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Can You Answer These Critical Questions About Crisis Communications, Social Media, and Expert Executive Skills?

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC

 

Here are two crisis communications and social media questions I’d like you to answer about your executive leaders:

1. Are your senior leaders active on social media?

2. If yes, which channels and platforms do they use?

Social Media Tweetable Quote - Gerard Braud

Why is this critical for you to know?

If you consider yourself an expert in social media or an expert in crisis communications, your senior leaders will reject your expert suggestions if they do not understand the nuances of social media, especially during a crisis.

 

Whenever I’m invited to give a conference keynote speech to senior leaders and executives, I survey the room to find out who is active on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. From conference to conference, LinkedIn is most popular. Very few executives seem to even have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. Those who do are mostly non-active.

 

Why should this disturb you?

Every crisis in the world is amplified by social media. We are at a crossroads in crisis communications. [On June 4, 2018 I will discuss this in depth with the International Association of Business Communications at their conference in Montreal, Canada. My presentation is called Social Media at the Crossroads.]  Specifically, we are standing at the intersection of crisis communications and social media. How you, or your corporation, respond to the crisis on social media can mean the difference between successfully managing the crisis versus pouring gasoline on a fire.

 

The decision to engage on social media in a crisis should not be considered a forgone conclusion, as many people in public relations believe. The decision to engage must be part of a well thought out strategy that, like a game of chess, envisions all of the various moves by various respondents in the future. The wrong response makes your crisis worse in ways you cannot imagine until it all comes crashing down upon you.

 

An executive who is not active on social media will not understand the nuances of each strategic post, and may contribute an opinion or directive that is seriously flawed.

Gerard Braud * 15

How should you address this?

Simply issue the same challenge to your leaders as I do when I’m on stage speaking to those audiences of 500 or more executives. I challenge them to open a Facebook account and spend 30 minutes a night on Facebook, interacting with people, reading posts, and exploring what bizarre opinions exist in this social media cyber cluster of chaos.

 

Don’t be caught in a war room dealing with a crisis, only to have to fight an internal battle over how Facebook, Twitter and YouTube work. Do it now. Do it before the crisis.

 

 

 

Continuity Insights Keynote Presentation 2018 – Gerard Braud – Don’t Talk to the Media Until…

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It was an honor and a privilege to deliver the keynote speech that opened the 16th Annual Continuity Insights Management Conference in Miami, Florida on Monday (April 23, 2014). The conference audience contained 400 professionals and experts in Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. Gerard-Braud-Keynote-Speaker-Continuity-InsightsThe keynote speech was titled, Don’t Talk to the Media Until... During the 90 minute speech and presentation, we discussed the need to be fast and effective in communicating with the media and other key audiences when an incident or crisis happens. The goal we discussed is to be nearly as fast as social media. I shared the concept of how I use a library of 100 pre-written news releases in each of the crisis communications plans that I license to businesses around the world.

To supplement the presentation, here are the

Additional resources I promised the audience while I was on stage:

1) This link will let you download a PDF of my slides.

https://braudcommunications.com/pdf/Gerard-Braud-2018-ContinuityInsights.pdf

2) For the free special report on the Three Most Critical Mistakes Made in Media Interviews, use this link to my web store:

https://braudcommunications.com/store/

Gerard Braud Media Interview Expert Special Report

3) To download a free copy of my First Critical Statement, also visit my web store. Select the First Critical Statement and use the coupon code CRISISCOMPLAN  Please note that this is not a substitute for a crisis communications plan, but only one page out of a 700-page crisis communications plan and news release system that I license to my clients.

4) If you would like to purchase a copy of my book, Don’t Talk to the Media Until…  visit the web store. The books will remain on sale for only $10 for the remainder of the week

If you have any questions, please reach out to me at 985-624-9976.Gerard-Braud-Author-Book-199x300

 

Who Gets It? The Surprising Reality of Crisis Communications Plans

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Who gets it?By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC

“Only the people who get it.” That was my answer to a frustrated colleague.

“Crisis communications is critical to our company,” she said. “But I can’t convince my boss that I need time and money to write a crisis communications plan. I’ve sat in your workshops at IABC, PRSA, plus the one you did for our state chemical association.”

Her frustration escalated.

“We handle freaking hazardous and toxic chemicals that can kill people and we still don’t have a crisis communications plan,” she fumed. “And I don’t have time to write it. And they won’t give me money to bring you in. They say we’ll just figure it out. They don’t get it. How can they NOT get it?”

“The ego of executives often overrides their common sense or logic sensors,” I explained. “Most will hire a consultant to write an emergency operations plan and maybe a business continuity plan. They’ll pay big bucks. But they think communications during an emergency is something that they will just magically figure out on the day of their crisis. They refuse to allocate less than $10,000 for a world-class crisis communications plan.”

“I just got off of the phone with a power company CEO who is facing a customer uprising because of high winter bills,” I told her. “He told me, ‘We won’t be needing your plan. We just wrote an Emergency Operations Plan.’”

“He doesn’t get it, and me having an extended conversation and educating him wasn’t going to change a thing. He’ll never hire me,” I explained. “He doesn’t get it.”

