Crisis Management Thoughts

The Semblance of Communication

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:45:49 +0000

Many of us achieve only the semblance of communication with others; what we say is often not contingent on what the other has just said, and neither of us is aware that we are not communicating.

– Desy Safan-Gerard

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Running with Scissors

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:26:56 +0000

Running a business without a crisis management plan is like running with scissors.

– Pamela Baggett-Wallis

You’re Not Ready

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:07:42 +0000

Nothing taught in most MBA programs prepares CEOs for giving media interviews during crises.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Courage

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:32:01 +0000

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

– Winston Churchill

The Principle of Contempt

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:06:27 +0000

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.

– Herbert Spencer

Nobody’s Ready

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:02:04 +0000

Based on my 25+ years of experience, less than 5% of American businesses are fully prepared for their 10 “most probable” future crises.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Online Gossip

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:55:07 +0000

The better your reputation, the worse the online gossip when you stumble.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Do Not

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:21:35 +0000

The Athenians, alarmed at the internal decay of their Republic, asked Demosthenes what to do. His reply: “Do not do what you are doing now.”

– Joseph Ray

The Roots

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:43:47 +0000

The roots of some reputation management issues are very simple — like not paying your vendors when you promised to.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Priorities

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:57:28 +0000

If communication is not your top priority, all of your other priorities are at risk.

– Bob Aronson

Us v. Them

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:04:16 +0000

Are you too stuck in “Us v. Them” to put yourselves in Their shoes and figure out how to connect with Them?

– Jonathan Bernstein

It’ll Never Happen

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:45:37 +0000

What have you sworn will “never happen” to your organization?

– Jonathan Bernstein

Crisis-Fueled

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:42:32 +0000

Crisis-fueled fear brings out the best and worst in crisis managers.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Crisis Management Tripod

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:57:23 +0000

Vulnerability assessment, planning and training are the tripod that should support any crisis preparedness program.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Professional Chicken Little

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:31:27 +0000

Sometimes I feel like a professional ‘Chicken Little,’ which I suppose is better than being an amateur ostrich.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Is it Positioning or Spin?

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:56:26 +0000

Positioning is helping your stakeholders understand your message the way you intended it to be understood. Spinning is trying to get your stakeholders to believe something you know isn’t true.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Disasters Don’t Care

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:00:07 +0000

Disasters don’t care that you plan to roll out your crisis preparedness program over a four-year period, starting next year. Which is remarkably similar to what you said LAST year. If the shoe fits…

– Jonathan Bernstein

Crisis Preparedness

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 00:53:01 +0000

Others’ hindsight COULD become your foresight. That’s the very essence of crisis preparedness.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Critic Crisis Management

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:40:28 +0000

If a critic is intent on making himself look like an idiot, you’re often better off letting him do that versus attempting to refute him.

– Jonathan Bernstein

No Respect!

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:39:19 +0000

Crisis preparation has to incorporate the concept that crises don’t respect holidays, vacations, or sleep schedules.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Avoiding Scrutiny

Jonathan Bernstein — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:55:24 +0000

If you don’t want to burden yourself with a lot of unwanted scrutiny, try being transparent.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Principals Principles

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 04:52:03 +0000

The principles of crisis management always apply, but the principals don’t always apply them.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Would-Be Davids

Jonathan Bernstein — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:34:05 +0000

The Internet provides many would-be Davids with ready-made slingshots.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Back it Up

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:38:45 +0000

The term “backup” should be applied to critical personnel, not just to computers. In times of crisis, you can’t rely on being able to contact crisis response team members — each of them should have at least one, ideally two, other people trained to step in as backup

– Jonathan Bernstein

Reporter Remorse

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:32:51 +0000

The longer you talk to a reporter, the greater the chance you’ll say something you’ll regret.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Who’s at Fault?

