Ono the OstrichCRISIS MANAGER
The Internet Newsletter about Crisis Management 
 Editor: Erik Bernstein 
 Publisher: Jonathan Bernstein

"For Those Who Are Crisis Managers,
Whether They Want to be or Not"


ISSN:1528-3836
© 2014 Jonathan Bernstein

The 10 Steps of Crisis Prevention


Volume XV, Number 10

May 30, 2014    


Just a Thought  


"In my 30+ years of experience, I have found that 95% of the organizations with which I have had substantial contact are either completely unprepared or seriously underprepared for crises - even the most predictable ones."

 

- Jonathan Bernstein

                                


From the Editor  

 

 

Jonathan Bernstein's, "The 10 Steps of Crisis Communications" has been shared thousands of times online, in print, and in classrooms around the world. Now, thanks to the overwhelming amount of positive feedback from all of you, and in response to the many who have asked when the heck a followup article was coming, we are proud to present, "The 10 Steps of Crisis Prevention"

 

Drawing from 30+ years of experience in crisis management of all kinds, the lessons presented could wind up helping you avert disaster. We hope you find it a useful resource.

 


Thank you, and read on.

 

          - Erik
Interested in repurposing BCM articles
or blog posts?

 

Would you like to share a post with your audience, reprint one of BCM's how-to's for office use, or take students through a set of case studies?  

 

We're happy to give permission for material to be repurposed in just about any way you'd like. Simply submit a request to jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

Blogs!

Our blogs on the Bernstein Crisis Management page and at the Free Management Library are full of posts covering topics from reputation management, to social media, to crisis management case studies and more. 

Here's a look at some of the most popular posts from the past weeks: 

 

In this post we looked at Reputation Management Tips from the Financial Industry that can be applied to any type of organization.

 

Responding to Social Media Crises is a delicate task, and the way you go about it can make the difference between a satisfied stakeholder and a major crisis.

 

The story of two boys badly injured when the bounce house they were playing in was lifted high into the air should come as a reminder to all that unexpected trouble can pop up in any business. After all, If a Bounce House Can Be the Site of a Crisis...

 

Another entry in our popular series, Crisis Management Tools: A Lie Detector for Tweets, looks at a new social media tool, and asks whether it will ever be something we can rely on.

 

The Impact of Customer Rage on Crisis Management is clear, and, as you might have guessed, it's not a good one. The results of a study show exactly how organizations are ticking off customers, and what they should be doing to turn things around.

 

A guest post from Triad Strategies VP Rick Kelly, General Mills: Trix Up Their Sleeves, covers the absolute thrashing GM took in the court of public opinion when it changed its online Terms of Service to require website visitors to give up their right to sue the company.

 

A "what not to do" example, Dove Nearly Launches the Armpit of Ad Campaigns, is yet another tale of a poorly thought-out marketing campaign that resulted in a very easily predictable crisis.

 

Continued lack of faith from consumers and dire predictions from financial analysts show the removal of Target's CEO may not have been the right call. Is Target's Crisis Management Digging a Deeper Hole?

 

File this one under, "what were they thinking?" Fox Business is Asking for Trouble with its latest show host, a man already on the SEC's bad side who stands accused of taking money to promote failing stocks.

 

Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer, editor of Crisis Manager, Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, and consultant/trainer at Bernstein Social Media.

Apropos of Nothing

ATTENTION ANYONE FORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE WESTERN U.S.
 
I enjoyed my recent participation in the University of Oregon's "Guest Executive" program so much that I would love to do more of the same at other schools that aren't TOO far a trip from my Los Angeles-area base. UO had me guest lecture/teach at four PR-related classes and make an "open to the public" speech over a two-day period. They covered all travel costs and a modest honorarium.  If you can do the same, contact me, jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com
 
Social Media Training

 

Want to get your feet wet with social media but don't know where to start? Maybe you have accounts, but aren't sure what to post, or how to reply? 

 

Being active on social media is a must these days, but you have to do it right. Erik Bernstein, Bernstein Crisis Management's Social Media Manager, now offers social media training sessions in person or via Skype for groups and individuals. 

 

For questions or pricing info, please email erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com 

 

Bernsteins Available to Deliver Free Guest Lectures, Q&A Sessions

 

Jonathan alone, or the team of Jonathan and Erik Bernstein, are available at no charge to deliver guest lectures and host Q&A sessions with college classes via Skype or Google Hangout. Our latest presentation was to Karen Freberg's social media class at the University of Louisville, shout out to any readers from the #Freberg14 crew!

  

The lectures are fun for us and students, and we're more than happy to allow recording for your future use. All you need at your end is a single computer with webcam and a strong broadband connection for us to appear in your classroom in real-time.   

 

Contact us for more info!

 

Attention Corporate Boards of Directors (and those who serve them). 

 

If you're connected with a corporate board of directors in some way and think that board would benefit from having a veteran crisis management pro amongst its membership, please contact me. -- Jonathan

 


Business Announcements
(aka blatant self-promotion) 

 

 

Are your employees putting your company at risk?