Many of you are in the same boat. Communications is undervalued. Executives think it is easy and fast.

As a guy who earns his living writing crisis communications plans, it is a difficult sell every day.

It doesn’t necessarily help that I’ve figured out how to package a year’s worth of work into a two-day, turnkey workshop that delivers a crisis communications plan plus 100 pre-written news releases. Executives look at cost over value.

Here are some of the selling points that I use, which may help you with your discussions with your superiors:

  • Always calculate the combined damage to reputation and revenue when considering a crisis communication plan. If the financial damage of a single event exceeds the cost of your crisis communications plan, it is a no-brainer to purchase the crisis communications plan.
  • Not every crisis is a fire and explosion. Sexual harassment and data breeches can be just as damaging to your reputation and revenue.
  • Often, you will use your crisis communications plan even when you do not use your Emergency Operations Plan (Incident Command Plan) or your Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
  • The presence of social media makes it impossible to control the narrative if your plan doesn’t have a full library of pre-written news releases that can be edited and shared with all stakeholders during the first 30 minutes of an event.

Even with those points, many executives “don’t get it.” I’ve had to build my business off of working only with the people who “get it.”

My advice to those of you who are frustrated is to take a deep breath and then fight for what is right. If your boss won’t give you the tools to do your job, it never hurts to look for a job with a boss who gets it.

If you need to have a “therapy session” and talk, give me a call at 985-624-9976.

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Facebook Crisis: 3 Expert-Inspired Crisis Communication Truths

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By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IECZuckerburg Silence

Crisis Communication Truth #1

You must communicate quickly in a crisis.

Crisis Communication Truth #2

If you fail to communicate quickly in a crisis, the narrative will be controlled on social media.

Crisis Communication Truth #3

Failure to control your communications, the narrative, and the truth, will result in damage to both your reputation and revenue.

Boom: Enter the Facebook – Cambridge Analytica crisis and the absence of a statement from Facebook CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg.
When I went to bed Tuesday night, March 20th, comedian Stephen Colbert was showing tumbleweeds rolling past an image of Zuckerberg, as the comedian noted the absence of a statement from Zuckerberg. At that time the stock value had dropped by $39 billion dollars.

By morning, Wednesday, March 21st, as I watched HLN, their graphic showed Zuckerberg with question marks all around him as they asked, “Where is Mark Zuckerberg?” By this time, stock value had dropped by $50 billion dollars.

It was Wednesday afternoon before Zuckerberg released a statement on Facebook, trying to explain what happened. This brings us to a bonus truth that we will call Crisis Communications Truth #4: When you attempt crisis communications via social media, the angry mobs, trolls, and haters will unleash on you in a way that is uncontrollable and accomplishes nothing, except allowing space for people to vent.

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Ironically, I’m in the midst of preparing a presentation called, “Social Media is at the Crossroads.” It will be presented at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) conference in Montreal, Canada on June 4, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. This case study personifies so many challenges that companies face in a crisis.

Facebook and Zuckerberg did what most companies do; they made no statement because they are gathering more information.

WRONG. It is always wrong to remain silent, because the void is filled with speculation by the media, pundits, social media, and comedians.

The RIGHT way to handle this begins with a simple statement that says your company is aware of the crisis, that it is being investigated, and that you hope to issue a statement shortly with more information. That’s it.

  • Acknowledge the crisis
  • Empathize with those who have been harmed
  • Apologize where possible
  • Promise to deliver more information within a reasonable amount of time

While the silence prevailed, the primary discussions were people asking, “Where is Mark Zuckerberg?” and “Are you getting off of Facebook?”zuckerberg2

Behold: A crisis of communications that damages reputation and revenue.

Behold: A crisis made worse because of the lack of proper crisis communications.

Behold: A crisis that cannot be controlled by releasing a statement on social media.

How to Deal With a Crisis? 5 Expert Crisis Communications Tips

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MARCH MEDIA TRAINING MADNESS-3

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By Gerard Braud

Crisis communications is vital when bad weather strikes. The March 2018 wave of winter storms is demanding expert crisis communications from schools, universities, electric companies, government agencies, airlines, and a slew of other types of businesses.

People are often surprised when they ask, “How to deal with a crisis?” when I respond, “Don’t let the crisis happen.”

The secret: Manage expectations

Winter weather, much like a hurricane, has two crises in one. The crisis of the natural disaster cannot be prevented. But the crisis of public outrage can be mitigated if you manage expectations of your audience before the crisis begins.

Here are 5 steps you can follow:

1. Scare the pants off of people.

Don’t beat around the bush. Let people clearly know the pain, problem, and predicament they may face. If you are an electric company, warn customers of the harsh conditions they may face because the power may go out. Use strong, direct crisis messages, such as, “You may be without power for hours, days, or even more than a week.” Then give a specific list of steps they should take, such as evacuating, having backup generators, having ample food and water, or having ample gas or wood for heating.

2. Empathize before the storm hits.Latimer

Open your warning statement with an empathetic preamble, such as, “We know that our customers expect {Insert Your Service Here}. We want the same thing for you. However, we could all soon be facing the effects of {Insert Name of Effects}. We are prepared to respond as quickly as we can, but you may face some serious hardships because of events beyond our control.”

