Blog

Learning to expect and respect the unexpected

July 16, 2024

Prepare for your event and media coverage, then accept it won’t go exactly as scripted or planned

This… is not a crisis.

I remind our clients, my staff – and myself – of these five words regularly. They might come out differently in the heat of the moment, but the sentiments are the same: we’ve got this covered, we planned for this, and everything is going to be fine. I routinely tell my staff: we are not curing cancer and we have all our fingers and toes. Perspective always helps.

If you’ve known me for more than a hot minute, then you know my history of parking tickets and intimate familiarity with our city’s impound lot. I like to think it’s because I’m so focused on our clients and their immediate needs that I don’t think twice about where I (may have illegally) parked  my vehicle. But in those times (okay, many times) when I see an orange ticket or – even worse – no vehicle at all, it feels like a crisis. Which is why we cannot leave it to our feelings to cloud our judgment or discern what is or isn’t an actual crisis.

How can you be so sure it’s not a crisis?

Recognizing what is and isn’t a crisis comes with time and experience. It is not an instinct that comes naturally, it is a learned and measured response. Our tendency is to believe that when things don’t go as planned, when someone goes off script, chaos will ensue. Something is about to hit the fan.
  
As you know, our firm thrives on “amplifying the good -- and fun! -- in our community.” Often that involves live events that allow media to capture and share the good and fun – as it unfolds. Some of these live events have involved elephants, many have involved snakes, and one even involved an alligator (and a handler named “TM The Gator Guy.” It was rumored that T.M. stood for “thumbs missing”…what could possibly go wrong?).

But the cynic in you (and me) can’t help but wonder if media at your live event also gives them a front row seat to an impending and unavoidable dumpster fire, with you (and me) just outside the camera lens about to go into full-on panic mode and an unflattering visual meltdown just as the camera swings in our direction. This, friend, is the anxiety-riddled nature of events on event day.

But when we take a deep breath, together, and assess the situation through our prepared and well-reasoned lenses, rarely do we witness our worst-case scenario come to pass. Rarely is the thing we’re stressed about even noticeable to others. Then, as cooler heads prevail, something else happens.

The unexpected as a gift.

When we relax our tight-fisted grip over every element, something unexpected and beautiful begins to unfold. Something you couldn’t have scripted no matter how hard you tried emerges naturally, almost effortlessly. I’ve witnessed surprising moments like this so many times that I’ve lost count.
When we assume positive intent of our teams and those we serve – even when it doesn’t look exactly like what we painstakingly planned for – they inevitably rise to the occasion. More often than not, they exceed expectations.

Have a plan, practice discernment.

This doesn’t mean we’re tone-deaf optimists expecting good things regardless of circumstances.  We do our homework, pull from experience, and come prepared with an action plan for every event should a real crisis emerge. Typically, we can discern a crisis from another type of issue with these three questions:

• Is someone hurt?
• Are people in danger of potentially being hurt?
• Is law enforcement on the scene or needed?

If the answer is “no” to these questions, then we know we aren’t triaging a crisis but instead taking deliberate steps to address and manage a nuanced issue.

Here’s a fact: we can’t deliver well on the things we’re hired to do – amplify the good and fun in our community – if we’re obsessively fixated on and assuming the worst. That’s why we build out crisis plans in advance (a topic for another day).

Part of assuming positive intent also comes in developing strong media relationships. There is a shared understanding of intent between us and the media. By choosing to attend and capture the good, they are not out to embarrass our clients. Further, any issues that we may see as glaring problems because we’re so close to it, will likely go unnoticed to media and our audiences. So let this be good news to your ears.

Navigate each hiccup with confidence.

As we celebrate 20 years of Irvin PR, we also celebrate hundreds – if not thousands – of successful events. Yes, they come with their own built-in stress that’s part of event planning and media cultivation. Few if any, go off without a hiccup or two. Even fewer, if any, rise to the level of a crisis. Hindsight always confirms this.

Many, however, provide for a great story, a solid learning, and new friends and collaborators. We have always found that the stress is well worth it.

Perhaps the best thing you can do on event day is plan to have someone you trust by your side, someone who understands your preparation and intent, and is there to remind you – you’ve got this covered, you’ve planned for this, and everything is going to be fine… and maybe even better than you planned or imagined was possible.