Crisis Communications

(When it comes to crisis communications, no one can be fully prepared. However, by understanding the key concepts and principles behind proper crisis communications, any individual can be somewhat properly prepared for anything that may come their way. The following was taken from a blog I follow, please feel free to gain some valuable information from this as I have.)

Guest blog by Jon Pushkin, APR president of Pushkin Public Relations, Denver, Colo.

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it." Warren Buffet was right. Denver's Rose Medical Center, which has long enjoyed a stellar reputation as one of Denver's premier hospitals, is learning that lesson the hard way.
Rose's reputation was badly damaged when the public learned that a drug-addicted surgical scrub tech with hepatitis C had potentially exposed thousands of patients to the disease. For six months, she stole syringes with pain medication, injected herself, refilled the syringes with saline and returned them for use on patients. It was bad enough for the hospital to deal with outrage over how this happened and why it took so long to discover the problem. Now Rose faces dozens of lawsuits and a daily stream of negative news stories.

Don't panic
Unfortunately, when faced with a crisis or negative press, the first instinct of many medical practice leaders is to hide and hope it goes away. Others get defensive. Some request retractions or go to war with a publication. Obviously, none of these responses is very smart. You can't hide and you can rarely intimidate the media into a retraction. What you can do is take your medicine and address the problem. Better still, you can plan ahead so if you find yourself in hot water you won't get burned.
A good crisis communications plan anticipates potential problems and develops a response for each scenario. It designates roles and responsibilities for each member of the crisis team, identifies a primary spokesperson and establishes a command center where accurate information can be managed and delivered at specified times through specific channels, such as your Web site, Twitter or a media briefing.

Follow the CAP formula
Compassion
The most important part of your response is to show compassion to the public. For example, "Our top priority is the safety of our patients and staff. We've established a 24-hour hotline where patients and family members can get information and we've arranged counseling for our employees." Provide accurate, honest information as quickly as possible. Explain what you know so far by sticking to the facts. Never speculate. Speak with one consistent voice.
Action
Explain what you are doing to fix the problem and make sure that it does not happen again. For example, "We are reviewing all our safety and hiring procedures to make sure that our security and screening processes are the best they can be."
Perspective
Use your history to your advantage, for example, "We've been a part of this community for 50 years. Nothing like this has ever happened and we are doing everything we can to make sure this is an isolated incident and that it never happens again."

Of course, bad press doesn't come only from a disaster. It can result from an unhappy employee, an angry patient suing for malpractice, a bad business deal, a crossed ethical boundary, or something as simple as a bruised ego or poor customer service.
That's why it's vital to establish and maintain good relationships with local media and your patients. It can help you mitigate the damage from a negative story by making it more likely that the reporter and the public will give you the benefit of the doubt. Once you get that opportunity, don't waste it. Make sure you:

Communicate openly, honestly, factually and compassionately.
Keep your cool. Don't get baited into a confrontation.
Ask the reporter for an opportunity to convey your point of view. Don't demand a retraction; instead, ask for a meeting to tell your side of the story.
Avoid saying "no comment." It sounds like you have something to hide. If you don't know the answer, tell them you will find out and get back to them. If your lawyer recommends not answering, then find a way to respond without giving your lawyer a heart attack.

Create three key messages and stick to them as much as possible. "We are devastated that this happened." "We are doing everything we can to fix the problem." "This is an isolated incident and we are doing everything in our power to make sure it will never happen again." Stay on message. Express your key points and repeat them as often as you can without sounding like a robot.
The first step to managing negative press for your medical practice is to plan ahead. If you don't have a crisis communications plan now, get one. Gather your team, brainstorm every possible scenario, assign roles and responsibilities and create a sample response to every crisis using the CAP formula.

The reputation you've worked so hard to build can be damaged in the blink of an eye. If you wait until a disaster occurs to start thinking about damage control, it could be too late.
Jon Pushkin, APR, is the president of Pushkin Public Relations, which specializes in strategic communications programs for health care organizations.

ApexPR

ApexPR is a small communications company in Toronto, Ontario. When I say small, it has approximately thirty employees. It was founded 11 years ago by Patricia Macnamara. She was the president but recently stepped down to become the CEO and work more behind the scenes. She recently gave the LoyalistPR class the opportunity to find out what it is like to work in a small public relations agency, and fielded several questions from interesting students such as myself.




