They’ve weathered the storms, but could their crises have been avoided altogether? What lessons can crisis communicators draw from the recent VW “dieselgate” crisis and United Airlines’ spate of public relations disasters, most notably its violent removal of a passenger from one of its planes? These are crises where company wrong-doing was evident, yet any…
Guest contributor: Jo Detavernier, SCMP, APR – VP and Partner with Swyft. When a crisis hits, the spokesperson or (in a larger organization), the Crisis Communications Team, sees itself under immense pressure to respond quickly to demands for information from media. The first hour of a crisis is often called the Golden Hour because you…
How will your organization handle social media during a crisis? David Kalson of PreparedEx recently presented, “The Internet, Social Media, and Crisis Communications”, at the International Crisis Management Conference in Boston this past April. During his presentation, he discussed the pros and cons of social media during a crisis. Negatives: Irate customers who may not…
Communicating during crises is important, especially in today’s world of fast-paced social media and mobile communications. Knowing what to say, and how to say it, is probably something that many organizations don’t practice enough. In this episode, we interview Erik Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management. During the podcast, we discuss several areas of corporate crisis…
Cybersecurity in general is always a hot topic in terms of Crisis Management. However, cyber bullying in the corporate space isn’t always addressed. Erik & Jonathan Bernstein of Bernstein Crisis Management wrote a great blog on the subject. In their article, “Cyberbullying – a Crisis Management Issue“, they discuss what cyber bullying looks like when a…
Being able to communicate during a crisis is essential for any organization. Understanding what to say and how to say it should be part of the crisis preparedness planning process. All stakeholders need to be addressed and your spokespersons should know what to say when the media request an interview. Have you ever considered being…
As is painfully well known to many companies that have endured crises, social media can be a troublemaker: An irate consumer posts a recording she captured of some impolite customer service she experienced from your company, and it’s being re-Tweeted ad nauseum. Or, a diner’s video of a cockroach backstroking through your restaurant’s clam chowder…
Check out this great article from John Rainford, the Director of The Warning Project. The Warning Project is launching a new series of articles aiming to try and capture, analyze and debate the best the evolving field of emergency risk communication has to offer. This flies in the face of much of our individual and…
When a crisis, such as a natural disaster, affects the public, social media will always come into play. While social media is an increasingly vital aspect of crisis communications, it usually does not exist on its own. Social media supplements and enhances other, more traditional communications, whether it’s a siren alert or a TV…
Emory University Hospital had a tough crowd to deal with when they announced that they’d be receiving and caring for two American missionary doctors who had contracted the Ebola virus in West Africa. However, the way they chose to handle the issue and communicate with the general public was a true example of effective…