Key message (1/2 page.)Excuses to everyone who is affected by this accident. We take responsibility for this incident.Wethinkthatprivacyisaseriouscase.Thecaseisunderinvestigationtofindout what went wrong and to take care it will never happen again. We will make sure that everyone can visit the festival with a safe feeling again .

During communication the key message it is important to: - stay calm- say sorry- do your research- communicate facts and results as soon as possible- Communicate with the victims

B. Q&A (10 questions, max. 2 page.)

Q&A for spokesmen team Rock Werchter Q1: Hoeveel mensen hebben toegang tot gegevens? Niet iedereen heeft zichzelf gekoppeld aan facebook. dit is maar 40%, al deze mensen zijn ingelicht. Advies om wachtwoord te veranderen. Website is direcht offline gegaan. Naar verwachting is niet veel: snel gehandeldQ2: Enig idee wie er achter kan zitten? Nog niet opgespoord momenteel. Welke richting denken jullie? Dit kunnen wij nog niet delen.Q3: Wat voor info kan er vrij komen/ wat is het gevaar? Er kunnen verschillende dingen mee gedaan worden. Nu is het alleen fb gegevens. Q4: Ook bankgegevens gelekt? Nee er zijn geen bankgegevens gelekt. Alleen facebook gegevens.Q5: 40% heeft bandjes is hoeveel mensen? 40000 mensen

Q6: Hoe heeft dit kunnen gebeuren? Bedrijf heeft alles veilig gesteld, wordt nog onderzocht op welk gebied dit niet veilig was. Yara hierna: onze technieken worden iedere dag beter. Steeds betere bandjes, we proberen hier goed om in te spelen. We zijn goed aan het onderzoeken.Q7: Is het verantwoord geweest deze bandjes in te zetten? Ja je kan niet 1 dag voor een festival deze bandjes makenQ8: Best risico om je gegevens te koppelen: dit staat in de algemene voorwaarden dat het risico geeft. Q9: Gaan jullie volgend jaar weer hiermee werken? We zijn bezig met onderzoek, ligt hier erg aan. Kunnen we ervoor zorgen dat niemand dit meer kan hacken? Ja? Dan gaan we verder. Zo niet, dan gaan we niet met deze bandjes verder.Q10: Wanneer verwachten jullie afronding onderzoek? Kunnen we nu nog niet zeggen, ze zijn nu net bezig. Hier komen wij later op terug. Dmv de ingevulde lijst worden jullie op de hoogte gehouden

Q11: Schade vergoeding? Kijken of dit mogelijk is. In algemene voorwaarden stond eigen risico. Q12: Is er al meetbare schade? Ja we hebben alle bezoekers via mail bereikt, gezegd hun wachtwoord te veranderen. Q13: Kan er uitgezocht worden of er daadwerkelijk mensen schade ondervinden aan hacking? Hulplijn. Mensen kunnen zich melden.

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