Tag Archives: crisis management

crisis response

NYIT asked, I answered

Leave a comment

New York Institute of TechnologyBack in April, I was happy to lead a session on “Managing Online Crises” for a group of students at the Manhattan campus of the New York Institute of Technology. As usual, the best part of the session was addressing some really great questions.  Student-organizer David Shaulov was gracious enough to send a recording of the entire session and I edited clips with some of those great questions, such as:

Following are the remaining edited clips: 

I hope you find these useful.  They’ll also be made available through the Video Clips link above, under About J.D.

Comments?  Questions?  I’d love to hear from you, below.

"Three Tough Q's" Interview Series

Three Tough Q’s: Ed Eaton

2 Comments

I’ve had the pleasure of not working with Ed Eaton on two occasions. 

Allow me to explain.

Ed is an MBCI – a member of The Business Continuity Institute – and Principal of related firm Warner Gudlaugsson LLC.  (Ask him about the firm’s name if you get the chance – it’s a good backstory.)

Twice now, Ed and I were supposed to combine talents on assignments for two different organizations.  The first project lost its funding.  The second got postponed.  You can’t win ‘em all.

Fortunately, Ed and I kept in touch and I’ve really appreciated his perspectives.  We’re looking to join forces officially on an assignment soon.  When we do it’ll be like a Dynamic Duo of business continuity and crisis/reputation management.  Pow!  Biff!

Until that super moment materializes, Ed graciously agreed to participate here to answer Three Tough Q’s:

 

Q1:  Do impediments exist between integrated business continuity management and reputation management?

Continue reading Three Tough Q’s: Ed Eaton →

planning and prevention

Crisis communications planning gets unfairly tarred by oil spill critic

8 Comments

On June 15, U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak (D – MI) issued a statement on “misplaced priorities” of oil companies in the wake of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  In it, he uses the ExxonMobil oil spill response plan to draw conclusions about oil industry lack of preparedness.  Stupak concludes that the plans are “great public relations….  But these plans are virtually worthless when an actual spill occurs.   And that’s exactly the kind of misplaced priorities that led to this disaster.”

In my opinion, Congressman Stupak’s conclusion is murky. 

Don’t get me wrong – history will eventually assign plenty of shared blame for the Deepwater Horizon situation.  The events leading up to the oil spill, the BP “responsible party” efforts to stop the leak, the ongoing and future clean-up work and the public relations responses all deserve to be scrutinized, heavily.  However, the Congressman’s buckshot against the oil industry hits crisis communications planning with collateral damage.  And that’s counterproductive.

Continue reading Crisis communications planning gets unfairly tarred by oil spill critic →

planning and prevention

Terrorism: Seven Starter Steps to Prepare Against the Unthinkable

4 Comments

According to a recent CNN report, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that attempted terrorist attacks against the United States are at an all-time high.  The department’s May 21 report obtained by CNN also indicates that terrorists are looking for “smaller, more achievable attacks against easily accessible targets.”

Scary.  A word to the wise:  “If You See Something, Say Something.”

Also scary times for U.S. businesses.

Experts who focus on emergencies and disasters have already weighed in with recommended actions.   

It’s a  similar clarion call for corporate communicators to prepare, now, before an attack strikes the heart of a company’s operations.  Here’s a good start of recommended actions:

Continue reading Terrorism: Seven Starter Steps to Prepare Against the Unthinkable →

planning and prevention

Go, Team!

5 Comments
Property of Fox. See the movie, June 11, 2010!

Exactly one month ago, I hosted a poll at the tail end of a blog post on the importance of building elite crisis management teams and not relying solely on plans. 

Pollsters were faced with a Solomon-like choice*:  if you could choose only one, would you rather have a super crisis plan with no trained team?  Or the opposite?

As of this evening, 95 percent favored team over plan. 

Unfortunately, I would say that ratio is THE MIRROR OPPOSITE of the way organizations focus on crisis preparedness. 

Continue reading Go, Team! →