5 PR Pros Share Their Best Crisis Communications Advice

A crisis scenario has the potential to interrupt business and significantly damage the reputation of your organization. Events ranging from unhappy employees to digital security failures are common and put you at risk. Every organization is vulnerable, yet half of U.S. companies don’t have a crisis communications plan. Effective communication during a crisis can be […]

Davis Selected to Speak at New England PR Conference

Baltimore PR pro Jeffrey A. Davis, APR, will be a featured speaker at the upcoming PRxNE conference hosted by the Yankee Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for the PRSA Northeast District. The virtual conference will cover how to reinvent the delivery of communication and find new ways to engage technology for PR. […]

Is Your Crisis PR Plan Still in a 3-Ring Binder?

When the 2011 earthquake shook cities along the East Coast, offices were evacuated and workers found themselves outside texting and trying to make calls on overloaded networks. One company we worked with, which operates plants nationwide from its Baltimore headquarters, urgently needed to communicate, but the PR team had to wing it from the sidewalk […]

Use Crisis Levels to Prepare for the Unknown

There was the gruesome death by snowplow at the ski resort parking lot. Accusations of mismanagement at a Washington, D.C. attraction. An executive’s insider trading. Sexual harassment at a private school. Carbon monoxide poisoning at a housing project in Baltimore. And many more crises I have managed over the years. Each one is as unpredictable […]

Own the Situation or Let it Own You

Nearly everyone has a cell phone in their pocket and that means you better be extra ready for the spotlight if something goes wrong. Just ask anyone in public health or national politics. I conducted a half-day crisis communications workshop – “Inside the Crisis Communications Command Center: What You Need to Know” – on behalf […]

Connecting with Higher Ed Media

I was fortunate to join more than 200 communicators from 163 colleges and universities in D.C. recently for the 29th annual College Media Conference organized by JD/PR client Council of Independent Colleges and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. The continued rise of social media and importance of integrating its tools with traditional methods […]

New Reality of Crisis PR: Anyone with a Cellphone Becomes a ‘Reporter’

Activists and average citizens with their smartphones have radically changed the field of crisis communications. It used to be relatively easy to control a message during a crisis, says Ed Tobias, formerly with the Associated Press and now owner of Tobias Communication Strategies. You could call a few reporters or hold a press conference to disseminate your […]

On a Social Media Panel with CNN Commentator and Washington Post Editor

I’m looking forward to being part of a panel on crisis communications and social media Nov.3 that will bring attendees the latest thinking on how news organizations are using tools such as Twitter and Facebook during crisis situations. Find out more about the session, “Crisis Communication in a Social Media World,” and register for PRSA’s Mid-Atlantic […]