10 Crisis Lessons Learned the Hard Way
A few years ago, I was asked to speak about crisis communications at an offsite retreat of industry managers. The organizer told me my audience would largely be grizzled veterans with very thick skins who would appreciate straight talk that they wouldn’t find in a textbook. Then he issued a tough request: “Think about mistakes you’ve made, [...]
During Data Breaches, Prioritize Internal Audiences
When helping companies respond to data breaches, I’ve been surprised at how often we have to remind our clients to provide essential information to their own employees. Even more shocking is that sometimes managers push back on our recommendation to do so. Their rationale is understandable, but flawed. The company is embarrassed that they have been hacked, [...]
It’s Harder to Media Train a Genius
Over the past two decades, I have media trained hundreds of spokespeople, including strong-willed CEOs and government leaders, passionate cause advocates champing at the bit to assert their strong opinions, and some painfully shy issue experts inclined to hide from microphones. However, some of the most consistently challenging students I’ve worked with are the very ones who [...]