Crisis Management Quotables…on Creating a Lasting Reputation

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Talk is cheap, reputation is priceless Mencius was a fourth-century philosopher who studied and fought to preserve the teachings of Confucious against competing schools of thought. Of course, this meant he spent a LOT of time thinking about human nature, which likely led to him produce this week’s Crisis Management Quotable: …

Crisis Management Quickies: Worst-Case Scenarios

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Failing to consider the worst that could happen will hurt your crisis management It’s not easy to think of the worst things that could possibly happen involving your organization. It’s a bit scary, can get morbid, and basically leaves most people feeling squeamish, but it’s also absolutely vital to your …

Analysts Call Samsung Out on Need for Crisis Management

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Evidence of how the opinions of thought leaders can influence your fortune If financial analysts are telling investors that your organization needs crisis management, they’re right. You see, even if their analysis is wrong, the fact that experts are saying it means your reputation is at risk. Although Samsung has been …

Crisis Management Musts: Owning Your Story

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Taking control of the narrative is essential One of the biggest battles you’ll fight in crisis management is the one to control the narrative surrounding whatever’s occurred. This doesn’t mean you can bury facts or cover up wrongdoing, but it does mean that you’re able to put your side of …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Making Communication Work

Erik Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis management quotables, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management Leave a Comment

Ensuring communication is effective is core to crisis management success It turns out composer John Powell, perhaps best know for scoring movies like How to Train Your Dragon, Happy Feet and Kung-Fu Panda, knows a thing or two about verbal communication as well, making him the subject of today’s Crisis …

Infographic: Help Monitoring Your Online Reputation

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, internet crisis management, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, PR, public relations, reputation management, social media, social media crisis management, social media reputation management Leave a Comment

Why online reputation management is a core component of crisis management, and how to do it right Monitoring your online reputation is an essential crisis management skill, yet it’s still viewed by many as something beyond their reach. Truth is, while it does take some practice to get it down …

Crisis Management: Through the Lens of Failure

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[Editor’s note: Thank you to our colleague Tony Jaques for submitting this post on how crises tint stakeholder’s views of the organizations involved long after they’re gone.] One of the underestimated impacts of a crisis is the fact that every subsequent event is magnified through the lens of the original …

UK Embassy’s Twitter Gaffe

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, Erik Bernstein, internet crisis management, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, PR, public relations, reputation management, social media, social media crisis management, social media reputation management Leave a Comment

Proof of the need to constantly keep your image, your mission, and your audience in mind when posting to social media It’s not entirely surprising to see brands getting too edgy or controversial as they compete to grab attention on social media, but one would hope for the folks running …

Crisis Management Quotables…on Thinking Differently

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Differing viewpoints are essential to crisis management success Is there anyone more expert in crisis management than a successful battlefield commander? Not only are they tasked with applying limited information to make life-and-death decisions on a moment’s notice, but they must remain calm and precise, even while taking fire. Today’s Crisis …

Crisis Management Musts: Alternatives to Apologies

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein, public relations, reputation management 2 Comments

Showing compassion without apologizing Apologies are powerful crisis management tools, but more and more often we’re seeing reputation-threatening situations that do not call for the ones taking flak to actually say “I’m sorry”. The most common situations are when organizations or individuals stand falsely accused, but other factors such as …

Harry Reid Inserts Foot in Mouth, Flunks Crisis Management

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Prevention, crisis public relations, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, internet reputation management, Jonathan Bernstein, online crisis management, online reputation management, political crisis management, PR, public relations, public speaking, reputation management Leave a Comment

Insensitive remarks and a flop of an apology Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) is no stranger to criticism regarding public comments, especially when it comes to race, and he’s getting another lesson in why you should watch what you say after dropping a couple of doozies at the Asian …

Humble Crisis Management on the High Seas

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Coast Guard’s willingness to ask for help meant this crew made it out alive When it comes to crisis management, having the humility to ask for help can mean the difference between a narrow miss and utter disaster. Nobody knows that better than the U.S. Coast Guard and the crew …

Shock Marketing Often Results in Need for Crisis Management

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It’s easy to go too far when trying to grab attention through shock value Shock marketing can grab you some easy attention, but in many cases it’s really not the attention you’d like to receive. Take the case of Australia’s Wicked Campers, who was forced to remove sexist, misogynistic, and ridiculously immature slogans …

Crisis Management Musts: Employee Communication

Jonathan Bernstein crisis communication, crisis communications, crisis management, Crisis Response, Jonathan Bernstein 3 Comments

Don’t keep your employees in the dark When it’s time to go into full-on crisis management mode, many organizations are focused purely on A) cleaning up the situation, and B) communicating with outside stakeholders, whether that means customers, investors or the media. Here’s the problem with that – your employees, …

Playing Chicken with Crisis Management

Jonathan Bernstein crisis management, crisis planning, crisis preparation, crisis preparedness, Crisis Prevention, Crisis Response, Erik Bernstein, Jonathan Bernstein 1 Comment

Having a plan in place means you won’t be left scrambling when crises appear In order to be as effective as possible, crisis planning needs to come before a crisis actually hits. While it is possible to create and enact a plan after things get messy, it’s never easy. In …