Crisis Communications Episodes

A media interview could lead to one of three outcomes: You nail it. You get through it. Your poor performance creates its own crisis. Knowing how to prepare for a media interview increases the likelihood of a positive outcome. Listen to a few of the mistakes we found in recent media interviews and livestreams to learn how to succeed in your next media interview. The guffaw that turned a serious message from a member of the U.S. Cabinet into a joke. Don't call your own press conference on ...

If an employee causes a crisis for his employer due to actions that go viral, the company needs an immediate response. Case in point, Southwest Airlines pilot, who used the phrase "Let's go, Brandon," a euphemism considered to be a vulgar phrase aimed at President Joe Biden, over the plane's PA system. On this week's podcast, the best PR response for a rogue employee who makes bad news for your brand. Learn the immediate steps communicators can take to manage reputation by dissociating the br...

Vaccines are on the minds of many businesses, especially small and midsize employers. About two-thirds of small employers believe their employees should be vaccinated, and more than half receive questions about vaccinations. If you want to learn how to communicate vaccination mandates externally, this episode is for you. No politics. No position. Just one PR tip for when vaccine compliance is 100%. Listen + Subscribe Stitcher or Apple Podcasts © Molly McPherson 2021 Join Molly on Patreon f...

In the week since an Amtrak train derailed in rural Montana, killing three people and injuring dozens more, federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused the derailment. Despite the rarity of situations such as these, Amtrak needed a crisis plan to be ready at any moment. In this episode, we explore the first 48 hours of Amtrak's response to the Empire Builder derailment near Joplin, Montana. What communicators can learn from the rapid response of Amtrak and how they leverag...

What happens when an army of people begins to dig to solve a mystery? They quickly find answers. The intense interest in the Gabby Petito missing case (now murder) also led to an intense interest in discovering why the case became such a sensational news story. The answer: social media sleuthing Young, social media-savvy women used TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to desperately get to the bottom of what happened to the 22-year-old who documented her travels to state and national parks with h...

In this episode, how to use the backpedal in a PR response - but only if you really need to. Exploring the use of this response tactic as a communication for self-defense. This tactic is used as a result of an incident in which a person's character is called into question or a perceived wrongdoing. Listen to four examples from the last few weeks and the rating given for their reputation outcome: a thumbs up or thumbs down. We'll look at the response tactic, as it refers to the restoration and...

It was inevitable. On August 10, 2021, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced he was stepping down from his position after an investigation found he sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo's announcement was his chance to respond directly to allegations of sexual harassment against him, and to covertly address his rep for being a bully and thug. Governor Cuomo used his resignation speech to repair his reputation and legacy. Did it work? In this episode, discussing three strategic tactics Cuomo used in hi...

Have you ever had to work around an issue where your leadership did not want to own up to the truth? We all know that sometimes, the truth can be ugly. There are many business situations where privacy and confidential issues need to protect the truth. But how do you manage it when you are a communicator stuck in the middle juggling the press and an angry public? In this episode, we find out from Mike McGill how to get to the truth of the matter. Our backstory? The Flint Water Crisis. Mike Mc...

A week doesn't go by where there isn't a splashy scandal or crisis situation that leads to a PR nightmare for an organization or brand. This episode with veteran public relations expert Edward Segal is based on the premise: it's not a matter if a crisis will hit, it's WHEN. Listen to anecdotes, stories and lessons on how to prepare for, create, manage and communicate in crisis situations. In this episode, the 10 Rs of Crisis Management. Mentioned on the podcast: Colonial Pipeline paid ransom ...

When an email meant for one person goes to the wrong person. It can be a disaster. When that email goes viral because the unintended recipient shared it to TikTok -- it was a reputation teardown. When a recent college graduate named Gracie Lorincz from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, applied for a position as an ambassador for clothing boutique Ava Lane, she found out it was unlikely she'd get the job because the VP of the company replied in an email that she was "not that cute." That email was in...

The best way to manage a crisis is to prevent one. The best way to prevent a crisis is to identify the types of crises that can affect your business. In this episode, we cover the top 10 crisis types communicators need to know how to handle to lessen the damage or remove it altogether. Each one has its own unique set of challenges and implications, but each type of crisis can create significant fallout if unprepared for properly. Mentioned on the podcast: Ep. 122: How to Use Social Media In...

Pitching the press is an important part of the PR process, but it is part of the job that many PR people do not necessarily want to do. Regardless of the industry you work in or represent to the media, knowing how to effectively create a pitch for the media is the most critical step to success in PR and content marketing. Guest Christy Laverty discusses the changes in news coverage from timing to Twitter. Christy Laverty spent over 20 years as a media expert, but now works to help people pitc...