Pat started the presentation off by defining to us what she felt best described a public relations agency:
"A group of committed, passionate, hard working, smart, fun-loving professionals dedicated to delivering communications solutions to their clients."

Branching from this definition, Pat then went on to give the class her best list of the top ten qualities that a person should possess if they are looking to work in a pr agency. According to Pat these are:

1.Ability to prioritize
2.“Do anything” attitude
3.Multi-tasker
4.Organized (anal retentive!)
5.Confident
6.Flexible
7.Enthusiastic/energetic
8.Thirst for knowledge
9.Professional
10.Sense of humour/fun-loving

From the information Pat gave, it really opened up my mind to the possibility of interning at a PR agency. The qualities that are looked for in successful candidates seem to pretty much define me to an art. But Pat then went on to say that to truly decided whether a PR agency is for yourself, that you should also be able to live by the following guidelines:

•You are a media junkie
•You have worked in the service industry…and liked it
•You believe in the value of hard work
•You are a good listener
•You take pride in getting the details right
•You want to grow quickly, but understand that you don’t get to develop strategy on the first day
•You write well (good command of grammar/syntax)
•You like doing something new every day
•You want a career, not a job

If it was not for Pat McNamara and her very informative and insightful presentation of the life of a PR Agency, I would not be considering interning for one. However, with her vast knowledge and impressive statistics Pat has changed my mind and I will definitely be looking further into ApexPR.

If you, too, want to find out more information on ApexPR, feel free to visit them on the web at http://www.apexpr.com/ and on twitter at www.twitter.com/apexpr

Samsung and the Vancouver 2010 Olympics

As everyone knows, the Olympics is no stranger to third-party endorsers and a huge list of sponsors. However, this year the Olympics will be happening in Vancouver, Canada. That's right, for the 2010 Winter Games the whole world will be having its eyes on Canada. And you, too, could have your eyes on the games up close and personal.

Together with the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Samsung has partnered up and is looking to send 10 lucky individuals to the games. They are looking for five teams of talented Mobile Explorers to experience and share exciting moments of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. If selected to go, you will become a Mobile Explorer and share your adventures through videos, photos and blogs straight from the ground. What not a better way to embrace social media.

The 10 lucky contest winners will be able to experience first hand what the Olympics are like and will be able to share instantaneously their experiences with the world - good or bad. Public Relations for the Winter Olympics? Who knew!
If you are interested in becoming a non-official PR rep for the Samsung Olympic Team, visit the contest website here.

Fundraising Fundamentals

When I started the Post-Graduate program here at Loyalist, we were introduced to a year long project in our fundraising class. This semester would be all about the basics of successfully organizing and undertaking an event such as a fundraiser and next semester would be executing our carefully organized plan. The group I am undertaking this assignment with is the same group I have had the pleasure of doing the United Way of Quinte fundraiser with, as well as various class assignments. Kristen Ricketts, Nick Imrie, Jeanette Rodrigues, and Corey Black are all just as motivated and dedicated to this fundraiser as myself.

We decided to make this fundraiser as big and as loud as possible. Our ideas and goals are huge but they only make us more determined to actually get out there and get sponsors and donors to help us achieve what we would like to accomplish (I'm not going to actually talk about any of our prizes, etc., until they are actually secured!).

Our mission is to raise as much community awareness and support for our cause - The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada (CCFC). We have finally contacted and made a partnership as a third party representative for the CCFC and they have excitedly accepted our fundraising idea. The CCFC has sent us forms to bring us on board with them and are going to be supplying us with educational resources (such as brochures, information on the disease, and even volunteers for the day of the event if we need any). We could not be any more pleased or excited with the cooperation we have so far received from this organization. It only makes the future look brighter and our ambitions higher.

Split-Second with Lorrie Walker

One of my core assignments for this semester was to conduct an online interview with a current public relations professional. I had the pleasure of contacting and interviewing Lorrie Walker, of Lorrie Walker Communications Inc. based out of Tampa, Florida.

A strong proponent of Internet-based marketing and online public relations efforts, Lorrie encourages the use of social media in public relations campaigns where appropriate. She believes the advent of blogs, social networking outlets and sites devoted to posting and distributing articles and press releases are powerful tools in helping small businesses compete with their larger counterparts and carve out their own portion of the market share.

