Gerard Braud Communications

gbraud — Fri, 21 May 2021 08:57:35 +0000

We have all seen a media interview where a CEO, senior-level executive or company spokesperson said something incorrect or less than professional. This week, crisis communications expert Gerard Braud polls social media to ask, “What should you do if you are in the middle of a television interview and you know you’ve said something wrong?” We want to hear your expert public relations tips this week! Should you re-visit the topic and admit you made a mistake? Or do you run the risk of making the situation worse? Do you think that effective media training for spokespeople could help them avoid these types of situations?

We would love to hear your thoughts this week. Comment here and on our social media pages to join the discussion. Your answers may be featured in our follow-up video!

This question is one of a series of debates in the media relations, crisis communications, public relations, and social media industries where you and your colleagues can share observations with each other. Yes, YOU are invited to share your bite size bits of best practices. Here is how:

Step 1: Subscribe to The BraudCast on YouTube

Step 2: You will see a short video that poses a new question every Monday. You then post your best practices and observations on The BraudCast YouTube channel.

Step 3: Once your opinion is shared, you can follow the discussion online so you can compare your best practices to those of your professional colleagues.

Step 4: Watch the follow-up Friday Video where you will see a short YouTube video outlining some of the most interesting observations. Yes…your comments may actually show up on our BraudCast video, bringing you world-wide fame, fortune, a big raise, glory, street parades, and more.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Please take 2 seconds now to subscribe to The BraudCast.

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gbraud — Fri, 21 May 2021 07:57:11 +0000

Are your spokespeople ready to face the media? As you see from BP’s blunders, many top executives are ill prepared to be spokespeople. Learn from BP’s mistakes during a special 90 minute webinar on Tuesday, July 27, 2010 from Noon – 1:30 p.m. CDT.

Gulf coast native Gerard Braud at Grand Isle, LA

Gulf coast native Gerard Braud leads the discussion.

Gulf coast native Gerard Braud at Grand Isle, LA

Gulf coast native Gerard Braud leads the discussion.

The post first appeared on Gerard Braud Communications.

gbraud — Fri, 21 May 2021 06:49:35 +0000

Burger King Twitter Account Hacked: A Whopper of a Mess

By Gerard Braud

In 2013 there is no excuse for such failed crisis communications. Any and every company should be ready to make a public statement on any crisis in one hour or less. It is good public relations; it is good media relations; it is good crisis communication; it is good social media crisis communication.

So here it is on Monday afternoon, February 18, 2013 as I sit in my office near New Orleans and Burger King’s Twitter account was hacked nearly 4 hours ago. The hackers make it look like a McDonald’s account.

Burger King eventually managed to get Twitter to suspend the account and pull down the content and ugly comments.

But in the 140-character world of fast news, the fast food company is SLOW to officially issue a statement.

Here Burger King, I’ll help you out. Go to my website and download a sample of what a First Critical Statement should look like:

http://www.profcs.com/SecureCart/SecureCart.aspx?mid=C476A7C3-FD52-483B-B127-406E2BEFCA2D&pid=3ebcc46fda2a4760086b3df46ae2e2b4

Type in the coupon code: CRISISCOMPLAN

That way you can have it for free. And anyone else reading this blog can have it for free as well.

Every company should have a template like this for fast release to the media, your customers and to your website. In the crisis communications plans I write, this template would then have 100 more companion templates with more pre-written details about every type of crisis imaginable.

The time to prepare these responses is on a clear sunny day before you need them. The worst time to write a response to a crisis is during the crisis.

Burger King’s Facebook page is full of comments by followers, but Burger King hasn’t even bothered to post anything on their Facebook page to acknowledge this unfolding social media and public relations crisis. This is simply failed public relations and failed crisis communications.

Burger King’s official web page has a page for news releases, but as I write this nearly 4 hours after the crisis began, there is no official statement about the hacking from Burger King.

There is a page with names of media contacts. You would think one of these people would be issuing a statement, but no, that isn’t happening.

I decided to send them e-mail, but no one has replied.

