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
© 2012 Jonathan Bernstein

 

Volume XIII, Number 7

April 16, 2012   


JUST A THOUGHT 

 

Social media isn't always.

  

                           Jonathan Bernstein   

                                


FROM THE EDITOR  

  

 

We think our president has a speaking crisis.

Barack Obama was, at one time, considered to be a public speaker whose skill had been compared favorably with former presidents Reagan and Clinton.  We now think he might need Toastmasters, more caffeine and/or some new in-house talent to get him back from being boring to satisfyingly impactful.
 
That's why our lead blog story for this issue reports on some of his embarrassingly poor communications when meeting with international leaders.
 
If he can't reboot his speaking talent, we're afraid that he may become as blah as....let's see, what's a good example?....Mitt Romney! 

As always, below you'll find a summary of the best from both of our blogs.   

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. 

  


BCM

 

Thank you, and read on!

 

          - Erik

 

  

BLOGS!
By Erik Bernstein

There's no shortage of topics for conversation over at the Bernstein Crisis Management blog and our Crisis Management blog in Carter McNamara's Free Management Library. Combining commentary on the latest cases with expert advice on a number of topics, we're your one stop shop for everything crisis management.

Here's some of the latest:

Listening to recent speaking engagements, it's pretty clear that President Obama and his speechwriters need to reboot, because their message redundancy even led a Danish TV station to pan the president's communication with a variety of world leaders. Check on Jonathan Bernstein's take on the situation, along with some advice for President Obama and his speechwriting team in Dane Elicits Pain About Obama's Public Speaking.

Political battles are full of competitors sullying each other's reputations, but the current Presidential race has brought to light a new technique: Flinging Mud with SEO! The efforts of, in one case, a single individual, have put distasteful and damaging results on the front page of Google searches for Republican candidates Rick Santorum (Ed: no longer in the race) and Mitt Romney.
Erik Bernstein
Erik Bernstein

Don't let weak verbiage leave your audience thinking, You Know What You're Talking About...Right? Essential to crisis management, strong, confident communication assures listeners that you are trustworthy, reliable, and above all, believable.
 
The Impact of Social Media in Today's Crises continues to skyrocket. With this post, guest author and social media crisis management expert Melissa Agnes provides several compelling reasons why now is the time to adapt to and embrace social media.

It's never smart to bury your head in the sand when it comes to crisis management, but despite expert advice, Google Plays Ostrich with its G+ Woes. The service continues to be a ghost town compared to Facebook, so why won't Google exec's face up?

In Navy Gets its Feet Wet with Social Media Crisis Management, we take a look at how our warriors at sea are putting social media to use not only finding the bad guys, but disseminating information and creating good will worldwide.

The Governor of South Carolina, Nikki R. Haley, found out first hand The Crisis Management Impact of a Single Tweet when a false report from a small blog got picked up on Twitter and went viral on the web in a matter of hours, creating havoc in the process.

Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer, editor of Crisis Manager, and Social Media Manager for Bernstein Crisis Management
APROPOS OF NOTHING

     

Hangout with the Crisis Managers

 

In the near future, stay tuned for announcements via our various social media channels (and, of course, this ezine) about opportunities to "Hangout with the Crisis Managers."  We're going to start hosting both free and low-cost fee-paid opportunities for you to join Jonathan Bernstein and some of his many crisis management associates around the country (and around the globe) via a Google Hangout video chat.  If you haven't had this experience yet, think of it like of the "Chat Rooms" that used to exist on Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc. -- only connecting via webcam.  And, in our case, connecting only with people whose ID we know in advance.

 

If you want to be ready to participate, this link will take you to a page with everything you need to know about Google Hangouts. See you - quite literally - at a future Hangout!  And if you've been thinking about upping your broadband speed, this would be a good time; reliable webcam connections really require a broadband download speed of at least 8-10 Mbps, in my experience. -- Jonathan

 

Crisis Management Database

 

If you are a crisis management professional or work in a related field -- e.g., media training, business continuity -- write to me for information on how to be part of my new Crisis Management Database. -- Jonathan

   


BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENTS
(aka blatant self-promotion) 

 

Riddle Me This...

 

How much would you pay to have an international-caliber crisis management expert come to your establishment and give a one-hour presentation on best practices and tactics for communicating during the first 24 hours after a crisis breaks?

 

Would you change that figure upwards, perhaps, if the same expert made himself available for up to one hour of free consulting during the year following the presentation?

 

Given the numbers we know you're thinking of, you might be pleasantly surprised to learn that a replay of the recent Communicating in Crisis: The First 24 Hours webinar, featuring Jonathan Bernstein, is just $245 with the special promo code available only to those who follow Jonathan either via this ezine or through his social media accounts. Oh, and that free hour of consulting? The original webinar attendees didn't get that, only you do.

 

Topics covered in the event included: 

  • Principles of Effective Crisis Communications
  • The Crisis Has Broken - Now What?
  • Killing Vs. Fixing Stories
  • When the Media Goes Too Far
  • A Little-Known Tool for Keeping Journalists Honest
  • Alternatives to Traditional Media Relations
  • The Forgotten Stakeholders - Internal Communications

100% of the webinar attendees rated Jonathan either "Very knowledgeable and qualified" (88%) or "Quite Knowledgeable and Qualified" (12%). There were no votes for the three lesser ratings.

 

You like? Go to the replay purchase page of our webinar host, Communitelligence, and use the promo code bernsteincrisis to reduce the cost from $255 to $245 and get your one hour of free consulting to be used anytime in the subsequent 12 months.

 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! No, it doesn't dice or slice, BUT...Communitelligence has another cool thing going, the ASK Peer Learning Network, that gives you unlimited on-demand access to 50 (and growing) all-time best webinars. You'll also be able to upcoming webinars free and other privileges you'll find described on the ASK Membership page. Using the bernsteincrisis promo code, you'll get the ASK Peer membership at a $10 discount, and that will include access to "Communicating in Crisis," so you won't need to buy that separately. And it also includes that free hour of consulting by Jonathan Bernstein.

 

 

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 new book, "Manager's Guide to Crisis Management," (McGraw-Hill, 2011) will put you in control of any situation. Reviews at Amazon (the link above) are stellar, and McGraw-Hill reports they are pleased with sales-to-date. 

 

 

 

Keeping the Wolves at Bay: Media Training 

 

Book Cover JPG

What has 80+ pages of hard-hitting, enter-

taining 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 

 

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, editor of Crisis Manager.

 

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 THE PUBLISHER AND EDITOR


JB NewErik 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

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
Blogs!
Apropos of Nothing
Quick Links
Contact

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