JUST A THOUGHT
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it.
| Jef Mallet
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FROM THE EDITOR
PR textbooks and conferences always highlight the need to measure the success of any communications campaign, but when you're in the middle of a breaking crisis, wouldn't it be nice to have a simple, easy-to-implement method of assessing how you're doing? That's the idea behind my How to Easily Measure Crisis Communications Performance in today's issue.
Next, I offer you what I hope is both an entertaining and lesson-filled follow up to last month's piece on the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics, entitled Society of Professional Journalists' Silence - What Does It Mean?
Last, some news about which I'm excited about the work of a talented young woman at a major university in Argentina.
Want to learn more about crisis management? Please check out the Bernstein Crisis Management blog I manage with my son Erik, as well as the Crisis Management blog I host over at Carter McNamara's Free Management Library, where you'll also find a dozen or more other excellent blogs. I confess to having been derelict in my duty at the latter blog due to the press of business, but I'm hoping to make that up very soon, to include posting video commentary.
As always, if you like what you see, please share it with others by using the "Forward Email" link at the bottom of the ezine and tell them to subscribe! IMPORTANT NOTE: If you just "Forward" using your own email program's "Forward" function and your recipient thinks they're being spammed, they can click on the Opt Out link and opt YOU off the list. So use the "Forward Email" link, please.
My best to all, Jonathan
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HOW TO EASILY MEASURE
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS PERFORMANCE
By Jonathan Bernstein
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As
some frequently contacted by the media to comment on breaking news events and
the performance of both organizations and public figures as crisis
communicators, I have
developed a quick and easy method that can be used by
anyone to:
The
system is based on my Five Tenets of Crisis Communications which, briefly
reprised, state that effective crisis communications must be:
Prompt - else rumor and innuendo fill the gap.
Compassionate - consider the feelings of impacted stakeholders, internal and external, or they won't listen
to the facts.
Honest - because lies by commission, omission, exaggeration and/or understatement will come back to bite you.
Informative - address the basic information needs of each stakeholder group.
Interactive - all stakeholders must have some means of contacting you with questions or comments to which you
must be responsive.
As
I also explain when training client Crisis teams, I like to use the grading
scale employed by American schools and give organizations a grade of A, B, C, D
or F in each category and then a cumulative grade on the same scale. Note: I
don't consider all these categories to be equally weighted - e.g., compassion
and honesty are particularly important -- so I can't just "average" the grade.
You
can also re-grade yourself periodically to see how you're doing - or ask a
trusted third party to do that for you. This
isn't, of course, a substitute for comprehensive post-crisis analysis.
Let's
look at some recent high-profile crises and grades I have given them for their
initial response, and their response since. This is strictly a subjective perspective on their communications, not
on their operational response.
BP
Gulf Spill
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Initial
Response
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After
Two Weeks
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Prompt
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F
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C
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Compassionate
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F
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D
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Honest
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F
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D
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Informative
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F
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D
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Interactive
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F
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D
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Apple
iPhone4 Reception Issues
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Initial
Response
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As
of Jobs Press Conference
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Prompt
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B
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A
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Compassionate
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F
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B
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Honest
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C
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B
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Informative
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D
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A
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Interactive
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C
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B
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It
matters little whether you use the grading system I employ or some other
consistent unit of measurement. What
does matter is that damage from any
crisis, no matter how bad, will be
reduced by getting "Straight A's" from the initial response onwards.
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SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS'
SILENCE -- WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
By Jonathan Bernstein
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As most of
you know, my last issue was focused 100% on a lengthy article, Fight
Back Using the Journalistic Ethics Code. In the article, I explained how the Society of
Professional Journalists' (SPJ) Code of Ethics could be used as a tool for
effecting positive change in the behavior of reporters and media outlets whose
behavior clearly violated one or more tenets of the Code.
On two
occasions a week apart from each other, before publishing the article, I wrote
to the top two paid executives of the SPJ inviting comment. No response.
