Author: Jonathan & Erik Bernstein

Convince the audience that you’re right

Wimpy words modify or water down your conviction and in the end your position. When you pepper a conversation with “hopefully,” “perhaps,” “I feel,” “kind of” and “sort of,” the message you convey is a lack of confidence. Use power words such as “I’m confident that,” “my track record shows,” “I take the position that,” “I recommend” or “my goal is.” The language you use gives the listener an impression about your level of confidence and conviction.

We’ve all made this mistake at some point. Whether through nerves or a slip of the tongue, we end up taking our formerly solid point and watering it down to the point of irrelevance. This quote, from a Monster.com article by Diane Diresta, is directed at job seekers, but actually serves extremely well for any avenue of public speaking (or writing, for that matter). Whether your goal is to convince a room full of school kids or an auditorium packed with reporters, projecting confidence and a deep belief in what you are saying is critical to making a convincing and believable point.

This concept – and the others Diresta lists in her article — are essential to the type of communication often associated with effective crisis management.

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Taking damage from searches for your own key terms

Politicians are no strangers to controversy, but as we become more and more immersed in the digital world, regular citizens are gaining the power to cause serious reputation management issues for these seemingly lofty figures. The following quote, from a MediaPost article by Derek Gordon, highlights some rising online troubles for Presidential hopefuls Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney:

…each has a certain search engine problem. Santorum’s is very well known and is the result of a years-long effort by gay rights activists to define the word “santorum” as a byproduct of certain sexual activities. (Rick Santorum has long been a vocal opponent of marriage equality for gay people, and even went so far as to compare homosexual marriage to bestiality.) The website responsible for the redefinition of “santorum,” spreadingsantorum.com, currently ranks in the number three slot on Google.

 

Romney now has a similar problem, thanks to the debut of SpreadingRomney.com in mid-January. It has jumped to page 1 of Google search results in just a few week’s time, which even industry veterans like Danny Sullivan find remarkable. The “romney” definition relates to the story of how Governor Romney once strapped the family dog to the roof of the car for a road trip to Canada, which made the dog sick and caused it to develop a nasty case of diarrhea while still on top of the car. (To be fair, the dog was in a dog crate; Romney didn’t literally strap his dog to the top of the car. The New York Times columnist Gail Collins has, in particular, not let the story die.)

In a political race that is still dominated by the largely conservative voting population, these pages place huge, unavoidable spotlights on issues that the candidates would love nothing more than to be buried at this stage in the race.

Keep in mind, SpreadingRomney.com is owned, operated, and promoted by ONE person. The two crisis management lessons to be taken from this are:

1. Dominate search results for your terms. There is no excuse for Santorum and Romney to have not pushed these results off the front page, they have the money, they can get the manpower.
2. In today’s world of e-reporting and Internet-dominated news, ticking off the wrong person can have grave consequences.

Your reputation is your most valuable asset, protect it online and off!

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Protect your business, be prepared for social media crisis management

Let’s face it, social media isn’t going away. People love to talk about what’s going on in their lives, and now that they can do it with millions of others right from the smart phone in their pocket, it’s practically irresistable.

What this means to your organization is that your employees will use social media during your next crisis.

How then, do you turn this seeming vulnerability into a crisis management tool? That’s exactly the question that social media crisis specialist Melissa Agnes answers in her blog post, “How To Empower Your Employees For a Social Media Crisis.”

Here’s a quote:

Fact #1: Each one of your employees has an active social media presence.

Fact #2: Each one of your employees has their own social graph (social connections).

Fact #3: At any point throughout a crisis, your employees may:

Choose to mention or discuss the situation online
Be approached with inquiries about the events unfolding
Be sought out by reporters or bloggers covering the crisis

Fact #4: Their answers may innocently result in further damage and/or complications for your brand.

Fact #5: This is not what most people would call advantageous in a troubling matter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fact #6: There are precautionary measure that any and all companies and organizations can take to help eliminate this threat.

Make no mistake, these are FACTS, evidenced in many, many crisis situations. As with any other crisis, the best way to prevent serious social media damage is by being prepared, so what’s holding you back?

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

When it comes to crisis management, choose your words wisely

One of the most common requests from clients of ours are for ways to “say no comment without saying no comment.” Yes, communication and transparency are crucial in today’s business environment, but sometimes it’s just not in your best interest to discuss a particular topic. That’s why Stephen Rafe’s take on the situation caught our eye, and drove us to ask if we could bring his tactics to our readers.

