Active shooter incidents are on the rise in US, and your organization is most definitely at risk. Quoting FBI statistics, the National Fire Protection Association reports that “an average of 6.4 active shooter events occurred annually in the U.S. from 2000 to 2006. From 2007 to 2013, that average more than doubled, to 16.4. From…
It’s been a busy year for crises for people and companies alike. Some of the largest, best-known brands found themselves under fire for months, many with a series of scandals that just kept coming. Some of these crises were caused directly by the caught-on-video bad behavior of key executives, such as Uber’s founder and former…
Recent Category 5 hurricanes and major earthquakes have again put the spotlight on the world of preparedness. When a community is impacted by a major event, almost everyone is impacted. It is imperative that we keep our businesses operational in order to support the community. Some organizations have business continuity plans, many don’t. According to…
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…
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…
I’m often asked which times are better to tweet and communicate with one’s audience on social media, in a crisis. With tons of studies out there revealing the “best days and times” to tweet and share online, I can see how people get confused and wonder such things for their own crisis communications. I’m…