3. Blanket all communications channels.

Do media interviews with newspapers, radio, and television. Make your warnings strong. Consider purchasing commercials or ads to supplement your news coverage. Blanket your website by putting the warnings on the homepage. Blanket your social media with shareable images and videos. Email all employees so they become your message ambassadors. Email all customers, if you have their email addresses. Let public officials know the potential impact, to keep them from grandstanding their outrage for the media and voters to see.

4. Don’t feel compelled to respond to every social media post.

Frustrated customers quickly vent frustrations on social media. When possible, take your response offline with a direct message or a phone call. Reject the misguided notion that responding to every message on social media implies transparency. The truth is, replying on social media will boost the negative comments to the top of everyone’s newsfeed. Then trolls and haters add more hate, causing you to reply, causing the post to go to the top of the newsfeed again, which invites more hate. In a crisis, you can get sucked into a vortex of negative comments, which you ultimately can’t manage. However, if you’ve previously managed expectations with clear warnings (Step 1), empathized with the potential suffering (Step 2), and blanketed all communications channels (Step 3), the negatives on social media should be minimized.

5. Blanket communication channels with updates.

If your storm recovery is going better than planned, announce it and create hope. If your storm recovery is hitting glitches, announce it and manage expectations while adding an extra layer of empathy.

In conclusion, if you see angry elected officials, citizens, or customers lashing out, there is a strong likelihood that the targeted organization allowed the crisis to become a bigger crisis, because they failed to manage expectations.

PR Tips on How to Get to Know Your Local Reporters

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When a crisis hits, you need to have effective crisis communications and media relations. You need to have relationships with your local reporters that will help you be able to tell your story. When you have positive news to share, you want local reporters to help you get coverage and reach your audiences. You want to be able to issue public statements fast, and have the media share them fast. You do not want the media speculating about your crisis. So, how do you get to know them and develop positive relationships with them? Some PR expert followers and media relations experts on social media have weighed in on our weekly discussion question. Some experts recommended coffee meetings, others recommended various networking strategies. We now want to hear what you have to add! Do you agree with their comments? What have you had success with?

This week’s discussion question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite-size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

Step 3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the follow-up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.

Tips from Media Training Experts: Should you write a letter to the editor for a bad story?

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The press has been known to twist, conform, and shape people’s words. CEO’s, spokespeople, and public relations professionals may be taken out of context and become frustrated with a negative press release regarding their brand, business, and reputation. So, as a corporate communications or PR professional, what should you do when a reporter writes a bad story about you or your business? Is it worth it to get in a battle with someone who can potentially further damage your reputation? Or can you effectively hash out the issues, correct the facts, and potentially solve the problem? Should you consult with a crisis communications expert or media training consultant?

Communications experts on social media have chimed in with some of their best practices. Now we want to hear what you have to add to their comments. Do you agree? Comment here and on our social media pages to join the discussion. Your answers may be featured in our follow-up video!

This question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the Follow up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.

Tips from PR Experts on Writing a Crisis Communication Plan

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Earlier this week, we polled social media to find out how public relations, crisis communications, and corporate communications experts write their crisis communications plans. They have provided their tips on our social media pages, with comments ranging from gathering a team of expert PR writers, to addressing the vulnerabilities of their organization. Many followers described what they would do to respond and react to a crisis, but Gerard Braud provides a few tips on how to prepare a crisis plan before a crisis ever develops.

Now we want you to not only learn from these followers’ best practices, but continue to chime in on the discussion. What would you do differently than these subject matter experts? What strategies have worked for you in the past? What strategies have you tried that didn’t work well for your company, school, or hospital? Comment here and on our social media pages to join in.

This question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite-size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

Step 3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the follow-up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.

What are Your Tips for Writing a Crisis Communications Plan?

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This week, we are asking a big question, about a project with big responsibilities, and diverse opinions on how to do it effectively. Writing a crisis communications plan is often put off for years because companies do not have the time or the bench strength to do it. Too many organizations opt out, or take the easy way out by downloading a generic crisis plan off the internet. They are dangerous because they are not thorough, they are not unique, and they don’t address the vulnerabilities that your organization faces. So, how do you get started? Who do you hire? Do you schedule a few days worth of a public relations writing retreat or do you block out a week? How do you assemble your team?

We would love to hear your thoughts this week. Comment here and on our social media pages to join the discussion. Your answers may be featured in our follow-up video!

This question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

Step 3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the follow-up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.

PR Tips on How to Handle When an Executive’s Bad Presentation is Shared on Social Media

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Earlier this week, crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud polled social media to ask, “What should you do if an executive does a presentation that goes badly and goes viral on social media?” The PR experts have weighed in on our social media pages and their best practices are shared in this video.

What do you have to add to this discussion? What medium would you use to control the situation and manage the crisis? Have you had or heard of any crisis communication scenarios like this one we are describing? How would you deal with the executive, CEO, or spokesperson after the crisis died down on social media? How would you avoid this crisis in the first place?

This question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

Step 3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the follow-up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.