A glossary of communications

C

• Communication with regulatorsPlanned, accurate and consistent dealings with the authorities that supervise a company, both in the normal course of business and in a crisis.
• Corporate narrativeA coherent account of what the company is, where it is heading and why that matters to its stakeholders.
• Corporate reputationThe sum of the judgements that different stakeholder groups make about a company based on what it actually does, not just what it says.
• Crisis management teamA small team with a clear leader and decision-making mandate that directs the company's response to a crisis, from facts to communication.
• Crisis readiness auditA structured assessment of whether a company has the people, procedures, tools and materials needed to respond well to a reputational crisis.
• Crisis simulationAn exercise in which the board and crisis team work through a realistic crisis scenario under controlled conditions.

D

• Dark siteA prepared, publicly invisible website that a company activates during a crisis as its main source of official information.

E

• ESG communication and greenwashingGreenwashing is presenting a company's activities as more environmentally or socially responsible than the facts support.

H

• Holding statementA short, pre-prepared statement a company issues in the first hours of a crisis, before all the facts are known.

I

• Internal communication in a crisisInforming employees and managers about a crisis so that they do not learn of it from the media and know how to act.
• Investor relationsA company's communication with shareholders, investors, analysts and lenders, based on accurate, timely and consistent information.
• Issues managementThe systematic identification and handling of matters that could grow into a reputational problem before they become a crisis.

K

• Key messagesA small number of short, agreed points the company wants its audiences to remember, supported by facts and examples.

M

• Media monitoringSystematic tracking of coverage in traditional and digital media about the company, its sector, competitors and relevant issues.
• Media trainingPractical preparation of board members and experts for dealing with journalists, usually including a simulated on-camera interview.

N

• News embargoSharing information with the media in advance on the condition that it is not published before a specified time.

O

• Off the recordAn agreement with a journalist that information will be neither published nor attributed to the source, provided both sides have clearly agreed it.

P

• Press correctionA procedure under Polish press law allowing a company to demand publication of a factual correction of untrue or inaccurate information.
• Press lawThe rules governing the media and dealings with them, including authorisation of quotes, corrections and duties to provide information.
• Public affairsManaging a company's relationships with government, local authorities, industry bodies and other participants in public debate.

Q

• Q&A documentAn internal document setting out anticipated questions from the media and stakeholders with agreed answers, especially to the hardest ones.

R

• Reputational riskThe possibility that an event, decision or behaviour will undermine key stakeholders' trust in the company and translate into business costs.

S

• SentimentAn assessment of the tone of coverage and comments about a company, usually classed as positive, neutral or negative.
• Share of voiceA company's share of all coverage or mentions on a topic compared with its competitors, over a given period and set of media.
• Social licence to operateInformal acceptance of a company's operations by the local community and wider public, independent of any permits or official approvals.
• SpokespersonThe person authorised to speak for the company to the media, ensuring the official message is consistent and available.
• Spokesperson or CEOThe decision on who speaks publicly for the company on a given matter: the spokesperson, the CEO or another board member.
• Stakeholder mapA structured overview of the groups and individuals the business depends on, assessing their influence, expectations and attitude.
• Succession communicationA planned process for informing the family, managers, employees, customers and banks about a generational change or a change at the top.

T

• Thought leadershipBuilding the standing of a company or its leaders as a credible source of knowledge and views on matters important to the sector.