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Interviews with almost two dozen leading chief communication officers (CCOs) and chief marketing officers (CMOs) show how they are responding to what some call unprecedented uncertainty caused by President Trump.

Peppercomm and the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) did not initially intend to focus on Trump when they began the interviews, but they found that CCOs and CMOs overwhelmingly said they were experiencing challenges with the new administration, said Steve Cody, co-founder and CEO of Peppercomm, in a press release.

“All interviewees, except for one whose company doesn’t do business in the U.S., said President Trump and his new administration could impact, or has had an impact, on their business functions,” said Dr. Tina McCorkindale, president and CEO of IPR. “Closely monitoring and preparing for potential issues within the organization, industry, and overall business environment will be critical for CCOs.”

Preparing as Best They Can

Communications professionals are working hard to prepare for potential issues if Trump mentions their organization in a tweet, a speech or an off-hand comment, the survey reveals. They’re preparing their organizations as best they can, but they cannot predict when or how they might be targeted and are not sure how to respond.

In some cases, executives must scramble to respond even if the president praises their organization. One executive postponed responding to the survey because the president-elect had just named his organization during a speech. “I have been inundated,” he admitted. “Trump just gave a shout-out to our CEO by name at a press conference, so I just responded to another 15 media interviews.”

Some companies are doubling-down on messages of open-mindedness and tolerance, while others are redirecting their messaging to focus on corporate contributions to the U.S. economy and culture.

Planning for a Crisis

A crisis response plan is vital. The plan tells communicators exactly if, when, how, and how often to respond to different types of scenarios, whether Trump’s statements are positive or negative, facts or “alternative facts,” the study advises. It also details how quickly they must respond on social media — as soon as 15 minutes if the president tweets about the company.

Communications executives recommend that organizations:

  • Analyze their exposure to potential political risks. Assemble facts about your organization in relation to hot-button issues like immigration, overseas manufacturing, corporate taxes or other issues in which the company may be in the cross-hairs of the president or the media. Ask questions like How many immigrants do we employ, and where were they born? How much do we pay in corporate taxes overseas versus the United States? How many overseas employees do we have vs. the U.S.? Where are they located? What do they make or what services do they provide? Has the company used H1B visas for skilled foreign workers?
  • Study past and current examples of how companies respond to being cited by Trump to learn from their experiences.
  • Prepare for the unexpected and learn to be more agile.
  • Reexamine and restate in a “working paper” the organization’s core mission and beliefs on hot issues such as diversity, climate change, corporate taxes and infrastructure spending. Determine how Trump administration policies, if enacted, will impact the company and its workers.
  • Stay true to the organization’s core values even during the heat of a crisis.
  • Emphasize to employees that even their seemingly insignificant actions can have public repercussions, as their deeds may be perceived as representing the organization’s views.
  • Make sure at least one executive has the media interviewing skills and background information to answer journalist’s questions effectively on the hot-button issues.

A Change in Styles?

“Corporate communicators will need to change their styles in this new world order,” argued Stan Steinreich, president and CEO of Steinreich Communications, in O’Dwyers. “Instead of balanced language, they will need to be more provocative, and this will no doubt go against the grain of many corporate executives who will fear this edginess will add fuel to the jousting volley.”

While some corporations will opt to defend themselves vigorously, despite risks of angering the president, others will prefer to avoid a confrontation.  Some may compromise; others may stay quiet and hope the controversy passes.

In the words of the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared. Readiness can avert a communications calamity.

Bottom Line: Anonymous interviews with top communications executives reveal the breadth and depth of fears that President Trump will cause a PR crisis for their organizations. Business leaders are not passively waiting. They are preparing crisis communications plans and trying to better position their brands’ reputations.