This article is the first of a series that will examine how a Crisis Communications Team Leader keeps his or her team effective in the heat of a crisis. As our videographer, John, unloaded a third camera from his SUV, I asked why he brought so much equipment to our media skills training course. After [...]
Normally the holidays are a time of slow news. Aside from the predictable live reports showing crowded airports, shoppers stampeding through stores and lousy weather there’s usually not much else going on. However, that wasn’t the case on December 20 when ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer interviewed three of the nation’s top intelligence officials about [...]
How many times did you see or hear this during the recent 2010 mid-term elections? The reporter is frustrated after interviewing a candidate. Turning to the camera he says to his colleague in the studio, “Well, that wasn’t very insightful. She wouldn’t discuss anything not on her talking points. When she did answer questions she [...]
This article discusses three lessons learned from crises over the last seven months. Steps to avoid these missteps should be included in your crisis communications plan. Over the past seven months the media have relentlessly covered major crises ranging from a superstar athlete’s fall from grace, a massive vehicle recall because of safety problems, two [...]
Did you ever wish something you said could be grabbed from the air before anyone heard it? From a high-ranking government official to the owner of a local car repair business no one is immune from misspeaking in an interview, especially in the high-pressure environment of a crisis. Thankfully, there are measures you can take [...]
One of the most important components of crisis response is effective communications, but to whom should you be talking and what should you be saying? That depends on which stage your communications efforts are in: Initial Stage Primary Stage Recovery Stage Let’s take a look at communications in these three stages. Initial Stage Making a [...]
From the world’s best golf professional to a politician to the director of a local charity, personalities at the top of their profession can engage in behavior that can damage or destroy their reputation and that of their organizations. Situations like these are some of the most difficult a communicator can face because they inevitably [...]
A crisis communications plan organizes your team into neat, specific roles and responsibilities to facilitate rapid and accurate response. But ask anyone who has responded to a crisis, even a “small incident,” and they will tell you there are myriad administrative events and developments that fall outside those roles that can overwhelm the communications team. [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
