Sharing valuable lessons with the community As announced recently, we decided to start giving away the formerly $10 PDF version of Jonathan Bernstein’s media training manual, Keeping the Wolves at Bay. Now, from Bernstein Crisis Management’s Home Page, you can choose to download the media training manual or any of these …
Knowing what creates issues can help you avoid them Conflict is bound to happen in any group, but it doesn’t have to lead to lasting issues. By recognizing the signs of conflict and knowing how to best resolve it you can avoid the negative consequences. Thankfully there’s a lot of …
A slow and painful way to destroy a reputation When the Volkswagen scandal first broke we specifically told several publications that the automaker needs to avoid a “death by 1000 cuts” scenario wherein bad news comes out bit by bit, re-igniting the public’s attention each time. Well, if you’ve been following …
Interesting opinions from PR pros The public, and how it communicates, is always changing. As a result, so is how we do public relations. Collecting responses from professionals in the field, PRNewsWire created an infographic to detail what experts define as PR today: The BCM Blogging Team www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com
One of the most difficult situations in crisis management Sometimes, operational concerns mean difficult decisions have to be made. Layoffs may be the case to demonstrate this. No matter how necessary cutting numbers from your workforce may be, the personal impact on the lives of those who have served your company makes …
With reputation translating into serious bucks you can’t afford to let yours slip Online reputation can make or break an organization today. Studies show Yelp rankings alone can raise revenue 5-9% for each one-star increase in rating, meaning helping to nurture and grow your reputation has a direct translation to making …
Thoughts on the future of our field There’s no doubt about it – the pace of crisis management is growing ever faster. The “as-it-happens” nature of reporting and related decline in journalistic ethics. The ease and sheer speed of self-publishing via platforms like YouTube. Even interest in the crisis management process …
An assortment of examples showing crisis PR done right One of the best ways to learn about and prepare yourself to cope with the negative side of PR is to study real-life examples. There are a lot of “wrong way” case studies out there, but, as is the nature of …
Do you REALLY want more effective gun control? The currency that matters most to elected officials is votes and there are two websites that, when used together, can tell you which candidates are most likely to vote “your way” on gun control. Ironically, the first of those sites is the …
Lessons from a protest turned violent Labor issues are common causes of crisis around the world. Regardless of what field you’re in, there’s a good chance disputes will arise over pay, benefits, work hours, policy, or any number of other workforce-related issues. Protests have long been an effective tool for …
Looking at a study on emergency preparedness at U.S. schools A big part of crisis management is knowing the items your stakeholders care most about. A perfect example of this is the importance of safety on school campuses. Parents care about it, students care about it, and employees care about …
The dangers of allowing your customers to lose faith Unchecked customer service issues are some of the most common causes of serious reputation problems. Sometimes its trouble with company culture, sometimes its rogue employees, but it’s clear that when reputations go up in smoke customer service problems are often fueling the …
[Editor’s note: The following is another take on Volkswagen’s situation from our friend and colleague Rick Kelly.] The Volkswagen Case Study Two weeks after the Volkswagen emission test cheating scandal erupted, the company has taken several important steps toward redemption. Here we present our second installment in this real-time case …
Hot tips for killer headlines Coming up with solid headlines is a priceless skill for any type of PR. And, despite what many think, you don’t have to sit and wait for a lightning flash of inspiration. By applying a few simple principles you can start cranking out high quality …
Building trust is a must if you want communications to be effective A quote I came across from Dr. Stephen Covey, author of the famous “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, really got me thinking. Too often, those at the center of crises mistakenly believe their stakeholders have an obligation …