Without further ado, here is a quote from Stephen Rafe’s forthcoming book on news-media interviewing:

Saying the same thing in different words doesn’t help. Following President Clinton’s news conference in May, Susan Page (USA Today, Friday, May 1, 1998) described his “no-comment” efforts as “a convoluted game of TV’s ‘Jeopardy’ in which the questions and answers somehow had been drawn from completely different categories.” Arianna Huffington, (The New York Post, May 5, 1998,) wrote: “…my personal advice is that he (President Clinton) advise his lawyers to advise him not to hold any more press conferences until all his legal entanglements are disentangled….”

Indeed, the President did come up with some creative ways to avoid saying “no-comment.” Here are some of the 15 he used — to the total of 29 questions he was asked:

• “I don’t have anything to say about that.”
• “I can not comment on these matters because they are under seal.”
• “I … have nothing to add to my former answer.”
• “I have been advised, and I think it’s good advice under the circumstances — but I just — I just don’t have anything else to add about that.”

The lesson learned for spokespersons? Elegant variations can not replace good technique.

Techniques that Work

So how should one respond to questions when tempted to give a “no-comment” answer? Here’s the approach I’ve refined to help my clients address such situations.

First, always express a desire to cooperate, and follow with a reason why you can’t respond directly to the question. You might open by saying: “I wish I could comment on that (or “help you,” or “share that information with you,” or something similar and relevant), (use reporter’s name).”

Next, if timing is your concern, continue by saying something such as: “However, once (name the event that controls timing) is no longer at issue (or “has been resolved”) I would be pleased to discuss this in detail with you.”

If the issue is your concern, substitute words such as these instead: “However, doing so would give proprietary information to our competitors.”

Follow with a point or fact that is relevant and “safe,” such as: “What I can tell you is that the (name of trade association) has said (and complete your response with related, but generic information from that source).”

Structure your response this way and you decrease the chances that you will “loop” back to the question you were trying to dismiss. Looping frequently occurs when spokespersons try to ad lib. When you use this technique, you also increase the likelihood that the reporter will move on to the next question.

For more information, contact Stephen Rafe at Stephen@rapportcommunications.net.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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A four star apology

Early last month, the United States Marine Corps issued one of the most concise and effective apologies we’ve ever seen. No, you didn’t read wrong, I said the USMC! Standing the years-long tradition of stodgy communication full of niche terminology on its head, the Marines, much like fellow government agency FEMA, have embraced communication for crisis and reputation management.

On February 9, a photograph of a U.S. Marine recon group posing in front of a flag bearing an “SS” symbol surfaced and drew national attention.

Within 24 hours of the crisis breaking, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, issued an ideal response. Here’s the full text, straight from Marines.mil:

WASHINGTON — On February 9, I was made aware of an internet photo depicting Marines posing with a flag containing a Nazi symbol. I want to be clear that the Marine Corps unequivocally does not condone the use of any such symbols to represent our units or Marines.

The local command to which the Marines in the photo were assigned investigated this issue last November. They determined that the Marines in the photo were ignorant of the connection of this symbol to the Holocaust and monumental atrocities associated with Nazi Germany. To ensure the Marines involved fully understood the historical use of the SS symbology, a formal instructional class was prepared and delivered by unit leadership.

In order to ensure that all Marines are aware of the Marine Corps’ position on this issue, I have directed that:

• My commanders investigate the prevalence of the use of SS or other unauthorized symbols within the reconnaissance and sniper communities.
  
• The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps immediately detach from his current duties in Washington, DC and personally meet with every senior Staff Non-commissioned Officer and Marine from our sniper and reconnaissance communities to reinforce my message and expectations.
  
• The commanding general of our training and education command review the current sniper school curriculum to ensure it contains prohibitions on the use of the SS symbol and other inappropriate symbols.

 

 

 

 

On behalf of the Marine Corps and all Marines, I apologize to all offended by this regrettable incident.

The best way to come across as decent and human is to act like you’re decent and human. It really is that simple. Apologize, say in specific terms how you’re going to prevent the same situation from happening again, and stakeholders will forgive your mistakes.

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Crisis simulations save lives

Sure, you know that you need to be ready for crises, but do you know what it’s actually like to be in a crisis?

The goal of the Red Cross UK Disaster Response Challenge is to give you this experience, and more. Constructing a hypothetical disaster that unfolds in real time over a two-day period, participants are placed in an “emergency response unit,” and presented with problems that will push the boundaries of their crisis management and emergency response skills. Genuine Red Cross first responders will also be on hand to share their years of experience in navigating the simulated crisis and answering your questions.

If you’re looking to create or update disaster management plans for your organization, there’s no better place to get started than the Disaster Response Challenge.

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

Why you need social media for crisis management

“Enterprises simply cannot afford to ignore social media as a crisis communications tool,” said Andrew Walls, research vice president at Gartner. “In many cases, social media may represent the only available means of locating and contacting personnel; providing stakeholders with the information and assistance they need; informing citizens, customers and partners of product/service availability; and taking other business-critical actions following a disruptive event.”