I did find a news story on the Associated Press website that said, “Burger King plans to issue an apology later today.” Really? Later? How about right now? How about an hour or less after the event happened.

Long story short: Burger King PR Team – you guys are failures.

The next question is will the PR people who read this immediately gather their team together and update their crisis communications plan and prepare for a hack of their own social media accounts, or will they simply go about their daily PR task and hope it never happens to them?

The post first appeared on Gerard Braud Communications.

Crisis Communications – Customizable Keynote Speech “Silver Linings in Muddy Waters”

gbraud — Tue, 18 May 2021 15:39:16 +0000

In this keynote presentation, I’m looking at how communications can change EVERYTHING.

New Orleans suffered one of the worst disasters we have seen in this country, or even worldwide. Through my personal experiences with Hurricane Katrina, I am sharing some of the ramifications of when we only think about the sunny days of our businesses, companies, and organizations, versus preparing for our darkest days.

I’m examining the mindset of leaders who are in decision paralysis, denial, who are arrogant for thinking they can “wing it.” There are too many business leaders and political leaders who are not protecting themselves from disasters, who blame everyone else for failures. In this keynote, I describe how communications could have changed everything and how preparing could have saved lives.

Every crisis is a living classroom. We should never “waste” the opportunity to study what went right and what went wrong, but more importantly, how to do our best in the future.

Always remember, for every tragedy, there is a heart, soul, and spirit that needs recovery. As a business leader, you are responsible for getting your team, clients, and stakeholders there. There is a silver lining in muddy waters. There are both smiles and tears. For more on that, watch the video.

To set goals and talk about your needs for effective crisis communications, schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me https://calendly.com/braud/15min

Crisis communications and media training expert Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC is based in New Orleans. Organizations on five continents have relied on him to write their crisis communications plans and to train their spokespeople. He is the author of “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…”

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

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Virtual and Live Keynote Presentation: “Words Matter”

gbraud — Fri, 14 May 2021 19:30:21 +0000

Can you name one leader that used the wrong words – costing themselves their career, company, or city thousands or millions of dollars, or worse, lives?

Words matter. Words can inspire. Words can motivate. Words can comfort and console us.

We have plenty of case studies of business leaders, political leaders, and leaders around the world who either said the right thing at the right time or the wrong time at the wrong time. Budgets destroyed, companies destroyed, political careers destroyed, and cities destroyed. Just take Hurricane Katrina for example, and the wrong words that the Mayor used at a critical time. People died, in my opinion, because of what he said and what he failed to say.

There is a secret to picking the right word at the right time to achieve the right results.

These secrets are revealed in this customizable keynote presentation, as well as my crisis communications plans, crisis communications drills, and spokesperson media training.

To prepare your words for your next crisis and talk about your needs, schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me https://calendly.com/braud/15min

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19

The post Virtual and Live Keynote Presentation: “Words Matter” first appeared on Gerard Braud Communications.

Crisis Communications and the Volatile Customer on Social Media

gbraud — Wed, 05 May 2021 16:10:13 +0000

We don’t often associate customer service with crisis communications. However, in the age of social media, a single unhappy customer can quickly damage a brand’s revenue and reputation.

Over the years in this blog, we have reviewed countless case studies of how customers on social media have leveled serious allegations against companies. Cancel culture is the latest variation of what we’ve long called “The Volatile Customer.”

Social media gives unhappy customers a platform to becoming more volatile in their criticism of your brand. Volatile doesn’t need to imply physical harm, because words and complaints and truths going viral can fan the flames of volatility. A great brand treats an upset customer with care before they reach the point of lashing out on social media. Good customer service turns your volatile customer into a brand ambassador. You want brand ambassadors.

A single, angry “volatile” Tweet or post on Facebook can go viral, creating the opportunity for more and more people see the post and chime in. They relate to the post. They share their own, bad, customer service experience with the brand. Soon, the conversation explodes. The criticism can’t be silenced.

In the world of crisis communications, some people will push this off as issues management. Others say it falls into customer service. Some think the social media team should handle this.

