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4 Covid-19 Crisis Communication Tips As America Reopens

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

Reopening after Covid-19 requires expert crisis communications on your part. Not because you have a crisis, but because this situation could rise to the level of a crisis. So today we share four tips as America reopens in phases.

As I write this, various states and communities in the United States are implementing various forms of reopening, after closures for Covid-19. This could go well or this could go badly for you, so proceed with caution.

Tip #1 Manage expectations

Things are not going back to normal. This is a transition. If you require face masks and gloves for either your employees or your customers, make sure the rules are clear and that you have procedures and policies in place to enforce those rules.

My expectation is that some of you may see fights or acts of violence between the rule-followers and the non-rule-followers.

Tip #2 Don’t make promises you can’t keep

In your communications with customers and employees, avoid making absolute statements, such as, “We guarantee the highest level of safety.” You can’t guarantee anything in a world where you cannot control all of the variables.

Instead, opt for statements that use the word “goal.” For example, “Our goal is to offer a clean and safe environment for all of our employees and customers.” The nuance of your wording matters.

Tip #3 Put people over profits

Consider if things go wrong as you reopen and you become the hub of the next cluster of Covid-19. Is it worth it?

Businesses that are not on stable ground financially are desperate to re-open, which can cause business owners to do what they think is best in the short-term rather what is best in the long-term. Some business owners will say, “I am reopening for people. My employees need money.”

Yes, but when we say people, it must be best for your employees, your customers and your community. If you re-open and infect customers or contribute to an outbreak in your community, you have failed to make the correct choice. The negative attention you will receive in the media will damage your reputation, revenue, and brand.

Furthermore, if you have a new cluster, will you be forced to shut down again? How long will you be shut down? Will you end up worse off than if you had proceeded down a different path?

Tip #4 A Final Thought

There is no one right answer that covers all types of businesses.

  • Listen to experts.
  • Seek advice from trusted advisors.
  • Know the difference between a trusted advisor and someone who simply echoes what you believe, because you only want to hear from people who believe like you or who watch the same cable news channel as you.
  • Don’t be persuaded by mob mentality, political leanings, or the pontifications of a profiteer on a cable news talk show.
  • Lives are on the line.
  • Profits are on the line.
  • The long-term health of your business, your employees, and your customers are at stake.

Answer this as part of your decision making process:

If I reopen, and my actions result in the death of an employee or customer, will I be able to live with my decision and myself?

The burden is heavy. The consequences may be heavier.

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:

Covid-19 Crisis Communications Webinar Recording

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson

How to Do a Remote Media Interview: COVID-19 Media Training Tips

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

The number of remote media interviews, online interviews, Zoom interviews, and the like have skyrocketed in the past few weeks. In last week’s video, I asked you, who is doing them well? How is the quality of the videos?

Well, today I am providing you with expert media training strategies to help you look professional, organized, and credible as a source for your media interview.

If lighting, camera angles, technology, and wardrobe stress you out (and rightfully so), this video can help you be a video producer in your own home office or other remote location.

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:

Covid-19 Crisis Communications Webinar Recording

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson

COVID-19 Crisis Communications Tips – Webinar Recording

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

Crisis experts Bill Coletti and Gerard Braud share their insights and top recommendations on “what’s next” and what to do in this very uncertain phase between shutting down and re-opening for business.

In addition to the webinar recording, please feel free to share the Slide deck with your colleagues.


Hopefully, the insights and recommendations shared will be helpful to you and your teams in this difficult time.  

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:

How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson


COVID-19 Media Interviews: Share Your Thoughts

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

The COVID-19 coronavirus crisis has spawned new aspects of crisis communications and media interviews. Behold, the social distancing media interview done from your computer in your home.

What do you think about these interviews?

Your assignment for the day is to:

  1. Watch TV
  2. Take a photo of an interview being done from home
  3. Critique how the interview looks
  4. Send your image and your critique to me at any of my platforms, and feel free to include the hashtag #TVInterviews

Here are some criteria to look for and to comment on:

  1. Camera angle
  2. Lighting
  3. Background
  4. Glare
  5. Distractions
  6. Posture
  7. …plus anything else that you observe that your professional colleagues should either duplicate or avoid.

Share them via:

@gbraud on Twitter

Gerard Braud on LinkedIn

The BraudCast on YouTube

Braud Communications on Facebook

After you share your observations, I’ll share them back with our community so you’ll be better prepared if you or one of your team members is called upon to do a television interview via your computer from home.

Should you need in-depth training, we can provide you with remote media training for remote interviews as well as train-the-trainer remote training so you can coach your executives and subject matter experts. To learn more, schedule a call: https://calendly.com/braud/15min

Many of the techniques you have learned in traditional media training still apply. Yet, at the same time, there are some clear distinctions and additional burdens. Think of it this way: In a traditional television interview, the news crew is responsible for things you never need to think about, such as:

  • lighting
  • audio quality
  • the background view
  • background noise
  • the camera angle
  • and more

Whereas you traditionally needed to focus on:

  • what you were going to say
  • your wardrobe
  • your body language
  • and more

Suddenly, you have to do both your job and their job.

It isn’t easy. I’ll work on a checklist for all of you, but by all means, if you need professional training we’re here to be your training partner.

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:

How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash

COVID 19 Crisis Communications Update: March 17, 2020

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

In crisis communication, the burden is shared between your leadership team and your communications team, to give clear directives to your employees, your customers, your stakeholders, and the media.

