By Gerard Braud Watch the news coverage as winter storms move across the United States, leaving many people without power in the cold for up to two weeks. Much of this story is being told through the eyes of the so-called, “citizen journalists.” Citizen journalism is one of the reasons breaking news got broken. While […]
By Gerard Braud Crisis Communications, a working Crisis Communication Plan as well as good media training skills will be critical in the next few days as bad weather moves across the United States. Before the weather gets to you, now is the time to begin managing the expectations of your customers and employees. Many of […]
By Gerard Braud Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has done it. So has Lululemon founder Chip Wilson. So have presidential candidates like Herman Cain and Sarah Palin. Each is guilty of saying dumb things in media interviews. Why do powerful people say dumb things in media interviews? Here are 3 reasons… First, powerful people fail to […]
By Gerard Braud When media training a candidate, politician, or elected official, one of the hardest things to teach them is when to shut up. In every media training class I impart this expert advice to the trainee: “When you are digging a hole for yourself, put down the shovel.” Toronto May Rob Ford has […]
By Gerard Braud Navigating the waters of a crisis requires a good crisis communication plan before the waters ever begin to rise. Clear sunny day planning, long before your darkest day, is the secretBy Gerard Braud Navigating the waters of a crisis requires a good crisis communication plan before the waters ever begin to rise. […]
By Gerard Braud Five public relations veterans, pontificating and dropping F-bombs over cocktails recently at the PRSA conference, concluded the biggest problem in PR today is the lack of perseverance by those in the media relations, public relations and the communication professions. Is this true or not true for you? Read on… I’ll describe the […]
By Gerard Braud A bad media interview caused by insufficient media training is creating a crisis communication problem on social media. Experts will weigh in on this, but I don’t think any one expert has the answer as to the best way to handle this. I really want to know what you think. The founder […]
By Gerard Braud Experts in crisis communication know social media in corporate communications is highly likely to lead to a crisis. I would say more brands are likely to be harmed than helped by a social media brand page. Home Depot leaders acted swiftly to fire an outside agency and an employee who posted a […]
By Gerard Braud Media training, media trainers and the executives and spokespeople who go through media training need to understand the importance of practicing before every media interview. Chip Wilson, Lululemon Founder is being criticized today for comments about how Lululemon pants only fit some women and the ongoing crisis or controversy over allegations that […]
A shooting at the LAX Airport has the media scrambling to tell the story. The media are speculating with little or no official information. More than 90 minutes into the event I’ve not seen a spokesperson on CNN from the LAPD or from the LAX Airport. From a crisis communication standpoint in the world of […]