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Face the music and dance

Emma RussellSenior Officer Advocacy, Arts Council England

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Case Study: Investment decisions

2008Guardian

The answer to Arts Council cuts? Cut the Arts Council: Ossified,

demoralised, opaque: the Arts Council should go - Michael Billington

Britain's acting community yesterday declared it had no confidence inthe Arts Council Mark Brown

The Stage

Biggest PR disaster the arts has ever seen - Alistair Smith, The Stage,2008

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2011

Cultural cuts are not welcome but they have been skilfully

undertaken leader

Guardian

What the Arts Council has done seems quite smart RichardEyre

they appear to have made a pretty good fist of things and thesector seems to have recognised this fact. Crucially, they havebeen able to manage expectations. - Alistair Smith

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How to prevent and handle a

media crisis

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1. Plan

planits your insurance policy

crisis doesnt necessarily mean big

known when to act - only negative tweets/posts which threatenyour reputation need action

prepare to respond quickly and concisely when issues arise

make time for planning and convince your line-manager of thevalue

think like a journalist

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2. Make friends

tee-up key spokespeople outside your

organisation

don't wait till things go wrong

get them to speak publicly on your behalf

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3. Put your head above the parapet

pre-empt journalists

always offer a comment

respond to everyone and make your response

visible

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4. Breathe

Twitter and rolling news make a quick

response essential but allow yourself time to

think

let journalists know you will give them a

statement imminently

Two heads are better than one

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5. Hold your line

dont get drawn in - stick to what you want to

say and just keep repeating yourself

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6. Rehearse

media train spokespeople

role play possible scenarios

write reactive lines

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7. Honesty is the best policy

take the hit in the short-term - if you have

made a mistake, put your hands up

Talk about what you have learnt and how the

mistake will make you improve

Acknowledge other perspectives

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8. Be social

monitor social media

react immediately to key stakeholders postsavert the story before it even starts

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9. Don't lose your sense of humour

use humour - with caution - to take the heat

out of an emerging crisis

acknowledge the situation and keep things in

perspective

avoid sarcasm

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10. Enjoy it!

often the most exciting time in a press office

strong relationships are forged

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End