I use timelines to keep clients on track when sticky situations start to occur.
A timeline must be a simple document that an entry-level journalist can follow, as well as the man or woman in the street. This is easier said than done when a company is in crisis and the lawyers are climbing over every scrap of paper.
I start with the latest situation (clearly date-stamped) at the top and then descend the page with a readable listing of events. It’s best if you can keep the timeline to less than one page so that each event is 2 lines at most – if people want more information on a particular event they can ask for it.
There are many uses for a good timeline:
- Gathering all the facts from media releases, websites, internal documents etc. in one place
- As a dispute starts escalating towards public view, then you are ready to respond
- Useful having a pre-approved statement of facts to forward to media
- When key issues are reported incorrectly they can be retracted if the editor agrees with your objection and a good timeline can support that case
- When complexity is turning into confusion and current affairs-type journalists smell blood and ask the Dorothy Dix questions
Having had ASIC investigate several funds while I was at AM Corporation in the early 2000s, I found that timelines saved the executive team much time when explaining the chain of events that led to the restructuring of some of the funds.
We didn’t use the timeline to hide information or events; rather it allowed us to illuminate where the company had made decisions based on various economic data and market conditions.
Earlier in the 1990s, I ran public affairs for Coopers & Lybrand at the time that they were appointed to assist the Victorian Government in understanding where Pyramid Building Society had gone awry. A timeline of key company and regulator decisions matched against the economic climate (Australia was in recession at the time) helped with the explanations to reporters. The Pyramid market was mums and dads and the CEO was a football hero so we had many local issues to overcome.
The benefit of having all the helpful facts, figures, dates and events in a one-page document to hand is incalculable. It’s a lonely place defending a company when everyone else is wanting to be somewhere else.
That little piece of paper might look flimsy but if the facts are right and defendable then that might be the only companion you have for a while. Often the PR element comes down to clearly explaining what happened when and why a certain outcome occurred.
Chris Hocking, founder and director of Chris Hocking Strategies: SMSF and financial services public relations organisation. Sydney-based with clients nationwide.