We suggest you treat every dissatisfied customer as a potentially volatile customer who can convert an unhappy customer experience into a monumental crisis. Your organization needs to have a team ready to handle this sort of situation. A proper crisis communications plan can be your guide in managing the expectations of your audience.

We’re putting this topic front and center in the coming years, because a volatile customer can do unlimited damage to revenue, reputation and brand. That’s why we’ve launched our newest keynote, “The Volatile Customer.”

If your team generally focuses on sales and customer service, they need to be aware that Cancel Culture is just one bad customer experience away.

To schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me to discuss your organization’s vulnerabilities to volatile customers on social media visit https://calendly.com/braud/15min

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash

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Virtual Presentation: “Don’t Talk to the Media & Words Matter”

gbraud — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 19:11:56 +0000

If you could attach a dollar value to every word you say, would you make money or would you lose money?

Do your words in media interviews or even in conversation with clients, stakeholders, and colleagues enhance your profits, or destroy your revenue, reputation, and brand? The story I’m sharing here appears in my media training classes, as well as in my keynote presentations, “Don’t Talk to the Media Until…” and “Words Matter.”

How much do words matter? In this story, a company spokesperson destroys a $700-million dollar project in a 12-second soundbite. Watch this video to learn to mess up in private, not in public:

“A license to pollute.” Yikes. 4,000 construction jobs never created. 400 permanent jobs never created. Taxes were never paid. Safer roads were never built. The audience heard him say “We have a license to kill.” What should have been said? This spokesperson should have had proper media training to understand and communicate the three things he promises to protect. Preparation needs to be done before the real interview.

Ultimately, you should talk to the media to tell the story of your brand. The keyword is “until.” The key is to do it properly and understand the rules of engagement. The first lesson is don’t talk to the media, but talk to the media’s audience. The media are not your audience. The people at home are your audience. Talk to them. Manage their expectations.

To talk further about how to prepare to talk to the media or how this virtual presentation could benefit your boss or your colleagues, schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me https://calendly.com/braud/15min

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19

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Ready or Reactionary? The SituationHub Master Class on Crisis Communications

gbraud — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 15:14:41 +0000

How do you stack up?

PR News and CS&A International asked companies a simple question: Do you have a crisis management plan? Nearly 60 percent said they had a plan, yet only half of those plans were up-to-date. This means 70% of organizations are really just flying by the seat of their pants when a crisis strikes.

Why is this? We look behind the numbers and offer you fast, affordable solutions in this Master Class for Crisis Communications.

Your free access has been paid for by the team at SituationHub.com (SituationHub is the crisis communications app that can automatically write your crisis news release in as few as 3 minutes). Watch the recording here.

We’ll tackle this topic in 3 parts:

First, we’ll look at some surprising results from a survey on crisis communications. The survey was done by PR News and CS&A International.

Second, we’ll look behind the numbers and talk with the woman who conducted the survey, crisis expert Caroline Sapriel.

Third, we’ll give you a roadmap of best practices and challenge you to take at least one step toward preparedness.

When it comes to Ready or Reaction, see how your organization compares to others.

Then, set some goals to be one step closer to readiness.

As a bonus, schedule a confidential call to privately discuss your social media and crisis communications challenges by using this link https://calendly.com/braud/15min

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‘Sprint’ to More Effective Crisis Communications

gbraud — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 15:56:21 +0000

Be Prepared. Be Fast. Sprint!

Doing crisis communications right can take a long time; a really long time. Let’s stop doing that. Let’s do it faster. Let’s find a better way. Let’s sprint!

Traditionally, companies set up endless meetings and an inflated collaboration process. People will spend three months to two years talking about the “process” and never really create a usable set of tools. And during the drawn-out process, a crisis might hit and everyone is still unprepared. They have no tools in their toolbox; only notes from those endless meetings.

Does that sound familiar? If it does, let’s stop doing that, which doesn’t work, and start sprinting through the crisis communications process.

A “sprint” is a process for solving big problems and tackling big tasks in five days or less. It’s about both efficiency and focus.

To simplify your goalsetting and ability to accomplish tasks, you have to break them down into smaller, faster, more achievable tasks. That’s why I created the Five Steps to Effective Crisis Communications.

