Crisis Communication

Key drivers of social intranet adoption

August 16, 2011

There are a number of motivational factors communicators need to understand when trying to drive participation on social intranets. By definition, when we say social intranets, we mean an internal organizational site offering tools for two-way (or many-way) discourse and collaboration, rather than intranets of the bulletin board variety—one-way posting areas used to push out [...]

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Who controls the message now?

July 5, 2010

It’s a new day for public relations and communication strategy, as social media channels continue to pave the way for a more consensual, grassroots decision-making model. A newspaper press release once meant a lot in the court of public opinion—communicators used it to help shape the message. But who controls the message now? When actor [...]

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Eight good ways to break bad news

April 6, 2010

A client asked about the best way to share bad news, so I tried to share some useful guidelines. Much of this could apply to a manager sharing difficult news with a direct report, as it could to a corporate communicator with change management communication responsibilities. Be empathetic: Stating the facts simply and directly is [...]

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Four communication principles organizations can use to avoid the Tiger Woods effect in 2010

December 28, 2009

Public relations is counter-intuitive in the sense that it’s a study of what you’re communicating by choosing not to communicate. We’re not taught to think this way, and to do so seems slightly paranoid. Here’s a couple of communication principles organizations and senior leaders can put into practice in order to avoid the fallout—the Tiger [...]

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Weigh In: Should corporate communicators (internal and/or external) be using social media tools in their response to the swine flu?

May 1, 2009

Join In:  Should corporate communicators be using social media tools in their response to the swine flu –  if so, which ones, and how? Are they appropriate for internal as well as external (PR) communications? Which are best practice for this crisis, and for crisis communication in general? Please share your thoughts and comments — [...]

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