Mega-influencer and bestselling self-help author Rachel Hollis found herself in her fan's crosshairs again(!) after sharing a blunt assessment of one of her follower's comments that rubbed her the wrong way. After seemingly comparing herself to Harriet Tubman among other notable and "unrelatable" women on a Tik-Tok video, Hollis faced a severe backlash online with calls for her cancelation and people calling her out for her views on a work ethic tied to a person's worth - not to mention how she...

The value of social media in a crisis skyrockets when you know how to use the different platforms to boost your PR response efforts. Molly shares tips from her social media playbook, which she uses for her clients, as well as examples of major brands that use social media to manage and issue or crisis. Listen for PR response tactics for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Clubhouse. Mentioned in the episode: Episode 125: Build an Indestructible Social Media Crisis Plan in 3 E...

Social media's effect on crisis communication is powerful. A growing number of crises not only start on social media, but its viral power fuels the communication crisis as well. This episode explains the difference between a social media fail and a social media crisis, and why the latter is so damaging to a brand or organization. Learn the three categories of a crisis based on responsibility and how social media contributes to each level. Then, three easy steps for how to build a social media ...

Whenever there is a crisis, there is often the truth, and then there is the story we hear. Managing a crisis in the age of social media isn't easy, especially when there are so many people with an opinion and a Twitter account. To get it right means you need to respond in a manner that makes it go away. Fall into this trap that so many people ensnarled in a crisis do, and you'll never survive. On this episode, the one crisis response tactic that so many people have used to get themselves out ...

Power outages and no running water have left Texas and other parts of the South reeling from the effects of a deep freeze in mid-February that has created a huge communication need for services that meet the most basic needs. The recent natural disasters have shown that social media is an integral part of the crisis response. When leadership and communications work together to plan the right response to reach stakeholders, the most effective plans optimize social media. In this episode, three ...

Is there anything worse than having to deliver a message to someone when you know they don’t want to hear it? Not only is it one of the most dreadful conversations you can have, it can also lead to permanent pain if not handled properly. On this episode of the podcast, how to deliver bad news and not be left in a position where the recipient wants to shoot the messenger - you. Whether in an official statement to the press or when sharing bad news with employees, listen to three tips to help y...

There does come a point when someone’s behavior puts them in a place of no return when it comes to the acceptance of the public. But where is that line? And who draws it? Was it wrong to attend President Donald Trump’s speech on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C. on January 6th? Did a person cross the line if they climbed the steps and crossed the threshold of the U.S. Capitol? One of my favorite media trainers joined me on the podcast to discuss damage control in January 2021. Warren Week...

The third part of a series on the best communication tactics during COVID-19, these are episodes I am replaying that are still relevant today as they were in the spring of 2020.* I have assembled a group of savvy professionals working in crisis and risk management, public relations, strategy & planning to offer their take on how to communicate for COVID-19, still! *Except for the mention of presidential candidate, Joe Biden. My contributors: 1. Mary Beth West of Fletcher Marketing PR Listen ...

In an interview that made headlines last week, 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl asked President Trump, "Are you ready for some tough questions?" Whether he was or not, viewers will never know because Trump left the interview. Learn how to build the architecture behind the perfect PR response to stay one step ahead of, rather than behind, a story about your organization. Public opinion moves fast nowadays, especially on social media, which means if you don't know the risks to your organizat...

If you watched the first presidential debate in 2020, you may have felt like you were watching history - a train wreck of historic proportions. For 90 minutes President Trump repeatedly interjected and clashed with former Vice President Joe Biden. When it was Biden's turn to speak, he vacillated between exasperated smiles and astonished dismay. What may have appeared to look like a chaotic mess, was likely a part of a master plan - at least by one of the candidates. Donald Trump was creating a...

Everyone makes mistakes. However, not everyone admits to making them, and that can lead to much bigger problems. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres used the opening monologue of her season premiere to address her role allegations of a toxic production environment at the daytime series in her opening monologue. It was time to admit a mistake. Learn five maneuvers to help create an architecture for getting you through the sometimes brutal process of admitting when you are wrong. Mentioned on the podc...

A few weeks back, The Ellen Degeneres Show fell under heavy scrutiny for how it's treated its employees in the past. Reports came flying in about the working conditions that many employees have been experiencing while filming the show. Many of which include racism and intimidation. The calls for cancellation are loud and clear - not the for the television program necessarily - but for the host, Ellen DeGeneres. Anyone can find themselves in a public peck of trouble that spills out online, cau...