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:39:39 +0000

If you have to say it ten times to be understood, it’s not the listener who’s at fault

– Jonathan Bernstein

Broader Problems

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:15:58 +0000

Poor response to a crisis is typically a symptom of much broader organizational and ego problems.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Gauging Reaction

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:36:50 +0000

Don’t gauge the impact of a crisis by the size, frequency and placement of news coverage. Measure, instead, how it is ACTUALLY impacting your stakeholders, internal and external. Yes, that means you need to ask your stakeholders to give you feedback, not just guess about their reactions based on a few calls, hostile or friendly.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Preparing for Disaster

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:09:53 +0000

It is easier to figure out what to do and say in response to a massive physical disaster than it is in response to a strictly reputational threat, yet many organizations prepare for the former and few for the latter.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Feelings

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:48:15 +0000

Bad news is often inevitable. Ignoring the feelings of those impacted by bad news is inexcusable.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Foresight and Your Money

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:45:14 +0000

Ninety percent of the crises to which I’ve responded over the past two decades have been, in hindsight, completely preventable. Foresight, for those who engage in crisis preparedness, has proven to be far more cost-effective than hindsight.

– Jonathan Bernstein

The Court of Public Opinion

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:02:44 +0000

There is no due process in the court of public opinion.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Urgent Tones

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:58:49 +0000

It’s usually not politically wise to “tell” a client (or your boss) what to do with regard to crisis prevention or response. Making suggestions is a better way to go. But you have to communicate urgency, the sort of tone you might use when saying, “I suggest that you not light a match when you’re standing in a pool of gasoline.”

– Jonathan Bernstein

Below the Radar

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:53:47 +0000

Flying below the radar is no guarantee that a missile isn’t about to hit you in the ass

– Jonathan Bernstein

Road to Hell

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:09:21 +0000

The road to hell may be paved with good intentions — but why, when organizations find themselves on that road, do they often guard it instead of taking another road?

– Jonathan Bernstein

Thirsty?

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:19:13 +0000

For some horses, the best you can do is point them in the direction of the water and remind them that they’re dying of thirst.

– Jonathan Bernstein

It shouldn’t be…

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:27:09 +0000

Why is it surprising that most organizations haven’t engaged in crisis preparedness, when most of us haven’t checked the batteries on our smoke detectors recently or stocked up on emergency supplies for use in case of earthquake/flood/tornado, etc.?

– Jonathan Bernstein

Be Prepared

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:16:14 +0000

The Internet can be a powerful weapon for crisis management, but without preparation and planning it is simply another poorly hoisted petard.

– Jonathan Bernstein

The Difference Maker

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:40:47 +0000

The difference between a crisis and a disaster might be you.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Just Ask!

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:01:31 +0000

News headlines will seldom tell you what YOUR important audiences believe about your crisis situation. You have to ask them!

– Jonathan Bernstein

Waiting to Happen

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:04:58 +0000

Give an experienced Crisis Manager one hour walking around almost any business and he’ll give you a list of crises waiting to happen.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Wisdom is…

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:24:41 +0000

Wisdom is using other people’s hindsight as your foresight.

– Jonathan Bernstein

The Other Ship

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:54:55 +0000

A lot of us think, when we see the proverbial ship hit an iceberg, “Thank God that isn’t us.” Funny, the folks on the other ship thought the same thing last week.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Right, or Required?

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:06:32 +0000

Most of your stakeholders expect you to do what’s right, not just what’s required.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Beware of Predators

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:15:57 +0000

Predators prefer weak prey. Better than that, they like unsuspecting prey. I’m not talking about a jungle water hole scenario — just ask anyone who’s ever been surprised by the roar and sharp teeth of a plaintiff’s attorney who attacks from in front of media microphones.

– Jonathan Bernstein

A Horse to Water

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:20:48 +0000

I’ve led a lot of still-thirsty horses to water.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Definition of a Lawsuit

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:56:10 +0000

Lawsuit, n. A machine which you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage.

– Ambrose Bierce

Motion vs. Action

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:53:38 +0000

Never mistake motion for action.

– Ernest Hemingway

Deadlines

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:51:37 +0000

The press doesn’t care much about YOUR deadlines, they care about theirs. If your deadline is more important than theirs, you lose.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Internet Time

Jonathan Bernstein — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:56:49 +0000

When you get embroiled in a controversy, you could well get calls and E-mail messages from journalists who are nine time zones away… they’ll expect answers from you in Internet time — which means right now.

– from “The Publicity Handbook: The Inside Scoop From More Than 100 Journalists and PR Pros on How to Get Great Publicity Coverage — in Print, On-Line, and on the Air.”

Hair on Fire

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:15:24 +0000

Crisis Communications is exactly like Issues Management, only with your hair on fire.

