In a perfect world, everything would go smoothly in your business. But that’s in an ideal world. Every organization is potentially vulnerable to public relations crises at any moment, even if it’s…
Tag: rumors
Short-term Action vs. Long-term Thinking
Winning a fight is nice. Winning the war is better. To put it another way: Act short term. Think long-term. Facing a crisis? You can’t ignore what’s staring you in the face.…
Behind the Scenes: The First Hours of a Crisis
You receive a call. Something’s gone horribly wrong, and everyone is demanding answers. Tiny beads of sweat form on your face. You feel a rush of heat all over your body. Time…
Battling Negativity Bias
Negativity bias doesn’t just trip us up as individuals. It also hurts our businesses. What is negativity bias? We give more weight to negative experiences than to neutral or positive ones.…
You Should’ve Called Earlier
Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for help. Call early, and you have more options. Call later, and you have fewer. A business owner was the target of scurrilous gossip…
We Never Escape High School
Some things never get old. Gossip is one of them. “Oh. My. God. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but….” Thought you were done hearing that after high school? Wrong! We’ve…
3 Deadly Sins
Guilty of committing one of the 3 Deadly Sins of Crisis PR? “I won’t dignify that with a response.” It conjures up images of high-brow society (very Downton Abbey or Masterpiece Theatre).…
Not-So-Great Expectations
Society acts on expectation. Your job is to manage them. “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” ~ Alexander Pope, 18th century British poet Tell…
No Facts? No Problem. Just Speculate.
Journalists call them “thumb-suckers.” Short on facts for a story? No problem. Rumors and speculation are fine. You don’t even need to be accurate. If events ultimately turn out differently, blame the…
Everything’s Apocryphal
Media defines your world. But whose version is true? “Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice.” ~ Will Durant, 20th century American philosopher & historian The same is true…