Crisis communication resources to help you protect your revenue, reputation, and brand.
Effective crisis communications when “it” hits the fan.
Welcome to Our Crisis Communication Blog
Our blog is filled with deep resources to help with your crisis communication needs. Whether you are writing a crisis communication plan, seeking the best media training tips, or digging for case studies on crisis situations, you’ll find it here. Our goal is to give you all of the public relations resources you need to protect your revenue, reputation, and brand.
For those of you who love DIY and taking on a challenge, we’ve worked really hard to give you a good road map to follow. However, sometimes the fastest option is to bring in a pro. If that’s the case, we’re fully vaccinated and we’re ready to meet your needs, anywhere and anytime.
Crisis communications experts and public relations professionals can write excellent and effective crisis news releases. That is what they were trained to do, that is their gift. The challenge is, getting that crisis news release past the lawyers, executives, and CEOs of the company who will debate over each and every comma. So how do you get approval for a news release and address your audience with a public statement within one hour of your crisis? Find out in this Master Class video recording with special guests Rural Electric Cooperative CEO Ron Barnes, and VP of Marketing and Communications Melissa Russo:
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…”
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.png00gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-11-30 12:38:282021-05-13 13:08:55How to Get Approval for your Crisis Communications News Release?
They may sound totally different, but there are so many similarities in the ways that people deal with crises. There are so many crisis communications lessons we can learn from crises of the past, and present, to prepare for our future. Watch this video to learn to prepare for your crisis, to protect your reputation, revenue, and brand.
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…”
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Capture-1.jpg396701gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-11-23 12:02:452021-05-18 02:25:02Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19
Winston Churchill was quoted as saying, “Never waste a good crisis.” How does that apply to crisis communications, public relations, and you? Should you care what that statement means?
The truth is, there is always something to learn from a crisis. From crises, we can build our crisis management teams, we can learn to communicate more effectively based on what went wrong, we can prepare ourselves for the next crisis. Will you make your crisis a learning opportunity? Here is how:
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…”
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screen-Shot-2020-11-16-at-12.20.02-PM.png414749gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-11-16 16:06:542021-05-18 02:25:45Crisis Communication Strategy: Never Waste a Good Crisis
When a crisis hits, should you be engaging on social media with your clients, customers, and stakeholders? Is it better to comment, provide updates, and feedback on social media or to stay silent? Is it the BEST crisis communications tool or just part of your communications toolbox?
As a crisis communications expert, I’m taking the pulse of two public relations professionals in the rural electric cooperative industry, to hear their experience with social media and how companies who have decided to use it, and who have decided not to use it have faired in the unique and individual crises they have faced.
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…”
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/YouTube-Thumbnail-Master-Class-Nov.-5.png14402560gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-11-09 15:54:022021-05-18 02:26:40Is Social Media a Good Tool for Crisis Communications?
Sexiest, teasing headline you’ve ever read, huh? Makes you want to put on your old t-shirt that says, “Only Real Men & Women Do Regular Vulnerability Assessments.”
Joking aside, you need to get on this. Here is the how and why…
We’re 8-9 months into a crisis that should have ended somewhere in the 90 to 120 day range.
Early on, it was your only crisis to manage and for which you had to communicate. I’m proud of you. After the first surge of communications, many organizations fell into COVID fatigue. That was followed by COVID limbo.
But now COVID-19 is part of a compound crisis and it is your responsibility to assess the threats and vulnerabilities that your organization could face next.
Here’s What’s Changed
Generally in the world of public relations and crisis communications, an expert would say the first and the best thing you should do as part of the crisis communication process is to assess every vulnerability that could affect the revenue, reputation, and brand of your organization.
Your initial Vulnerability Assessment is Step 1, and it becomes your roadmap for your next four steps, which include:
Step 2: Writing your crisis communications plan
Step 3: Writing a library of pre-written statements for your employees, media, customers, community, and other stakeholders.
Step 4: Media training your spokespeople (including virtual training)
Traditionally you would do an initial Vulnerability Assessment, followed by quarterly meetings with managers to identify and prepare for new or emerging vulnerabilities. For example, COVID-19 was not really on anyone’s Vulnerability Assessment one year ago. Nine months ago at your quarterly meeting, COVID-19 and all of the issues around it should have been added to your list.
Once on the list, you would update your crisis communications plan if necessary, adding pre-written news releases for COVID-19 protocol, response, outbreaks, and potential fatalities.
More is Better
We’re now recommending to our clients that the frequency should be increased from quarterly to monthly, because most organizations are facing compound crises, such as COVID + hurricane, COVID + wildfires, COVID + you name it.
COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon. Please prepare for what comes next. Please step up the frequency of your Vulnerability Assessments.
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…”
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-20-at-5.12.44-PM.png290513gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-10-21 10:21:412021-05-18 02:27:41Your October Assignment: The Truth About Vulnerability Assessments During COVID-19
It was both the weirdest and most challenging presentation to prepare for. After years of preparing my presentations for PRSA, this particular presentation for PRSA ICON2020 has adapted and evolved in a number of ways due to the smoldering COVID-19 crisis.
What I can promise to you crisis communications and public relations professionals, is valuable lessons on what has gone right, what has gone wrong, what we can do moving forward, case studies, tools, and takeaways that you can start using immediately in your organization.
Use this link to schedule a free, private call, or in other words, a virtual “drink” with me after the presentation to debrief, discuss, and ask questions: https://calendly.com/braud/15min
https://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PRSA-ICON2020-Gerard-braud.jpg480640gbraudhttps://braudcommunications.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Logo-white-01-300x138.pnggbraud2020-10-19 10:25:432021-05-18 02:29:1010 a.m. Update – Hurricane Zeta will be hitting me today. I am evacuating. I may or may not be on the chat during the presentation. Feel free to Tweet to me real-time @gbraud or email me real-time at gerard@braudcommunications.com and I will answer your questions. Crisis Communications in the Age of COVID-19: PRSA ICON 2020 Presentation