AB: What training or education did you receive before entering the Public Relations field?

LW: I served in the U.S. Army, where I was trained as a journalist/public affairs specialist. When I got out, I always was fortunate enough to get good jobs without a college degree. However, I went back to school a few years ago and completed a bachelor's degree in business and professional leadership. I have to say that the bulk of my knowledge has come from working in the journalism/PR field.

AB: Can you describe to me what a brief overview of your career path before and during PR?

LW: I started out as a journalist in the Army. After the Army, I did a bit of freelancing before securing full-time work at a small weekly newspaper. I moved on to a daily newspaper eventually, then left journalism to work in the non-profit sector as an executive director. I did a lot of PR work as the executive director. From there, I became the public relations director for a private university before I started my own boutique PR firm in May 2007.

AB: Do you belong to any PR organizations such as the CPRS or IABC, please list?

LW: I once belonged to the Florida Public Relations Association.

AB: So how have these organizations benefitted you?

LW: I'm currently not a member, but am seriously considering rejoining. Networking is important, and these types of professional organizations help provide networking opportunities.
AB: How has the PR field evolved since you entered it? How did you respond to these changes?

LW: By far, the Internet has brought about the most changes. Social media and Internet marketing are SO VERY IMPORTANT in public relations campaigns these days, and it is something that is on my "to do" list for every client. I've embraced these changes because they tend to be so much more cost-effective than many traditional media/PR outlets. I'm fascinated with search engine optimization and Internet marketing efforts, so it was easy for me to embrace these new opportunities.
AB: Thank you so much for your time, Lorrie. Any other valuable information or experiences you wish to share?

LW: Running a small PR firm has been rewarding, but it requires a lot of diligence and hard work. There's something about not having a regular paycheck that can either make you fail miserably or really get you off your butt and seeking out opportunities. I do a lot of networking and I put a good amount of effort into optimizing my Web site so that I am easily found on the Internet.

@BritneySpears - ‘3’ this video is amazzzzing! you go gurrrrl

Loyalist PR invades Toronto!

It has been such a huge and hectic week for me. Between speeches, assignments, volunteering, Media Mash-Up, work, and life in general, it was finally time to start my reading week off with a bang! And what not a better way to do so then having a school trip to Ontario’s capital…

I was up bright and early Thursday morning (and by bright and early, I MEAN early… ‘cause the sun wasn’t even up yet) at 5:15am to get ready. Luckily I had a few extra minutes because @kristenricketts was picking me up. Haha. We boarded the bus and we were on our way to our first stop - Steam Whistle Brewery in the downtown. The only thing around us were skyscrapers and the CN Tower.

We has a great tour of the brewery and got to see up close and personal the operations side of the business, the brewery, and how the amazing liquid is made! Then we were given a presentation on the pr tactics of the business and why (and more importantly how) Steam Whistle is so environmentally conscience. We finished off the morning with a free pint! How nice of them!

From there we were supposed to head over to Jack Astor’s, but as with Loyalist tradition we were behind schedule and had to settle with the CBC cafeteria and McDonald’s (but hey, I got me some more McDonald’s Mcnopoly stickers! sweet!). Our group then met up with a PR professional for CBC and we were given an insightful presentation. We then headed downstairs for the taping of The Hour with @strombo and got an up-close and personal sighting of the hip cool indie band, Metric. We got to experience the insides of the taping of a talk show and even got some free swag! Oh ya! P.S. will you please notice how intimate George is with Jeanette? I can tell you for SURE my teacher @kerryramsay was not impressed…

By this time it was time for me to part ways with my dear LoyalistPR buddies and head on out in the big city with some friends and start my reading week off with a nice cold, refreshing bottle of Steam Whistle. ;)

Babe, pick a night
To come out and play
If it’s alright
What do you say?

Casino Loyale a Success!

I am proud to say that I am enrolled in the Public Relations class at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario. And yes, I am STILL in school after graduating in 2005. I won’t go about the details of what I’ve done, but I will go on the record to state that this is the most enjoyable time I have had with any program. Having fun is a big part of who I am and to be able to finally be in a program that I don’t dread waking up for is something I am totally taking to heart. Adam Bennett - Public Relations.

