Crisis Communication

In light of recent political events, I felt it was a good time to discuss the importance of a crisis communication plan. A crisis communication plan is about preparation and response to a crisis that hits an organization. I'm always surprised at how many organizations don't have a crisis communication plan in place. It's not something you want to be caught without. Give me a few minutes this week and let me show you how to begin the development of your own crisis communication plan.

Bad news happens to everyone, whether its a hurricane, a crime wave or a bad economy. But what turns bad news into a scandal, and what can you do about it? The short answer comes from an old saying in journalism: "It's not the crime, it's the cover-up." Scandals happen when bad news is mixed with with hubris and denials. The best thing to do is to tell the truth, and tell it right away, because t…

Bad stories will happen. You could be Mother Theresa and still get bad press. There are different types of bad stories. Each requires a different type of response. 1) When a story is bad and untrue. 2) When a story is bad but true. 3) Negative opinions. 4) Bad press from a professional critic.

Public figures -- politicians and professional athletes, actors and authors -- inevitably must deal with bad news, controversy and scandals. This series of posts can help you respond to bad news in whatever form it may take. Why do certain negative stories disappear after a few days while others linger for weeks, or months? What key mistakes did...

"Press conference" means something specific to reporters and editors. You're striking a bargain with them: they'll spend time and personnel attending and reporting on an event, perhaps far away, in exchange for the chance to ask questions about big, breaking news. It's a deal. Bad things happen when you break this deal.

Every day, you can find a story in the press about a public figure in trouble for something they said in an e-mail that got leaked. The trend has only accelerated, with technology inventing new ways for people to get in trouble: text messages, cell phone photos, Facebook posts and tweets. If you spend a lot of time e-mailing and texting, it's...

When the media wants somebody on deadline, tomorrow or next week may as well be next year to them. They'll drop the story or quote somebody else. You've got to train bosses, clients and front-line staff to be extremely flexible when the media comes knocking. Failing to do that is like baiting your hook and putting into the water, then walking...

If there's a bad story, there's a temptation to say, "Handle it." And yes, a big part of public relations is handling bad news. But there are pitfalls to the comfy bubble that comes with being a public figure. The ones who get into serious trouble in the press and public aren't doing it for the first time. If you don't pay any price for repeated...