Study Abroad Berlin: May 24, 2016

Day 2: Navos (Crisis Communication)

The staff gave us a situation analysis about a crisis that occurred in the US in 2009 with Domino’s Pizza. We were asked to come up with a plan on who we would communicate with, how we would communicate with them, and through which mediums. After we figured what our plan was, we were to put together a presentation for the team and our peers. We split up into groups and I was with Ed, Mary, and Ebony. We got one of their interns assigned to work with us which was really great.

We started attacking the assignment by answering a set of questions that we needed to answer in order to put together the presentation. We spent the majority of the time discussing our different options and weighing all the pros and cons. During all of this it was great to have the input of the intern because she gave us a whole new perspective.Finally, with the help of Seltzer, we were able to prioritize our publics if they fell under the following three categories; urgency, power, and legitimacy. We spent so much time on this and the discussion of the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats) that we put a powerpoint together very last minute.

Luckily we were the last of the groups to present and it was more like having a conversation and an easy flowing presentation because we had discussed every topic of the presentation in such depth within our group. I’m usually more comfortable with a planned out presentation but I realized that our in depth discussion allowed me to feel more comfortable with what I was presenting. Definitely a new tactic that I’m going to try out for future presentations.

After each of our presentations to various members of Navos, including some of the partners, they asked us some questions and pointed out flaws in the different tactics. The biggest flaw that they pointed out in the three presentations was the lack of internal communication to the employees. As Jana said “Your employees are your best ambassadors.” After the presentations were over we got to talk with numerous employees about what it is like to work for a German company as well as how the internship stuff works over here. One of the things that they mentioned just as much as the next person is the importance of getting experience under your belt. They said that for them to have an intern they would need to be able to speak German as the grand majority of their clients are German companies.

We wrapped up the day at Navos and as I was getting my stuff together, Jana looked over at me and said “That was a really good and organized presentation.” I think went into a little bit of shock when she said that but I was grateful for that comment. Sometimes I look back and think of how unexperienced I am, but to hear from a professional that does this for a living to say I did a good job reassures me that I must be on the right track. Also, today showed me that I could see myself working at a company like this. I don’t know, I might even consider taking up German with the possibility of working for this company.

Everyone at Navos was so nice and welcoming and after spending their day with us at work some of them took us to and joined us at a rooftop garden for some drinks. The view was incredible from up there. We spent a good deal of time getting to know them and sharing experiences. Such a great way to end a day learning about crisis public relations.