Nothing undermines the credibility of a leader during a crisis more than when their actions don’t match their words. 

Be congruent. Your actions must match your words.

For example, don’t call a news conference about the coronavirus to tell your audience that social distancing requires people to be six feet apart, when in fact, you are standing shoulder to shoulder with 10 people on the stage with you. That’s not being congruent. You are sending a mixed message and the cynics are going to call it out.

Don’t tell your audience not to shake hands, yet you shake hands. That’s not being congruent.

A perfect example of congruency can be seen in the media, where news anchors are distancing themselves within a news studio. That’s being congruent.

Leaders should be mindful of the proliferation of social media and cell phone cameras. As soon as you behave in a way that lacks congruency, someone will capture you in the act and publicize it. Don’t make your crisis worse by letting your bad actions overshadow your good message. Don’t create a secondary crisis because of your own bad behavior, poor judgment, or lack of congruency.

Leaders are often taught to catch their employees doing something right so praise can be given, rather than catching an employee doing something wrong so that criticism is given. As a leader, you need to lead in actions and in words. We want to catch you doing something right.

In times of crisis, people want to trust the leaders of their companies and their communities. A crisis, as we pointed out in yesterday’s blog, can really highlight who is a true leader and who is a fake leader.

Leadership is never based on one’s title; it’s based on one’s behavior.

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:

How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson

Coronavirus Covid19 Crisis Communication Tip: It’s as Simple as A-B-C

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC

While many companies and brands are responding and communicating about the coronavirus (Covid 19), other individuals are questioning whether coronavirus fears are being blown out of proportion.

The best crisis communications tip I can give you is as simple as A-B-C:

Always Be Communicating.

In the grand scheme, it doesn’t matter if you, personally think things are being blown out of proportion or not.

What matters is that you are managing the expectations of your employees, your customers, and your stakeholders.

Replace fear with facts.

And because things change on a daily basis, you must be prepared to communicate constantly. In other words – Always Be Communicating.

When you manage expectations, you manage, mitigate, or eliminate fear.

Here are a few things to communicate about:

  • What should employees do to remain safe?
  • What should customers do to remain safe?
  • Are any of your operations or services changing?
  • If everything is operating as normal, under what circumstances will change be enacted?
  • If changes are enacted, how will you continue to serve your audiences amid the changes?

You and your organization will be affected in some way. How severe the effect is can depend upon how effectively and how frequently you communicate.

Take your audience away from worry and take them to a place of informed decision-making.

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:

How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson

Photo by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash

How to Write a Coronavirus Crisis Communications Plan?

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC 

Coronavirus is spreading and if you are in public relations, emergency management, or business continuity, you need to be preparing and using your crisis communications tools.

You may be asking:

  • Do I need a coronavirus crisis communications plan?
  • How do I write a coronavirus crisis communications plan?

Those are the two questions I have been asked the most in the past week.

The answer:

  • Yes, you need a coronavirus crisis communications plan.
  • Writing a crisis communications plan for coronavirus, at least for me, is the same as writing a crisis communications plan for any issue.

In the 5 Steps to Effective Crisis Communications,

Coronavirus checks off every box:

  • It is identified in your Vulnerability Assessment
  • Your crisis communications plan should guide you through gathering information, confirming the information, then sharing the information.
  • You should use pre-written news releases to manage the expectations of your stakeholders regarding how the virus is affecting your organization, your employees, and the people you serve.
  • You should conduct media training for your spokespeople using the pre-written news releases, because if you are directly affected, the media will be on you fast.
  • Now is an excellent time to hold an exercise or drill with coronavirus as the topic.

Managing Expectations as a Crisis Communications Strategy

  • If your organization has no crisis communications plan, you are already far behind. I have a plan that you can put in place in one day. Reach out to me at 985-624-9976 if you want details.
  • If your employer or your executives tell you that the company doesn’t need to do anything at this time, they are wrong. The best time to prepare for a crisis is on a clear sunny day, long before the crisis hits. However, human denial and corporate denial are strong. Failure to plan for coronavirus sends a powerful message about the degree of denial within your organization.
  • If you do have a crisis communications plan, and if it is properly written, it should have consistent guidance and rules that universally work for every crisis.
  • If you use pre-written news releases to address the variables of your crisis – which is what I advocate – then your pre-written news releases will be the main tool that needs customization.
  • If you have no confirmed coronavirus cases, send a statement to all employees that outlines how your organization will be responding to this crisis. Give them instructions about any precautions they should take to protect their personal health. Outline what you’d like them to do if they feel ill. Inform them about any changes to your travel policy. You may also wish to send the same statement to your customers, depending upon your type of business.
  • Next, develop a pre-written news release that addresses all the issues associated with a case actually being discovered in your workforce.
  • You’ll want to write a statement that also addresses potential fatalities and long-term impact on your organization in the event there is an escalation of cases that affect your organization.

I’ve long defined a crisis as any event that affects an organization’s revenue, reputation and brand. As evidenced by the stock market, coronavirus checks all of the boxes.

Should you need to do this all quickly, I have some great turnkey options ready for you to use. Use this link to schedule a free, private call 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:

How to Use Social Media for Crisis Communications

The Biggest Lie in Crisis Communications

4 Steps Every Company Needs to Take in Order to Avoid the Default Spokesperson