Knowing how communication works, and what’s best right now, is essential to quality crisis communications. Let this infographic from Atlassian take you on a trip through the ages right up through today as they look at how communication has changed through with time and technology:
Infographic produced by Atlassian
The Incident Command System (ICS) was first developed in the 70’s to help organize the process of communications during federal disaster response efforts. Of course the system today looks little like it did when it was first made, and the ICS is now part of the larger National Interagency Incident Management System (NIIMS). Although the ICS does does remain a bit rigid for the needs of modern crisis management, it is a strong framework for anyone looking to develop a plan or quickly engage in managing a crisis situation.
Here is an overview of the general structure of ICS, as well as responsibilities assigned to each role, provided by FEMA.gov:
Responsibilities of the Components of the ICS Organization
In an incident, the Incident Commander manages the entire incident and:
The Command Staff provides information, safety, and liaison services:
The General Staff performs functional activities:
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
Not long ago I worked with an energetic, creative group who, while focusing on presentation skills, wondered how to best engage their audiences. I asked them what engagement strategies they appreciated when they were in the audience. They had plenty of ideas about engagement techniques that I think any speaker could benefit from. These are relatively simple, and I think most of them are pretty “foolproof” as long as you approach your audience with confidence and curiosity.
As you read the list, take note of which ideas appeal to you. Which ones have you tried? What is one new idea that you might want to try? Start today to go beyond just “telling.” Get creative in order to involve and engage your listeners.
It takes courage to do what others aren’t doing, like engaging your audience. But the payoffs are huge; a more relaxed and alert crowd, and feedback for you. Try it.
Whether you’re looking at customer service from the perspective of a business owner, customer, or crisis management consultant, it’s clear that providing quality service is important. Especially in a time where it’s just as easy – and often easier – to order something from home with no human interaction at all, how your customers are treated makes a massive difference. We all know that angry customers will take to review sites at the drop of a hat, but what are some other consequences of shoppers being upset with their treatment at the hands of your brand? This Better Business Bureau infographic explains:
[Click image to enlarge]
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
Guest Author: Disha Dinesh
SEO is simple. You remove roadblocks and get people to where they belong. Sounds easy enough, and it would be if it weren’t for the fact that SEO is always changing. That’s because search engines are forever being updated and refined.
The latest massive shift was Google’s mobile-first index in November 2016. They introduced it to serve better results to their mobile users, who are growing in number. As part of the announcement it was revealed that eventually, the algorithms will majorly use a website’s mobile version to index and rank its pages.
This means that if you have a website that is mobile optimized, you’ll likely rank well on both mobile and desktops.
60% of all searches happen on mobile devices (Source: eConsultancy)
Over 3/4ths of all searches happen at work or home (Source: DigitalStats)
So if you assumed that mobile focused marketing was only to reach people on the go, that isn’t the case anymore.
Interestingly, research has also found that 55% actions triggered by mobile searches like purchases, store visits or phone calls happen within an hour (Source: DigitalStats) which is significantly higher when compared to desktops.
For your website to be mobile-friendly, it has to have –
Google requires you to have a responsive website design. Anything that looks clean, is easy to view on a mobile device, and resizes to fit its screen should work well for you.
Shutterfly is a good example for responsive design.
Most WordPress themes are mobile friendly. If you have bought/rented a template from a standard website design service like SquareSpace, it will probably be responsive. If you have good developers, they are very likely well-versed in responsive design. If you have designed your website by yourself, you can take Google’s free course on responsive design to help update your website.
According to the Aberdeen Group, a 1 second page delay can cost you –
Page speed is an important mobile ranking factor. You can test your page speed and get insights on how to improve it on Google’s Page Speed Insights.
On a general note, you should optimize images to fit your page. For instance, if your page is 600px wide, you should ideally resize all your images to that size before you use them. If you upload a 1500px image and change the parameter to 600px, the page will take time to load.
JPEGs word best. PNGs work second best.
It is also useful to reduce redirects and the number of plugins installed on your website.
When you use large pop-ups and inconvenient scrolling mechanisms on your website, your users are likely to experience difficulty in navigating your site on a mobile device.
Neil Patel advises that you forgo interstitial pop-ups on your website. They are basically the ads placed within a body of text that mobile users might accidentally click on without meaning to.
You should also ensure that your website scrolls easily, and that your buttons (social media share and comment buttons) are sized correctly.
It is best to have few and essential tabs on the home page to ensure that it doesn’t become too cluttered and showcases what is most important.