What would take your company or organization months to complete, you can now complete in five days or less, with a crisis communications sprint. Here are all of the Five Steps to Effective Crisis Communications you can complete virtually:

Crisis Vulnerability Assessment

What is the worst thing that could happen? Your roadmap to crisis communications begins as you imagine and evaluate all the situations that could go wrong. We are ready to partner with you to harvest insights from your team. Ask about our one-day Vulnerability Assessment Sprint to begin your crisis communications planning.

Crisis Communications Plan

As a situation unfolds, can your organization take control in the first few minutes? The best crisis communications plan plots every step before, during, and after a crisis. If you fail to plan, plan to fail. Our “sprint” crisis communications system can put a plan in place in one day.

Crisis Pre-written Statements

When you write a statement, is the review process bogged down in second-guessing, word-smithing, and fights over commas? Save time by using our library of pre-written statements for the media, employees, customers, and stakeholders. Ask about our pre-written statement sprint, which can be delivered in one day.

Crisis Spokesperson Media Training

When revenue, reputation, and brand are on the line, there is no margin for error. One misplaced word can be costly. We’ve seen companies lose hundreds of millions of dollars in a 12-second sound bite. Our crisis communications media training gets your spokespeople prepared to handle tough questions on your toughest day.

Crisis Communication Drills

Practice makes perfect. Do you routinely test your crisis management team, crisis communications plan, and spokespeople? A crisis drill allows you to make mistakes in private so you never make those mistakes on the day of your crisis. Add a virtual crisis drill to your crisis communications sprint commitment.

We care about your reputation, revenue, and brand. We hope you do to.

Here is your sprint roadmap. Would you like us to sprint with you?

To set goals, talk about your needs, and formulate a budget, schedule a complimentary, confidential call with me https://calendly.com/braud/15min

More crisis communications articles:

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

Can You Handle a Crisis When it Hits by Winging It?

Crisis Management Lessons from Hurricane Katrina vs. COVID19

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15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

gbraud — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 21:24:39 +0000

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Crisis Communications

By Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC

Should you use Facebook as part of your crisis communications strategy?

Many public relations professionals say yes. They believe it is necessary to be transparent.

Let’s debate this… in fact, I hosted a one-hour Master Class that you can watch on this topic. It is called The Social Media Conundrum. It was sponsored by the crisis communications software company SituationHub.com and you can register to watch a replay. It’s worth it.

The Facebook algorithm is built against you in a crisis. We dig into this in the Master Class when we talk with social media marketing expert Jay Baer, CSP, CPAE. This best-selling author and mastermind behind the Convince & Convert strategy company explains how “Likes,” “Comments,” and “Shares” can work against you. Likewise, a like, reply, or comment from you can make matters even worse.

I can’t tell you what is best for you and the company where you work. You’ll need to decide that, and the Master Class will help you.

However, I can give you 15 questions to ask before you use Facebook as part of your crisis communications strategy and I can give you 15 minutes of my time to talk about your specific company, needs and goals. Use this link to schedule a private call. https://calendly.com/braud/15min

15 Questions to Ask Before You Use Facebook for Social Media

Do you have a newsroom on your website?
Do you have email addresses for customers?
Can you text customers?
Do you have mass notifications to customers?
Do you have push notifications to customers through an app for your customers?
Can humanity get the information they need without getting it on Facebook?
Can you train customers to go to your website?
Can you be transparent without being on Facebook?
What is your job when a crisis strikes? Specifically, is it your job to monitor comments and reply to comments?
Do comments from people on Facebook make your communications job harder or easier?
Do random strange comments improve communications, comprehension, and information for your target audience?
If you were to list your priority of tasks in a crisis, what would that list look like?
If you were to list the communications channels available to you in order of priority, what would those be?
Do you have analytics for your various communications channels to support your path going forward? Especially, do you have analytics that say Facebook is the best place for you to post a message during a crisis?
What would happen if you took your Facebook page dark? Would anyone notice?

Answer these 15 questions then schedule 15 minutes for us to discuss your answers. Just use this link https://calendly.com/braud/15min

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