It's 2020, so why are some still living decades in the past when it comes to crisis communications best practices?
Sharing this month's most popular content and crisis management insights you won't want to miss out on.
Volume XXI | June 1, 2020
Just a Thought...
"The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."
— Mark Twain, in a Letter to George Bainton, 15 October 1888
From the Editor
[A note from Erik: As 2020 continues to throw curveballs faster than anyone can seem to react, our own founder & chairman Jonathan Bernstein put together a list of five crisis communications fails we're repeatedly seeing create trouble spots for organizations of all shapes and sizes. You'll find that timely info below, and we also invite you to share your own additions to the list which we'll include in a future edition!]
Five Crisis Communications #Fails for 2020
It’s the year 2020 and yet, sadly, some organizations and individuals seem to still be living 10 to 20 years in the past in terms of crisis communications best practices. Here are five ways in which they #fail as a result, providing you with the ability to learn from their mistakes.
Not providing for 24/7 response to breaking events. Regardless of your location, we live in a global information environment. Crisis management teams need the means to detect and rapidly respond to breaking situations around-the-clock, because in the absence of communication, rumor and innuendo fill the gap. Personnel in different time zones, if they can’t reach the “right person” at the organizational HQ, will “wing it” – with sometimes disastrous results.
Providing data that doesn’t hold up to fact-checking. The practice of fact-checking has increased dramatically in recent years. Professional organizations and talented amateurs are very publicly picking apart statements which contain falsehoods. You will get castigated whether false information was provided intentionally or simply because you didn’t adequately fact-check your own data first.
Using only one medium to reach your stakeholders. With so many sources of information available to and used by many of your stakeholders, don’t make the mistake of assuming that any single medium – e.g., a press release, an employee meeting, a dedicated web page – will reach them. Determine now, before you need it, which forms of communication reach your stakeholders best when the message is urgent.
Flying below the radar. With almost half the world’s population in possession of a smart phone and the practice of leaking information having turned into almost a recreational sport, there is no flying below the radar anymore. However, you still retain the ability to “get ahead of the news” if no leaks have yet occurred and then you can introduce the hot topic yourself, with appropriate key messages.
Trying to “contain” a crisis situation. Along the same lines as “flying below the radar,” it used to be possible to contain a crisis situation locally – i.e., what happened in most cities stayed in those cities unless the event was truly national news and shared on the major networks. There is no container impervious to the news sharing inherent in the Internet and all of our marvelous communications devices. We see examples in the news every day of people who didn’t expect to end up in news coverage (or a viral meme!) but who were captured on someone’s cellphone camera.
Our readers might have other examples, which we encourage you to send in to be shared in a future newsletter or blog post.
Marketing During A Pandemic (Without Creating Crises)
While to some degree 'the show must go on', careless use of marketing or advertising during times of trouble can easily lead to far more negativity than positive returns on investment.
How do you let people know your products are available or your brand is ready to help in the midst of all that's happening in 2020? [Read More]
Expert Advice On Managing a Crisis During A Crisis
A simple reality many don't recognize before it's happening is that once you have a single crisis on your hands you're far more likely to run into additional issues.
Want expert advice on the difficult task of managing a new crisis situation when you already have one on your hands? [Read More]
Want to Learn More About Crisis Management Services? Our Experts Are Ready To Help
We offer a free no-obligation consultation to anyone who would like to discuss their needs or learn more about how BCM's four phases of crisis management - planning, training, simulation and response - can better protect their organization in a world where the outrage machine makes headlines every day.
Bernstein Crisis Management is a specialized firm dedicated, since January 1994, to providing rapid, highly effective strategies for preventing and managing crisis situations that harm people, property, business continuity, reputation and the financial bottom line. We guide our clients through every step of the crisis management process, from preparation to response, and are available 24/7 for assistance. Our more than 30 years of experience assisting clients worldwide makes us an absolute authority on preventing and responding to crisis situations.
Unlike most public relations firms that only offer crisis management as a side practice, we’re specialists.
By exclusively focusing on the full spectrum of services needed to prevent and/or mitigate crisis situations, we set ourselves apart from the competition. Company founder Jonathan Bernstein started the first international email newsletter on the topic of crisis management, which now reaches readers in 75 countries, and his article, “The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications” has received some 400,000 mentions online and has been reprinted in more than 20 languages. Our experts are also regular sources for popular media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNN, BBC and CGTN, and have been published in hundreds of articles.
To meet the Bernstein Crisis Management team, click here.
All information contained herein is obtained from sources believed to be accurate and reliable.
Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Erik 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 and Erik 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 Erik 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 or Erik 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 or Erik 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 or Erik 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 or Erik 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.
Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., 215 13th St, Burlington, CO 80807