This quote, from a Gartner Newsroom release, is a perfect example of exactly why every business needs the capability to use social media for crisis management. Let’s use our home state of California as an example. We could, at any given moment, have an earthquake. Now, if one of these earthquakes takes out telephone lines in the area, how exactly do you think you’re going to get ahold of your employees?

Social media is the answer. There are few people today who sleep with their cell phone more than two feet away, and this presents the perfect avenue for communications in a crunch. These mobile web portals can receive emergency alerts or browse to internal company forums designed to inform, improve employee safety and facilitate coordination. As the quote says, this same capability can be used with business partners.

Another thing to remember – when you’re in the midst of a crisis, the last thing you want to do is leave your customers hanging. Of course, it should be easy to keep them updated through those active Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages that you’ve already got going, provided that you’ve actually done the legwork ahead of time!

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

The following is a guest post from frequent contributor Rick Kelley, director of crisis communications for Triad Strategies.

Ryan Braun: Victim or Villain?

To many who have listened to the sports pundits hammering major league baseball player Ryan Braun for winning an appeal of his 50-game suspension “on a technicality” after failing a drug test late last season, the Milwaukee Brewer star’s reputation is hopelessly soiled.

To many who heard Braun’s articulate and adamant assertions of his innocence in a news conference Friday afternoon, Braun is one athlete who may have deserved to become the first to successfully challenge a Major League Baseball drug-related penalty.

Former Phillies’ all-star and current ESPN baseball analyst John Kruk exemplifies those who, in 24 hours, turned 180 degrees from “he’s dirty” to “he’s made some excellent points.” Others, such as New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica, went the other way.

To the extent that Braun, the National League Most Valuable Player last season, may have preserved his reputation, he owes it to a fundamental principle of crisis communication: develop and deliver your messages and don’t hide from those with questions (in this case, the news media). At the same time, Braun’s assertions regarding the testing process must withstand continuing scrutiny.

Braun clearly came prepared to deliver his messages. Those messages were persuasive and were delivered persuasively, beginning with his assertion that the collector of his urine sample had compromised the process by failing to submit the sample for 44 hours over a weekend.

Braun noted that he had passed drug screenings at least 25 times in his career, including three other times last season. He said he was told that the elevated level of testosterone allegedly detected in his urine sample was three times greater than the level detected in any previous drug test by any player. He said his weight, speed and strength have never fluctuated.

He also said, unlike how samples are handled once they arrive at the testing lab, those that sit in someone’s house over a weekend are not secured, implying that there were questions regarding misidentification or even tampering.

“There were a lot of things that we learned about the collector, about the collection process, about the way the entire thing works, that made us very concerned and very suspicious about what could have actually happened,” Braun said.

He then proceeded to answer all the questions reporters asked. Chief among them was what he thought could have occurred to his urine sample during the time before it was submitted – were the samples mixed up, was there tampering, etc. Braun refused to speculate.

Under journalism’s rules of engagement, news coverage can’t, or at least shouldn’t, include speculation unless a source is willing to provide it. To Braun’s credit, he didn’t walk down “Speculation Avenue.” Otherwise, he could have come across as defensive or, worse, appeared to ratify what the public already believed to be true (for an example, see our previous post involving Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer, Joe Amendola).

The lessons here are that crisis communication does not consist merely of showing up to answer reporters’ questions, and a news conference is an exercise in message discipline – responding, but pivoting back to the points you want to make. It takes preparation, usually involving professional help. We’d bet that Braun availed himself of such help.

Is it possible that Braun is simply a very good liar? Certainly, and cynics and skeptics will point to several of baseball’s most prominent players who proclaimed their innocence, only to be contradicted by evidence (Barry Bonds), proof (Rafael Palmeiro) or a subsequent confession (Mark McGwire).

And here we insert our usual crisis communication caveat: you cannot communicate your way out of something you behaved yourself into.

If he wasn’t being truthful, Braun may discover this the hard way. In throwing the sample collector under the bus, he has taken a considerable risk, creating an expectation that more of the story will be forthcoming. Additionally, now the sample collector’s reputation also is on the line, he may feel compelled to fight back.

If the rest of the story fails to materialize, or if it doesn’t hold up, Braun’s efforts to restore his good name will founder. Moreover, if the sample collector crawls out from under the bus and brings a defamation action against Braun, the communication aspect of his appeal strategy almost surely will have backfired.

