Strategisk kommunikationsrådgivning, issues management & krisehåndtering

Company makes a strong impression
A global company wants to streamline its communication. We develop the company narrative, key messages and Q&A’s that together form the basis for 20 sub-narratives addressing the company’s segments and functions. The narratives and key messages are meant to ensure that all company executives base their communication on the same narrative, both internally and externally. As a result, the company speaks with one voice and makes a clear and consistent impression. At the same time, all executives are equipped to communicate the company’s core narrative and how their individual business units support this narrative.

Increased engagement and awareness
After several acquisitions, a mid-sized company wants to increase employee engagement and external awareness. We include management and employees in the process of developing the company narrative – who they are, what they do and what they want – which increases their sense of ownership of the narrative and the subsequent communication.

Growth creates new challenges
A Danish listed company experiences rapid growth in Europe, which necessitates a streamlined communication effort. We help creating the company’s core narrative, key messages, presentations, press efforts and video production. As a result, the company’s communication is now disciplined, strategic and focused on the long term.

We identify latent issues before they evolve
We are in charge of ongoing Issues Management efforts in several Danish companies as well as international companies that have an interest in Denmark. We identify and address potential critical issues, preventing them from developing into actual crises. Our Issues Management efforts ensure that the companies are at the forefront of latent issues at all times and are prepared to handle these issues without using unnecessary resources. By means of an ongoing Issues Management effort, it is possible to identify and prepare for up to 80 per cent of the issues that could potentially damage a company.

Waves takes part in the company’s contingency plan
We play a role in contingency plans in several companies. We contribute with experience, advice and action, we ensure that the company maintains the necessary focus on handling critical issues and ensure that learnings are used to optimise the contingency going forward. We look ahead – identifying potential challenges and preparing the strategic and action-oriented efforts needed in order to pre-empt potential crises. Our experience and Issues Management effort give management space and employees a sense of comfort. Many companies consider us their trusted advisor.

Bribery case strengthens company’s image
A large Danish company discovers that it has violated anti-bribery and corruption laws. We prepare the entire communication effort based on a proactive approach so that the company is at the forefront of the case with regard to national and international press, employees, customers and business partners. The proactive and controlled communication effort means that the company is not only acting responsibly but also appears and is perceived as a company that takes responsibility. As a result, an otherwise critical case ends up strengthening the company’s image.

Effective communication effort secures important customer relationship
Due to a human accidental error, a large company is being pestered by the press, which makes one of the biggest customers concerned about the cooperation. We prepare a strategy for the communication to the media, customers and employees, which ensures that the company acts responsibly, both internally and externally. As a result, the case is closed quickly and efficiently, and the cooperation with the large customer continues.

Collective labour agreement dispute
An industrial association has an open dispute with a trade union regarding their collective bargaining. The dispute is of great interest to the press and the public. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone participates in the discussion. We formulate the strategy and equip the industrial association to handle the press and their communication to stakeholders in a disciplined manner. As the result, the organisation is able to handle the case, which was extremely difficult from a communications perspective, efficiently and optimally.

At the forefront of pollution
A global company with headquarters in Denmark is held accountable for a polluted area by foreign authorities in spite of the fact that the pollution took place before the company acquired the area. The case has a high number of stakeholders and drags on for years. Waves was involved from the beginning. Based on a contingency plan, a targeted, long-term strategy, on-going monitoring and clear, consistent messages, we are able to handle the issue on an ongoing basis, quickly and efficiently. This ensures that the company is at the forefront of any development in the case at all times, and that the issue never becomes an actual crisis.

Public employee accused of violent behaviour
An employee at a municipal institution is accused of attacking a resident by a former employee, who has reported the incident and now threatens to go to the press.
While the case is investigated, the municipal authorities and the institution want to refrain from communicating about the incident in order to prevent unnecessary concern among residents and relatives. However, we argue for the importance of acting ahead of the press and present a communication plan. This causes the local authorities and the institution to arrange an orientation meeting, during which they get the relatives’ full support. A few days later, the story ‘explodes’ in a national daily, but it dies down just as quickly, as both residents and relatives are familiar with the case and have confidence in the institution. Later, the investigation showed that the accusation of violent behaviour was unfounded.

Full support for sale of company
The board wants to sell the company. However, the decision can only be executed if 65 per cent of a very large group of shareholders vote for it. The board is aware that it may be difficult to gather the necessary support. We prepare an action-oriented strategy with a single narrative, clear and consistent key messages and several specific, targeted communication efforts that the board communicates. 95 per cent of the shareholders end up supporting the board’s proposal and give their consent to selling the company.