On October 15th, the Post-Grad PR class at Loyalist undertook and executed the best class fundraiser Loyalist has seen to date! Casino Loyale was a huge GIGANTIC success and it would not have been such a success without the endless efforts and enthusiasm of our entire class, and professor Kerry Ramsay.

With roulette tables, a PLINKO board, and walk-around blackjack dealers, the bets were coming in and the prizes were practically running out the door. Over 250 winners and our goal being reached within four hours, Casino Loyale was already being talked about as a huge success. Over $1,800 was raised for the United Way of Quinte by my post-graduate classmates and I.

WAY TO GO US!

One leaf, two leaf, turkey pumpkin

It’s the Thanksgiving long weekend and what I like to call the official start to Fall. The air is crisp, the wind is chilly, and the landscapes have become almost picturesque with the vibrant display of colours.

But October isn’t just about Thanksgiving (what, it isn’t just about the free turkey and awesome pies?? OH EM GE). It’s also about study breaks, and jumping in leaves, and Hallowe’en and pumpkins. That’s right, pumpkins!

What’s so great about pumpkins you ask? I’ll tell you!

1. pumpkin seeds - this is a classic. who doesn’t remember being a kid and carving their pumpkins out while mummy is in the kitchen baking your newly found pumpkin ‘guts’
2. pumpkin pie - your pumpkins now sitting outside and Hallowe’en is over… now what? why not mash it all up and make a pie.
3. funny faces - yes. funny faces. one of the greatest and most commonly seen uses for the average pumpkin. i know i love carving a good ol’ face in my pumpkin pal.

I’m going to stop the list at three, because, well, three is my favourite number. Also, the third point I made was funny faces and this prompted me to post some pictures of the best hallowe’en carvings I’ve personally seen. Please feel free to comment on the amazingness you are about to witness.

1. this is a scary pumpkin face

2. this is a happy pumpkin face

3. this is a drunk pumpkin face

So please, go out there, buy your pumpkins, and experiment. HAVE FUN. Don’t be conservative and discover the fun that is to be had in October - a pumpkin.

I could tell that my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio.

— Rodney Dangerfield

Twictionary

So it’s been a few days now and I am still not too sure if I am successfully grasping the idea of Twittering. I even tried re-tweeting (RT) a few things but was informed I was doing it incorrectly by fellow Twitter followers. As if re-tweeting someone could be done wrong… who knew?

Honestly, joining this site has opened up a whole new dictionary to me and I’m still learning to talk. So far, this is what I have discovered:

Tweat - A tweet that is about what you are currently eating.

Retweet (RT) - The re-posting of an interesting tweet from another twitterer.

Mistweet - A tweet in which one later regrets.

Twaiting – Twittering while waiting.

Anyways, these are just a few of the Twitter Lingo I am currently becoming adjusted to. I’m still unsure as to whether am twitting or twatting. Or is it tweeting or twitting?

this is salad fingers

Twitting a tweet... or is it tweeting a twit?

This morning's class is all about the know-how. I'm attending Loyalist College in Belleville and taking the Post-Graduate Public Relations program and today is the day I enter center stage to the world of social media.

As far as I'm concerned, Facebook is the only social media I've ever known. So why should I be concerned about tweeting my latest status updates to the world? Well, because I have to. If I am going to become an expert on social media, I need to be in tune with the most popular social media databases out there today. So, now I have a Twitter account and am tweeting my way throughout the day. Slowly but surely I will soon be just as fluent in tweeting as I am in facebooking. Social Media, meet Adam. Adam, this is Social Media.

hahaha i love the street cleaners

— dana, on seeing the street cleaners

• @adymbennett: have you seen 'the whole ten yards'?
• @stevensolarz: i saw five yards of it.

Daft Laws?!

Here is a list of the UK’s top 10 most ridiculous British laws (taken from Law on the WEB) :

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen’s image upside-down

3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store

4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned

5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman’s helmet

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour

10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow

• "ya he asked me for my number"
• "and.."
• "i gave him a fake number. turns out, the numbers i gave him, were for a real person. him. out of all the numbers in the world, i gave him his own phone number as a fake phone number. he just stared at the phone number, asked me to call the number, his phone rang, and he walked away."
• "well at least you tried."
• "i don't know who was more embarassed, me or him."

information overload, situation lost control

i myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.

— Augusten Burroughs