– Rick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Neiman Communications

Do Something!

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:53:27 +0000

We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.

– Calvin Coolidge

The Most Powerful Force in the Universe

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:29:45 +0000

The most powerful force in the universe is gossip.

– Humorist Dave Barry

The Bridges

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:58:48 +0000

The bridges you cross before you come to them are almost always over rivers that aren’t there.

– T. S. Eliot

Failed Writers

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:57:30 +0000

Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers.

– T. S. Eliot

Media Reality

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:37:14 +0000

In a vacuum, the media will create its own reality.

–Kim Perry, Kim Perry Consulting, Santa Fe, NM

The Cause

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 03:30:09 +0000

If you and your colleagues are spending most of your time on news releases and very little time preparing for interviews, you may want to re-examine your priorities. Interviews are where the news is. And, when a story goes bad, the interview is more likely to be the cause than the news release.

– From “Monday Morning Media Minute” ezine published by Jerry Brown, APR, impact@rmi.net

Appearance Matters

Jonathan Bernstein — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:16:56 +0000

Coffee stains on the flip-down trays mean [to the passengers] that we do our engine maintenance wrong.

– Donald C. Burr, Chairman, People Express Airlines Inc, Fortune: 13 May 85

Hearing vs. Listening

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:13:55 +0000

Hearing is physical. Listening can be psychological, emotional, even spiritual. And if we cannot listen, we cannot learn.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Know Thine Enemy

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:15:32 +0000

In marketing we call them the competition. In crisis communications we call them the opposition. In both cases, to know them is to know what we have to do to compete for the attention and loyalties of our mutual publics.

– Jonathan Bernstein

The Greatest Problem

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 14:33:35 +0000

“The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”

– George Bernard Shaw

Mistakes in Motive

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:55:25 +0000

“The public may be willing to forgive us for mistakes in judgment but it will not forgive us for mistakes in motive.”

– Robert W. Haack, President, New York Stock Exchange, 1967

Never Turn Your Back

Jonathan Bernstein — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:54:55 +0000

“Treat the media as you would any other watchdog. Stay calm, be friendly, let them sniff your hand and never turn your back.”

– Anonymous

The Major Benefit of the Internet

Jonathan Bernstein — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 22:25:35 +0000

“The major benefit of the Internet is the opportunity to quickly and inexpensively communicate one’s messages worldwide. The major downside to the Internet is the opportunity to communicate one’s mistakes worldwide.

It’s bad enough when real or perceived wrongdoing is thus communicated, but when poor impressions are created by website typos, major grammatical errors and amateurish copywriting, the host organization suffers totally needless damage. Too often, far less attention is paid to the quality of a company’s website than to the quality of its print communications. Have you read your own website carefully, recently, and had it proof-read by some other trusted sets of eyes?”

– Jonathan Bernstein

Perception and Feelings

Jonathan Bernstein — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:37:10 +0000

“When a crisis first breaks, perception and feelings are far more important to your audiences than facts and actual legal liability. A crisis communications professional has to think with his heart, not just his head.”

– Jonathan Bernstein

“No comment.”

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:07:23 +0000

“Saying ‘no comment’ is not the same thing as making no comment — but both communicate a message.”

– Jonathan Bernstein

Listen, learn, act.

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 01:06:53 +0000

“Listen, learn, act. In that order. That’s not just good for interpersonal communications, it’s good for business”

– Jonathan Bernstein

Definition of a Crisis

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 03:58:44 +0000

“The decisive state of things, or the point of time when an affair is arrive to its highth, and must soon terminate or suffer a material change.”

– definition of crisis from Webster’s 1828 dictionary

There Can’t Be a Crisis!

Jonathan Bernstein — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:29:40 +0000

There can’t be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.

– Henry Kissinger

The Least Important Audience

Jonathan Bernstein — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:12:03 +0000

The press is most organizations’ least important audience.

– Jonathan Bernstein

Uncooperative Reporters

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:43:56 +0000

“That reporter interviewed me for over an hour and didn’t even report the most important information I gave him!”

– typical statement by angry executive who has never been media-trained.

We Screwed Up

Jonathan Bernstein — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 03:32:01 +0000

Sometimes the best you can do is say “we screwed up and we’re going to fix it.”

– Jonathan Bernstein

Matter of Time