One of the most ‘common’ mistakes public relations pros make when faced with a crisis situation, particularly when they have little crisis experience, is to try to ‘common sense’ their way out of it. More to the point, if they don’t have experience all that they likely know about crisis management is what they may have read on a couple of blogs or at that one conference they attended three years ago, and they try to wing it.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Workplace Communications
Before You Put Your Faith in AI for Crisis Communications, Learn About “Automation Bias”
In closing chapter of my book, The Essential Crisis Communications Plan, I touch on one of the most transformative developments to come along in recent years when it comes to crisis communications. That is the emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).
First, I’ll recap what it says in the book, and then I’ll elaborate further:
… Read the rest“As a tool, (AI) will be powerful.
New Crisis Management Book: The Essential Crisis Communications Plan
The Essential Crisis Communications Plan
Simplifies Creation of Customized Crisis Management Plan
Crisis and Issues Management Veteran Tim O’Brien Condenses Decades
of Crisis Management Experience into a Real-time, Step-by-Step Handbook
Pittsburgh, PA, August 2, 2023 – Crisis communications and issues management veteran Tim O’Brien’s new book, The Essential Crisis Communications Plan: A Crisis Management Process that Fits Your Culture, is unique in the world of communications-centric books in that it is an actual crisis management plan readers can quickly adapt to their own operating cultures.… Read the rest
One Thing to Remember When Managing Your First Crisis
Every crisis communicator had to start somewhere. Hopefully, your first taste of crisis communications or crisis management was in support of someone more experienced than you, someone who could show you what to do and what not to do.
But that’s not always the case. More often than not, as organizations cut staff to the bare minimum, and don’t free up moneys for outside consultants, the one-person communications function is a commonality.… Read the rest
You Only Need One Out of Four Crisis Communications “Experts”
There are four kinds of crisis communications experts. Spoiler alert. You only need one of them.
Here they are:
- The Academic
- The Performative Presenter
- The Media Trainer
- The Counselor
The reason you only need one is because only one of these four has actually managed a crisis before. If you’re not sure which one is the one you need, we’ll get there.… Read the rest
PR: Make Sure You’re Talking to the Right Specialist
Recently, I was talking to someone who’s about to start his own business. He needed legal advice and decided to get it from a friend who’s also an attorney. It didn’t matter to him that the attorney mostly deals with intellectual property matters, and my friend’s needs centered on start-up issues and contracts. A lawyer’s a lawyer, right?… Read the rest
Public Relations: Don’t Just Articulate…Resonate
One of the more common problems I’ve seen when it comes to public relations messaging is that while many messages tend to contain all of the right information and make all the right points, they don’t resonate with people.
More to the point, their creators are great at articulation, but they don’t know how to make those same messages relatable to the targeted audiences.… Read the rest
Public Relations and the Power of the Unexpected
One of the hallmarks of good communications, good branding, good marketing, good crisis management and effective public relations is consistency. When people know what to expect from you – hopefully good things – your brand, your reputation and your effectiveness is enhanced.
When your stakeholders have the time to anticipate something good, and then you meet their expectations, the entire process works to deepen the impact of whatever you do.… Read the rest
Marketing Communications: Performance is Downstream from Values
There is a fine line between what used to be called “cause marketing” and disingenuous virtue signaling in your marketing communications programs. I tend to prefer neither, and much prefer when your actual corporate values stand for something.
An example of the disingenuous kind of virtue signal marketing is when brands and marketers use “greenwashing” strategies.… Read the rest
Business Ethics: Should Religion Stay in Its Lane?
I’ve known a few people who’ve made a living as business ethicists and two of my problems with their tendencies are: 1) They tend to adhere to the ethics of relativity (but not really); and 2) They work hard to completely disassociate any religious or traditional moral code from business ethics.
To be sure, in this diverse world where people of many faiths come together to work, it would be inappropriate to try to impose a single religious code on all.… Read the rest