Book on MH370 crisis communication a must for CEO's
A book on crisis communications and on how business and political leaders should handle the media as well as perceptions among the general public in managing a crisis, is a must read for CEO’s said writer Krishnamoorthy Muthaly.
In an interview, Mr Krishnamoorthy – who was reporter of the year 1987 when he was working for Malay Mail – narrated how he captured the key moments where leaders performed poorly in front of 300+ international journalists.
He said the book titled “Flying Through Crisis: MH370: Lessons in Crisis Communications which he co-authored with David Kirkham altogether dissects how Malaysian CEOs fared in managing the media, rightly or wrongly.
While the book also deals with the moments of family’s grief, how Malaysians coped with a double whammy when both the MH370 and the MH17 tragedies struck the nation, Krishnamoorthy the book is an extended case study in public and media communications during a crisis.
“The book does not speculate over the final resting place of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 nor does it seek to explain why the Boeing 777 disappeared. What it does do is provide sound and entirely practical advice on how to handle communications in a complex and long-running crisis,” he said in one his interviews to the local media.
“The book emphasises learning from the crisis by concentrating both on those things which went well and those which did not.
People learn more from doing things right than from doing them wrong. It is a handbook for CEOs, professional crisis communicators and university students studying communications. It does not peddle platitudes nor does it over-theorise. But it does tell you how to do it,” he said.
He said he trust this book will provide the practical guidance for CEOs and crisis communications officials.
“It tells you how to do it and it’s grounded in the real world and illustrated with abundant examples during the extended MH370 crisis.”
Flying Through Crisis is written in all humility about how Malaysia, propelled onto the world stage, handled the crisis communications.
The book is designed to help communications specialists to be better equipped to manage a crisis. The response to MH370 and MH17 provides vivid, relevant and educational case studies with local, regional and international dimensions.
Dynamic strategies are introduced as a framework for planning by crisis teams. There is a good cross-section of the local and global media coverage, more pertinent because I was present at press conferences and worked with local and foreign journalists during the crisis.
It is also based on sound academic theory producing what is designed to be a balanced and insightful analysis of communication responses by the Malaysian and Australian governments, Malaysia Airlines and other affected parties.
Krishnamoorthy said any organisation that develops good relationships with the media is one that promotes the organisation and its business.
The CEOs positioning, seizing media opportunities and performing well is the way to succeed in a crisis. Whenever a crisis is badly handled, the organisation is doomed. Its very survival is at risk, its reputation and standing are damaged and its stakeholders, which include the media, will withdraw their support.
“The days of ignoring the media are gone. If you fail to communicate, you fail to succeed. Your stakeholders will not understand or forgive you. Malaysia Airlines and the Government learnt from the communications boo boos it made in MH370, thus improving their performance compared to MH17’s disaster,” he said.