Naturally, your content also needs to be made mobile-friendly. Mobile-first content experts recommend using the F-shaped pattern to assess your content.
People view content on their mobile devices using the same pattern. Their gaze moves from the top-right of the screen to the left, bottom-right to left, scrolls down and ends. A useful fact to bear in mind when creating your content.
According to a Briggsby study, most users focus on the top 66% of the screen. It is a good idea to place your call-to copy and interactive buttons (like your social sharing buttons), within that space.
While long-form content was the bomb for desktop SEO, it may appear overwhelming to mobile readers. They’re not likely to scroll through 3000 word-long pieces on narrow screens.
You should mix in shorter pieces to focus on your mobile audience. Another workaround is using shorter paras and sentences to convey information. You can also use bullets, lists and images.
Infographics remain one of the most shared pieces of content. By using them and graphs, you can convey more using less space.
They can also help make your content more engaging when compared to lines of text on a small screen.
People are already accustomed to listening to content on their mobile devices, which is one of the reasons why podcasts have taken off as a means for brands to communicate with their audience.
In 2016, Edison Research found that 4.5 million people listened to podcasts and that the number was growing.
Videos are also great for mobile devices. According to a study, 36% users watch long videos on them.
Social signals also have a bearing on search rankings, but differently than most of us originally thought. SEO and marketing expert Larry Kim conducted an experiment to see how social signals related to search rankings.
He found that the following and authority of the page may not matter as much as the engagement on its posts. To improve your overall engagement, you could use a content curation app like Nuzzel and DrumUp to source relevant content to share with your following on a regular basis.
Wrap
Mobile-first indexing will become the primary method for indexing in the future. If your website is optimized for mobile, it is more likely to rank well. The tactics shared on this post are a good place to start.
Author bio:
Disha Dinesh is a Content Writer at Godot Media, a leading content agency. Her interests include social media and content marketing. When she’s not writing, she’s on the hunt for social media trends and inspiration.
Image credit: Screenshot by Disha Dinesh [March, 2017]
Numerous types of processes (i.e., business processes) exist in many organizations. Processes specifically involve defining and outlining a sequence of events or systematic movements that are to be followed. These processes need to be documented and identified by the Technical Writer.
Benefits
Documenting processes
• ensures that everyone understands the overall picture of what the processes entail,
• notes who are involved to accomplish an important task or to reach a goal,
• helps by providing a summary and a guideline describing the flow of a process from the beginning stage to the end.
Examples
There are many examples of processes, such as how to select a vendor, how to handle an insurance claim, how to get a product tested, or simply how to move a department into another area of a building.
• For a new product creation process, the criterion involved might include approval, development, financial, or testing processes, etc.
• For an insurance claim process the main instance might be broken down into, e.g., review, administrative, or adjustment processes, etc.
Content
A process (business) document can include:
• Purpose, description, and scope.
• Those that are involved as well as those that are affected by the process, especially if the business process is replacing another one.
• Who will be using it.
• Where it will be used.
• How it will be used.
• Why it will be used.
Documenting business processes help to maintain communication, order, and lessen confusion and questions.
Format
For illustrating a process, the Technical Writer has a variety of methods to use. The following techniques can be applied:
• Mapping – mapping helps by seeing how things are connected and organized.
• Wire frames – wire frames help by allowing the whole picture to b displayed.
• Flowchart – flowcharts help by seeing how one step will flow into another.
• Workflow – work flow diagrams help by allowing the audiences see a model or prototype of the process.
• Colors, graphics, pointers, etc.
There are a variety of methods that can be used to depict a, e.g., business process.
Success
For the documentation to be successful, the Technical Writer has to seek out the knowledge management people, the SMEs – Subject Matter Experts and gather necessary information to answer the questions of ‘Who What Where When How’. Also, as always, know the audience and create what is needed to ensure understanding and the transfer of knowledge.
Note: Once a process is defined then sub-procedural steps can be gathered. Hence, the overall business process would be the top echelon and the core detailed steps would be the procedures that underly the process.
If you have previously documented various processes, I.e., business processes and can add more information please leave a comment.
You know crises are coming. You know crises are coming. Yet it’s so hard to get moving when it comes to preparedness. It’s certainly human nature, but anyone who’s been burned once by not being ready to face a sticky situation will tell you they wish they’d been prepared. If you’re not ready you’re not alone, as this infographic from the CDC will show, but don’t let that encourage you to sit back and relax! After all, being prepared is the #1 way to reduce the damage done by crises, as well as the costs involved, benefits you don’t want to miss out on.
[Click to enlarge]
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