In that case, Braun may find himself joining an already long list of baseball “heroes” who, despite spectacular achievements, can only enter the Baseball Hall of Fame the same way as the rest of us – by paying the admission fee.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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Rick Kelly is Director of Crisis Communications for Triad Strategies, and an unabashed Phillies fan.

A client contact passed this excellent article on to us, and author Lisa Lochridge, Director of Public Affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, was kind enough to allow us to reprint it for you.

10 ways to ruin your company’s communications efforts

Rather than propose some resolutions for communicating well in 2012, I thought I would take a different approach.

Here’s a list of tips if you want to guarantee that your company’s communication efforts will fail.

1. Don’t listen to the conversation. Gone are the days when companies simply pushed out information and went on their merry way. Now, you have to be willing to engage your customers and other groups who are vital to the success of your business. Listening is just as important—if not more so—than doing all the talking.

2. Ignore negative comments on social media sites. That’s why it’s called “social” media; people speak their minds. If someone is unhappy with your company and being vocal about it, address their concerns when appropriate. If you don’t have the answer to a question, say so. And even though it may be painful, allow the conversation to occur and see what you can learn from it.

3. When bad news happens, hunker down. That’s a gut reaction, but it’s the wrong thing to do. In today’s world of 24/7 news cycles, citizen journalists and digital media, you can’t go mum during a crisis. If you’re not out there telling your story, it won’t get told (and you can be sure others will be talking). Warren Buffet, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, told a reporter once that the best crisis communication philosophy is to “get it right; get it fast; get it out; and get it over.”

4. Assume all reporters are out to get you. After all, bad news sells papers, right? If it bleeds, it leads? I worked at a daily metro newspaper for 21 years, and I can assure you those words were never spoken in the newsroom. My colleagues were journalists who were doing their jobs. That’s not to say there aren’t bad apples; there are in every profession. That leads me to No. 5…

5. Don’t bother building relationships with reporters who cover our industry. When a crisis does occur, you’re in a better position if you have at least had some contact with the local media already. It takes time and isn’t easy, but making yourself available as a credible source goes a long way in establishing a good working relationship with reporters.

6. Forget about developing a strategic plan for using social media. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other platforms are just tools in our communication toolbox. They’re not strategies in and of themselves. Be sure to identify your objectives and make sure everything you post contributes to those objectives.

7. Don’t have key messages. A media interview is a chance to communicate what’s most important. Speaking with the media without deliberately preparing talking points is a waste of a valuable opportunity to tell your story and say what you want to say.

8. Neglect your employees when communicating about your company’s operations and products. Your workers are your ambassadors. It only makes sense to keep them informed when the news is good and when it’s bad. Doing so prevents rumors and misinformation from circulating, and it’s good for company morale.

9. Don’t worry about having a crisis communication plan. The last thing you want to do when a situation blows up is to fly by the seat of your pants. Invest the time now to assess the risks of a crisis in your operation and develop a solid blueprint that will guide you when you’re in the thick of things.

10. Keep doing things the way you’ve always done them. The media world and the communication tools we have are changing at warp speed. This is what I do for a living, and even I have a hard time keeping up sometimes. Recognize that change is good, conversation takes time but pays dividends, and don’t be like the proverbial old dog … be willing to learn new tricks.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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Lisa Lochridge is the director of public affairs for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association in Maitland. She can be reached at (321) 214-5206 or lisa.lochridge@ffva.com

More than ever, your reputation relies on social media

At a time when 89 percent of consumers say they find online channels trustworthy sources for product and service reviews, new Cone research reveals four-out-of-five consumers have changed their minds about a recommended purchase based solely on negative information they found online. This is up from just 67 percent of consumers who said the same in 2010, according to the 2011 Cone Online Influence Trend Tracker. Positive information has a similar effect on decision making, with 87 percent of consumers agreeing a favorable review has confirmed their decision to purchase. But, negative information is gaining traction and is now just as powerful in tipping the scales against a recommended purchase.

If you didn’t know by now that social media holds immense potential for any business, then you’ve been living in a hole somewhere for the past several years. What this quote, from the Cone Communications 2011 Online Influence Trend Tracker report, does, is put several staggering figures in front of us.

Combine the fact that four out of five consumers have reversed purchase decisions based purely on negative online reviews with the flip side of 87% confirming their decision via favorable reviews and you get an idea of the massive power everyday people are wielding when they discuss your company online.

Even with our best efforts, consumers occasionally have negative experiences. Products break, shipping lines are disrupted, or a phone rep has a bad day, and this is likely to be reported quickly on Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, and more. What differentiates the cream of the crop from an average company is how they respond. Do a bit of crisis management, figure out the problem, FIX IT, and reply to your disgruntled customer where everyone can see. Just this small action could turn their negative post into a positive selling point.

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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, and author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]