Bright lights switch on. Microphones and tape recorders are thrust at you. Harried reporters ask brusque questions. What kind of person voluntarily steps into such mayhem? If you are a member of a Crisis Communications Team that person might very well be you. Even if you aren’t going to face the bright lights and microphones, [...]
For a variety of reasons many people don’t like to write. Whether it’s the trauma of getting started, struggling to find the right words or conquering writer’s block, writing isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Introduce the pressure, fear, panic and uncertainty a crisis creates and you’ll understand why writing crisis response communications is so challenging. [...]
In the last article we discussed the role and responsibilities of the communications team leader. This article covers the duties of the communications analyst, the person who ensures the response is effective. An Important Crisis Management Role The analyst gathers and interprets data about the crisis from several sources to determine the effectiveness of the [...]
I wrote When the Balloon Goes Up: The Communicator’s Guide to Crisis Response primarily for public relations/communications professionals and students who need crisis-tested strategies and tactics. The book contains some theory but mostly nuts-and-bolts suggestions and ideas for building and implementing a crisis plan. It doesn’t matter what size your organization is, or what its [...]
While many newsmakers bemoan 24-hour news cycles, savvy crisis communicators can use the microscopic coverage of events to evaluate an organization’s response. Pay attention to what the organization says and does and shortly you will know what they are defending. If they are defending the CEO’s decision their words and actions will be radically different [...]
Regardless of its size or purpose no organization is immune from a crisis that can damage or destroy its reputation. An image is fabricated; a reputation is earned. An image is mostly an internally generated description depicting how an organization wants to be perceived. Some Mission, Vision, Values Statements and marketing campaigns fall into this [...]