Post-publication, I sent them the link to the story as archived at my
website. Still no response.
Now you'd
think that, of all organizations, an association representing "professional
journalists" would understand that in the absence of communication, rumor and
innuendo fill the gap. We are left to
guess at their reasons, and to reach conclusions from their non-response,
because at a minimum they could have said, "We respect your right to report on
this subject, but (and then give some reason for not commenting)."
The
conclusions some might reach include:
They were afraid that SPJ members might resent their involvement with a story which had
the temerity to suggest that PR people and spokespersons in general actually
hold them up to the SPJ standard.
They just didn't give a damn.
They think that one individual with a newsletter can't possibly reach enough people to
make any difference to them.
They're incompetent.
(your reason here)
If you have
any comments on either the original story or on this short follow-up, please
feel free to contact me
and I'll post them on my blog.
Oh...and one last odd thing. I looked all over the SPJ website just now, and I couldn't seem to find anyone identified as a media contact. Hmmmm.... |
SPANISH LANGUAGE EDITION OF
KEEPING THE WOLVES AT BAY UNDERWAY
By Jonathan Bernstein
I
am very pleased to report that work is well underway on a Spanish-language
edition of Keeping the Wolves at Bay - Media Training, thanks to the initiative of Crisis Manager reader Carla Mariel Vara, Carla Mariel Vara
 | Asistente en
la Coordinación de Relaciones Públicas en Universidad Nacional de La Matanza in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. Carla recently
earned her public relations degree at the university and also teaches
there.
Carla originally contacted me for
permission to use some of my articles for her classes. I mentioned in passing that I'd hoped to see
a Spanish version of my book published at some point, and she immediately
volunteered! Her department head is
quite excited and plans to line us up with an "editorial" - a publishing house. Carla has translated quite a bit of the book,
will be adapting it culturally, and is lining up reviewers such as prominent
authors of Spanish-language PR textbooks. We hope to see the book sold in all Spanish-speaking countries in
Central and South America, as well as in Spain.
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BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS
(aka blatant self-promotion)
Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training
What has 80+ pages of hard-hitting, entertaining and easy-to-read guidance on how to deal with both traditional and online media during times of crisis? The answer is
Keeping the Wolves at Bay - Media Training. The, four-color, perfect-bound, 8x10 manual is currently available both in hardcopy ($25) and PDF form ($10). Volume discounts are available; write to Jonathan Bernstein for that information.
Here's a couple of teaser reviews for you:
Jonathan Bernstein's Keeping the Wolves at Bay is an eminently practical guidance for anyone - business leader, celebrity, politician - who must willingly or unwillingly face the glare of media attention. It appears
at a moment in time when the social media and other digital communications have upped the ante exponentially.
Bernstein's practicum on media relations takes on renewed urgency as news, gossip, and opinion now drive
public perception virally and at the speed of light.
Richard Levick, Esq.
President & CEO
Levick Strategic Communications, LLC
Even if you think
you'll never, ever be interviewed by the media, buy this book and read it cover
to cover. It isn't a substitute for media training. But it will give you the
tools and confidence to go head to head -- and possibly even defang -- rabid reporters,
blood-thirsty bloggers and social networking buffoons who are out to besmirch
your good name. Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound
The book and other products can be found at the
Crisis Manager Bookstore
Want To Blog
And Tweet About
Your Organization But Don't Have Time?
Missing out on all the promotional and SEO
advantages of doing so? Hire someone to be your voice...like Erik Bernstein,
aka "Son of Crisis Manager."
More info:jonathan@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.
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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.
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ABOUT THE EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Jonat han Bernstein is 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@bernsteincrisismanagement.com.
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LEGAL
DISCLAIMER
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
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snippets that lead readers to a full article on a news service's website, even
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possibility of such damages. Authors of the original news story and their
publications shall be exclusively held liable. Any corrections to news stories
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