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.
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
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
There are four kinds of crisis communications experts. Spoiler alert. You only need one of them.
Here they are:
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
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
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
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
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
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
One thing that gets talked about a lot in the public relations business is crisis communications. You read articles like this one, perhaps you go to conferences or participate in webinars on the topic. You follow people on social media who give you a steady diet of crisis PR tips and tricks. But what is the current state of your crisis management readiness?… Read the rest