Discussion: "Strategic Communication." Please respond to the given:
A) The senior vice president of your company has resigned in the midst of buyout negotiations. You do not know all of the details but have been selected as a participant in the news conference to be held that afternoon to announce his departure. The news conference will be open to questions from the media so you need to be prepared to answer any inquiries addressed to you. Please discuss the following:
- The information you need to gather before the news conference.
- How you will gather pertinent information as quickly as possible.
B) The press conference (explained above) will announce the senior vice president's resignation and field questions from the media about his decision. As the vice president of the communication department, you will need to write a memo to your company's representatives serving on the panel and senior management. Please discuss the following:
- Two key messages that you want to be sure to convey to the public when answering media questions.
- The risks involved in exposing the organization to the media attention.