Braud Communications

ChemEdge 2022 Conference: Crisis Communications Presentation

August 2, 2022/0 Comments/in SituationHub /by gbraud

Fast. Factual. No Fluff.

The National Association of Chemical Distributor’s (NACD) ChemEdge 2022 conference is just two weeks away and I am putting the final touches on my crisis communications presentation for the event.

Fast, factual and no fluff is the core message I’ll be delivering as we examine a specific case study in which a major company experienced a devastating event, but it took the company three hours to issue a 7-sentence statement to the media and the public.

How fast could your company get a statement written, approved and released if you had a major situation?

The new SituationHub software could have written a statement in under 3 minutes.
Let that soak in – Instead of three hours… an approved statement could have been ready in under 3 minutes. This means that your organization can be doing crisis communications at nearly the speed of social media. That’s why SituationHub is a game changer for public relations and companies of all types.

The lesson I’m sharing with the chemical distributors are lessons that apply to all industries. These lessons are true for electric companies and utilities; they are true for schools and universities; they are true for banks and credit unions; they are true for hospitals.

Below are ten questions I’ll be asking the attendees at the conference. How would you answer these same questions?

1. How do you gather initial information?
2. Who gets the information and how?
3. Who writes the news release?
4. How long does the writing/approval process last?
5. Who is involved in the approval?
6. What are you really editing and approving?
7. How much time from flashpoint to statement?
8. How is the statement distributed?
9. Who distributes the statement?
10. How much time does that take?

If you’d like to discuss your answers with me, schedule a call.

Your next crisis situation could be minutes away. The time to prepare is now.

Crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC is based in New Orleans. Organizations on five continents have relied on him to write their crisis communications plans and to train their spokespeople. He is the author of “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…”

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Where is Your Crisis Communications Funnel Clogged?

St. Louis Flooding: Crisis Communications Response

July 27, 2022/0 Comments/in SituationHub /by gbraud

The St. Louis flooding presents a crisis communications case study worthy of your consideration. Here’s why…

A flood demands you talk to your stakeholders to manage their expectations. Is all well? Then issue a statement that says, “All is well.” Are products, systems, or facilities compromised?

Then manage the community’s expectations with a crisis communications statement. What’s the fastest way to write and distribute a statement? The SituationHub app can write a news release in 3-5 minutes. If you are not subscribing to SituationHub, today is proof of why you should.

Many organizations look at their safety record as a reason not to use crisis communications tools like the SituationHub software. Many companies think a crisis communications plan only applies to fires and explosions.

The St. Louis flooding represents a crisis from mother nature and not from human failure. Flooding doesn’t care about your past safety record. A hurricane doesn’t care about your past safety record. A blizzard… yep… doesn’t care about your past safety record.

Crisis communications plans and planning are there in case your sunny day becomes your darkest day. As you can see in the featured image, I have a few dark days here on the Lake Ponchartrain lakefront. I am constantly reminded of how natural disasters impact so many businesses.

Remember what Winston Churchill said, “Never waste a good crisis.”

Crisis communications is tough. It can be overwhelming. It can take years to develop a plan on your own. If we can help you plan for your rainy day, schedule a complimentary, private, confidential call with me here.

Crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC is based in New Orleans. Organizations on five continents have relied on him to write their crisis communications plans and to train their spokespeople. He is the author of “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…”

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Where is Your Crisis Communications Funnel Clogged?

Crisis Communication Podcast: Factual, Fast & No Fluff

June 21, 2022/0 Comments/in Crisis Communications /by gbraud

In this episode of PRSay, the podcast of the Houston Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, Veronica V. Sopher Public Relations, interviews crisis communications expert Gerard Braud.

First, we discuss how Gerard’s career path led him to being on the forefront of crisis communications, and how it is evolving all the time.

Listen here:

Second, we discuss the difficulties and challenges public relations and corporate communications professionals face when they try to write news releases during a crisis. SituationHub, the first of its kind software that can automatically write a news release during a crisis in 3 to 5 minutes, handles these challenges. When companies communicate fast and effectively, they preserve their revenue reputation, and brand.

Third, Gerard explains his formula and how he likens crisis communication to a well-practiced, very specific recipe. He explains what you need to do in a crisis to effectively communicate to your audience.

To set crisis communications goals, talk about your needs, and formulate a budget, schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me https://calendly.com/braud/15min

Crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC is based in New Orleans. Organizations on five continents have relied on him to write their crisis communications plans and to train their spokespeople. He is the author of “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…”

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Where is Your Crisis Communications Funnel Clogged?

How to Write a News Release for a Crisis Event?

May 25, 2022/0 Comments/in Crisis Communications, Public Relations /by gbraud

How to write a news release for a crisis event is one of those questions that can cause a fight among public relations professionals, corporate executives, and anyone tasked with some part of the information chain during a crisis. Read more

Where is Your Crisis Communications Funnel Clogged?

May 18, 2022/0 Comments/in Crisis Communications /by gbraud

When we think about effectively communicating in a crisis, we often think about getting out information FAST, like at the speed of Twitter fast. But, we have so many hangups that get in the way of getting that information out.

Tell us where your clog is when it comes to your crisis communications funnel? Experience tells me it gets clogged in one of three, critical places listed below. So which of these affects you the most?

Do you have the most trouble:

Getting the initial information from the source of the emerging situation or potential crisis?

Getting leaders to quickly send that information to the crisis communications or public relations team?

Getting approval (from your boss, your leadership team, your CEO, your legal team) of your final statement or news release, to share with employees, the media, and/or your stakeholders.

Other…

Please format your answer as follows:

In my crisis communications funnel, the biggest clog can usually be found ____ .

The funnel is the pathway in which you gather information about an unfolding situation, get it to the right people, and then issue a statement to your employees, media, and stakeholders. See here:

If you are not familiar with the Crisis Communications Funnel concept, or if issuing a public statement sounds stressful, daunting, or challenging for you just call me https://calendly.com/braud/15min and I’ll gladly point you to more resources.

Crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC is based in New Orleans. Organizations on five continents have relied on him to write their crisis communications plans and to train their spokespeople. He is the author of “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…”

More crisis communications articles:

Spring Sprint for a Crisis Communications Plan

How to do an Online Media Interview: Media Training Tips

How Do You Sleep at Night Without a Crisis Communication Plan?

Photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash

Writing News Releases: Who Influences You?

May 11, 2022/0 Comments/in Public Relations /by gbraud

Whether you are in the field of public relations, media relations, crisis communications, or corporate communications, you no doubt have had to do your fair share of writing news releases and releasing statements to the media and your stakeholders. You may have even had to write a public statement specifically to release on social media. Read more

Crisis communication resources to help you protect your revenue, reputation, and brand.

Welcome to Our Crisis Communication Blog

ChemEdge 2022 Conference: Crisis Communications Presentation

St. Louis Flooding: Crisis Communications Response

Crisis Communication Podcast: Factual, Fast & No Fluff

How to Write a News Release for a Crisis Event?

Where is Your Crisis Communications Funnel Clogged?

Writing News Releases: Who Influences You?

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