New owner creates trust in acquired company
A Danish company acquires a large foreign company. We are involved in the entire process, from the preliminary research, during due diligence and the actual acquisition as well as the following period. We prepare the communication strategy, identify relevant internal and external target groups, formulate the narrative to be echoed in all communication, key messages to communicate, Q&A’s to support the messages, concrete communication efforts, risk assessments, presentations, speech notes etc. All with the purpose of ensuring an integrated and disciplined communication effort that addresses potential questions, motivates and creates trust in the acquired company among its stakeholders.
Efficient communication from the new owner is a prerequisite for ensuring a positive attitude among the newly-acquired company’s executives, employees, customers and business partners. We succeeded in doing so.

Tailored media training for management team
An industry organisation wants to improve its presence in the media and equip its spokespersons in the management team to take on the task. We prepare a tailored course, in which the group is jointly taught optimal media performance focusing on preparation and message delivery. Subsequently, we turn theory into practice when the participants are interviewed in front of the camera in both critical and positive cases from their everyday lives. Everyone is involved in the evaluation of the colleagues’ performances, and the joint teaching, training and evaluation give the participants a shared understanding of the task ahead and create clarity on the organisation’s position on various issues. The result is a management team that speak with one voice, are able to act as optimal spokespersons and who use each other as sparring partners.

Chief executive makes the most of speaking time on TV
The chief executive of a major Danish company feels uncomfortable during interviews. We tailor a short media training course, which is based on concrete cases from the executive’s everyday life and business. During the course, we focus on the executive’s confidence and key messages, and how she can deliver them convincingly and repeatedly during an interview. The purpose is to make the executive more comfortable in the situation and see the interview as an opportunity for free speaking time, where she can give the exact impression of the company that she wishes. The result is a chief executive who appears confident and is able to convey the company’s messages convincingly.

Crisis management on live television
The company is under pressure. A critical story makes headlines in a national daily, and the evening news has requested a live interview. The company CEO comes by our production studio, and together we prepare the evening’s television performance. We identify and develop the messages that the CEO should get across. We ask the uncomfortable questions and help find and refine the good, correct and credible answers. Subsequently, we train the CEO in front of the camera to handle the critical questions and bring the key messages forward. The goal is for the CEO to appear credible and for the company to appear as the responsible company it is. We succeeded.

Specialists learn how to speak in way that everyone understands
A Danish globally leading tech company wants to educate its specialists so that they are able to communicate in a way that is understandable to customers and colleagues. Over a number of years, we run a series of internal courses, ‘Communication for specialists’, which resulted in the specialists not only learning how to adapt their key messages to their target audiences, but also becoming more confident and skilled at preparing and giving presentations.

Confident chief executive
A chief executive is dissatisfied with his own presentations. He has a desire to optimise his preparation phase and the structure of his presentations, find his comfort zone, get his messages across and have bigger impact and all in all get a sense of ‘job well done’. Based on the top executive’s strengths and challenges, we prepare a small course focusing on optimising his preparation time, structure and key messages in relation to target groups and objectives. The course builds on the chief executive’s own presentation and our experience. Finally, we train the chief executive in front of the camera focusing on delivery and impact. The result is a chief executive who today has a limited but optimal preparation phase and who gets through to his audiences, while having a good experience.

Local press office for aircraft manufacturer
Together with our partners in GlobalCom Nordics we serve as a local press office for one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. We manage and coordinate press inquiries, prepare the client for interviews, coordinate press tours, organise and execute events and monitor and report on relevant news. The long-standing cooperation means that the aircraft manufacturer is visible and always at the forefront of developments in the aviation and related industries in Denmark and the Nordics.

We love reading a good story
In cooperation with one of Denmark’s largest recruiting companies, we identify the company’s good stories, develop the stories based on the relevant target groups and make sure that they are ready to be pitched to selected media. We prepare the company’s spokespersons for the dialogue with journalists. The effort is kicked off with a long-term strategy, a core narrative and a number of key messages that are echoed throughout the stories. As a result, the company is remembered for what it wants to be remembered for.

Promoting the service organisation
A large Danish company establishes a central service unit that operates across the entire organisation worldwide. The unit needs to get the message of their services through, both internally and externally. We develop a storyline and manuscript and record and produce a number of eye-catching and attention-grabbing film productions with an edge, clear messages and strategic aim.