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Just a Thought
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"We will not respond substantively to unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information."
- Peter Mirijanian (atty for Jared Kushner), speaking to the Washington Post
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From the Editor
This week's "Just a Thought" is a real mouthful, and that's the problem. First let's break down exactly what this attorney is saying.
"We will not respond substantively to unnamed sources peddling second-hand hearsay with rank speculation that continue to leak inaccurate information."
Talk about a sentence to make your eyes cross!
Why not boil it down to share the same message without making readers work for it?
"We won't respond to false allegations from anonymous sources who insist on spreading speculation and inaccurate information."
While we're seeing an encouraging rise in understanding of the need to communicate in a PR-friendly manner, you still run into a hot mess of jargon far too often. Even well-educated professionals are barely scanning statements, interview responses, and other crisis communications, meaning you need to embrace the K.I.S.S. protocol whenever you're discussing things in a public arena.
There's too much information coming at us entirely too quickly to bother filtering through a cloudy message. If people get three words into your communications and aren't understanding things then they'll simply walk away. Write the message as you'd say it to a colleague first if that makes you more comfortable, but if you're not taking a couple passes to see how things could be made simpler and easier to comprehend then you're not communicating effectively.
P.S. Let's connect on LinkedIn! I love networking with readers and am always looking to make new connections.
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Interested in reprinting BCM articles or blog posts?
| We're happy to give permission for material to be reprinted in hard copy or online!
If you find something you would like to reprint, simply submit a request to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com. |
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Blogs
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Here, we share a look at some of the most popular posts from recent weeks:
Have you ever tried to resolve an argument with a loved one without acknowledging their feelings first? Have you ever started apologizing, only to be told, "That's not even what upset me in the first place!"? Media Training Tips: Walk a mile in someone else's shoes digs into the connection between these personal conversations and crisis communications, along with how you can use that connection to your advantage.
These days it's critical everyone in your organization has some social media knowledge, and those responsible for crisis management are up to date on the latest and most effective means of communicating in the social space. To help, here's a great infographic highlighting what one source predicts will be the Top Social Media Trends of 2018.
Do you have a topic you'd like to see featured in our blogs? Send an email to erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com and there's a good chance you'll be seeing it right here in the next issue!
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| Business Announcements
(aka blatant self-promotion)
What if you could quickly find out how your stakeholders perceive you during a breaking crisis?
Bernstein Crisis Management now uses online surveys and other tools to get immediate stakeholder perception feedback, during a breaking crisis, with the option of continuing to monitor perception post-crisis.
Are There Any Holes in Your Crisis Planning?
Your organization may well have crisis prevention and response-related plans in place - but are you sure they're going to cover all the bases? Bernstein Crisis Management's Crisis Document Audit is a low-cost, flat-rate service which will quickly provide you with a comprehensive analysis of your existing plans and recommendations for improvement.
We're Giving Away Keeping the Wolves at Bay and other crisis publications!
Keeping the Wolves at Bay, the widely used media-training manual published by Jonathan Bernstein, is available for free, as well as other useful publications.
Social Media Crisis Training
A solid social media manager has quickly become a must-have for organizations of any size, and can make an immense difference by driving in customers and building your positive reputation online.
The problem is, the vast majority are simply not equipped to even identify building crises, much less take the steps necessary to cope with and mitigate the damage that can result.
That's where we come in.
Bernstein Crisis Management is now offering crisis management training for social media managers, both independent and in-house, as well as social media firms.
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About Us
  Jonathan Bernstein is both publisher of Crisis Manager and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting.
Write to Jonathan at:
Erik Bernstein is vice president of Bernstein Crisis Management, and editor of this newsletter. Spending the last decade hands-on with crisis and reputation management, he has developed proven methods to prevent, prepare for, and reduce damage taken from crisis situations. He's watched first-hand as the internet and social media changed how we communicate, and leverages that experience to the benefit of clients.
Write to Erik at:
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Legal Disclaimer (aka the small print)
All information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable. Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party. Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis. |
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