 

Most people don't recognize a well-crafted online phishing scam when they see one, and that's exactly what cybercriminals count on.

 

With more than 500 million phishing emails being sent every day, and the increasing use of uncontrolled environments for accessing and sharing sensitive data, the need for proactive training has never been greater.

 

You can help your organization fight back by changing the way security training is done. Here's our process:

 

  • Assess: Even before training begins, a simulated attack is launched on your employees. This not only helps you to assess current vulnerabilities, it also helps motivate employees to learn because they immediately realize how susceptible they are to an attack.  

  • Train: Our tactile approach to learning is proven to reduce employee vulnerability. Each 10-minute interactive and game-based module presents realistic examples and practice to engage your employees, improve their cyber security knowledge, reinforce learning, and measurably change their behavior.  

  • Measure: Data collected during training enables you to measure and report on the progress of your employees' learning. You'll know which employees are strong, and which are weaker in their cyber security knowledge - not just whether they completed the online training.

 

Don't let your employees fall for phishing scams hook, line, and sinker. Teach them how to recognize and avoid today's most advanced attacks before it's too late.

 

Learn more! Our always-available, cloud-based training content is available in 7 languages. For pricing and demonstration information, contact erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com

 

 

Expanded Crisis Manager Bookstore 

 

We've recently expanded the Crisis Manager Bookstore to include offerings from esteemed colleagues like Melissa Agnes, Gerald Baron, Chris Syme and Jim Lukaszewski that cover topics from crisis communication and traditional PR to social media and cutting-edge crisis management.  We'll be adding other authors we admire in the weeks ahead. 


Visit the new Crisis Manager Bookstore to see all of the  material available now!

 

  

Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training 

 

Book Cover JPG

Learn how to deal with traditional or social media during a crisis in this educational and entertaining guide from Crisis Manager publisher Jonathan Bernstein. $25 for the hard copy and $10 for the PDF.

 

Head to the Crisis Manager Bookstore for more information and/or to purchase.

 

 

  

 

Manager's Guide to Crisis Management

MgrsGuideCover

 

Whether you're a seasoned manager, aspiring up-and-comer, or student of crisis management, Jonathan Bernstein's textbook, Manager's Guide to Crisis Management (McGraw-Hill, 2011) will put you in control of any situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for a Turn-Key Social Media Solution?

 

Missing out on all the promotional, SEO and reputation management advantages of being active on social media platforms? Hire someone to be your voice...like Erik Bernstein, editor of Crisis Manager. He's the one largely responsible for keeping the Bernstein Crisis Management website and social media accounts highly ranked and popular and can do the same for you, while creating a set of valuable social presences that can be turned over to your full control at any time

 

 

More info:erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

 


Guest Authors

Guest authors are very welcome to submit material for "Crisis Manager." There is no fee paid, but most guest authors have reported receiving business inquiries as a result of appearing in this publication. Case histories, experience-based lessons, commentary on current news events and editorial opinion are all eligible for consideration. Submission is not a guarantee of acceptance.

 


About Us

 

   Erik Bernstein

Jonathan Bernstein is both publisher of Crisis Manager and president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., a national crisis management public relations agency providing 24/7 access to crisis response professionals. The agency engages in the full spectrum of crisis management services: crisis prevention, response, planning & training. He has been in the public relations field since 1982, following five-year stints in both military intelligence and investigative reporting.

Write to Jonathan at: jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

Erik Bernstein is editor of Crisis Manager and is also Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc.

Write to Erik at: erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.

 


Legal Disclaimer (aka the small print)

All information contained herein is obtained by Jonathan Bernstein from sources believed by Jonathan Bernstein to be accurate and reliable. 

 

Because of the possibility of human and mechanical error as well as other factors, neither Jonathan Bernstein nor Bernstein Crisis Management is responsible for any errors or omissions. All information is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Bernstein Crisis Management and Jonathan Bernstein make no representations and disclaim all express, implied, and statutory warranties of any kind to the user and/or any third party including, without limitation, warranties as to accuracy, timeliness, completeness, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.  

 

Unless due to willful tortuous misconduct or gross negligence, Jonathan Bernstein and Bernstein Crisis Management shall have no liability in tort, contract, or otherwise (and as permitted by law, product liability), to the user and/or any third party.  

 

Under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages.  

 

A service of this newsletter is to provide news summaries and/or snippets to readers. In such instances articles and/or snippets will be reprinted as they are received from the originating party or as they are displayed on the originating website or in the original article. As we do not write the news, we merely point readers to it, under no circumstance shall Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein be liable to the user and/or any third party for any lost profits or lost opportunity, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, or punitive damages whatsoever due to the distribution of said news articles or snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even if Bernstein Crisis Management or Jonathan Bernstein has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories are not mandatory and shall be printed at the discretion of the list moderator after evaluation on a case-by-case basis.

 

In This Issue
Just A Thought
BCM Articles/Blogs for Reprint
Blogs!
Apropos of Nothing
Quick Links
Contact

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