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Sorry to Invoke Cinderella at a Time Like This

I’m not afraid to admit it – I’m a fan of Cinderella, the ‘80s glam rock band. So much so that in 1987, at the tender age of 10, I tried to screw my friend out of his “Night Songs” tape by surreptitiously replacing the master with a copy. Unfortunately for me, he discovered the switch. Fortunately, he later forgave.

This post, however, isn’t about my questionable music taste or mistakes made during a misspent youth; it’s about emergency communications.

Outside the snow is really flying, which I suspect has contributed in large part to this morning’s complete lack of Internet access. I discovered this outage when I got to the office and remembered how helpless I tend to be in these situations. No Web research. No news sites. No tracking Web hits or media mentions of clients. Clunky e-mail, thanks only to my mobile, which seems, at this point, to still be working.

It’s the absence of a tool which we’ve all grown reliant upon that got my brain working in two directions – first, it led to me start humming Cinderella’s “Don’t Know What You Got [Til It’s Gone].” Then, with Tom Kiefer’s signature throaty vocals echoing in my mind, I started thinking about all the ways that technology helps us communicate, and all the ways (likely in the most inopportune times) that technology can fail us.

I’m thinking beyond the obvious and annoying reduction in business productivity, and tips such as regularly backing up the files on your computer. From a personal perspective, how prepared are you and your family to communicate if technology really breaks down?

In a scenario with a major widespread power outage, this means no heat, no light, no cell phone towers or landlines and, of course, no precious Internet access. It’s not hard to find good ideas online so you are prepared, but here are three things that I’d recommend you consider from an emergency communications perspective:

Radio
Be in a position to remain informed about developments in any emergency situation. Perform a search on “hand-crank NOAA radio” and find one that meets your needs and budget. The hand-crank part is important, as you won’t be able to rely on batteries or electrical power in an emergency.

Wallet Cards
For some things, going “analog” is best. This is true when it comes to contact information of select friends and family. Instead of relying on the phone book in your cell phone (that will be worthless after a couple days without a charge), carry a wallet card of family members’ contact information in your wallet. Also, designate a family member or trusted friend at least 75 miles away who can assist with relaying communications among family members if telecommunications fails in your area.

Rally Point
In a worst-case scenario, communications will be down and families will be spread across a wide area. Establish and agree upon two rally points that will serve as default family gathering places – one local and one far away to make sure there are alternatives to cover multiple contingencies.

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A little thought and planning now can have you avoid singing another Cinderella song in an emergency – “Somebody Save Me.”

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Posted by Matt Wittern on 10/28 at 10:17 AM
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The Theft of Social Media

Imagine walking out of your house to go to work, car keys in one hand, coffee in the other, ready to step into your car – but wait… there’s no car! What would your first action be? First, call the police; second, call insurance; third, log onto craigslist.org?

This might not be your first train of thought, but when my brother’s car was stolen recently that was exactly what he did. Following the calls to the police and his insurance company, he placed an ad on craigslist.org and a few local “Toyota 4Runner enthusiast” sites. The ads were complete with photos and all the details from the theft the night before. Within minutes, people were e-mailing him with their plans to help find the car. About 9 p.m. the day after the car was stolen, I received a call from my brother.

“Can you drive me to my car? Someone found it behind their house,” he said.

After a 20-minute drive and a few suspicious questions from the police officer, we stumbled upon the car. Not only was it the right car, it was still in the same condition. The police were slightly baffled that one, it wasn’t stripped for parts; two, it was cleaner that he had left it (another story); and three, it was found through a few ads on social media sites.
This may not be the typical way to use social media, but it is just one more benefit. The community of social media becomes the eyes and ears of the users. Since the community is so spread out, yet connected with similar interests, it becomes its own search team.

Just this weekend, I received an invitation on Facebook to a group called “Lost Dog!!!” It was a cry for help from a high school classmate whose dog ran away in Denver. He used Facebook to post photos and details of the dog to help track him down. The dog was found and returned home without any major problems.

With these two success stories, and millions more out there, it demonstrates the dynamic uses of social media. What once was just a means of posting photos and connecting with friends has become even more powerful – a crucial communication tool.

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Posted by Liz Viscardi on 10/26 at 11:00 AM
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Calm, Cool and Comedic

I walked into a project meeting at a client’s office last week and was greeted by a lovely receptionist who offered me a cup of coffee. Accepting her offer, I took a sip of the coffee and set the mug on the table in front of me. Written on the mug was the phrase: “Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you react to it.” Known as the “90/10 Principle,” the phrase resonated with me from a PR and crisis communication perspective.

In our line of work, we deal with our fair share of crises, and as a PR practitioner, I have an innate interest in the ways various people and companies handle disaster. While the art of crisis communication (yes, it is an art…) has no manual, the one common thread across all successful methods of dealing with crisis is the ability to make the best of a bad situation. 

That being said, let’s talk about our old friend, David Letterman. In case you missed it, on the Oct. 1 episode of “Late Night,” Letterman addressed a live audience and millions of viewers regarding a blackmail case involving sexual relations with his female staffers, joking through what easily could have been a public relations catastrophe.

Letterman has since been commended, even praised, for the way he handled the situation. So what makes this “sex scandal” so different from all the others we’ve seen from the likes of Bill Clinton, former North Carolina Senator John Edwards and most recently South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford? I’ll gladly argue that it all boils down to good, strategic crisis communication. Instead of taking a reactive approach a la Edwards and Sanford, Letterman proactively addressed the situation before it hit the news. He was able to take control by being the first person to admit fault (rather than claiming innocence, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman…”) and made the best of a rather unpleasant situation by using laughter as a tool to transform an embarrassing, uncomfortable topic into comedic fodder and win over his audience. 

The point to take home is that crisis is unavoidable – bottom line. In life and work, we will all encounter unexpected and sometimes catastrophic events. What we can do is be prepared before they happen, be in control when they do and understand that the outcome depends almost entirely on the way we respond to them.  After all, life is only 10 percent what happens to you, and 90 percent how you react.

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Posted by Megan Rees on 10/23 at 08:31 AM
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How ‘bout them Broncos…?

Here we are fans, 6-0 into a season where most predicted – or at least mentally prepared for – our beloved Denver Broncos to possibly be in the opposite equation at this stage of the game.

Now, I never thought that, mind you, but I’m what you would call a true fan. The kind that bleeds orange and blue. The kind whose family has held Broncos season tickets since 1968. In fact, I start every season with the fervent belief that the Broncos are destined for Super Bowl victory. Hey – I’ve only been wrong 95 percent of the time…

That said, I was a tad suspect when the big change came down from Bowlen Central: Out with Shanahan; In with McDaniels. Then came the showdown between the rookie head coach and the would-be/could-be career QB Jay Cutler. (Let’s face it, he was the only guy we gave a chance to, after a suitable mourning period over John’s retirement…)

Follow that with the closed-door media approach, the Brandon Marshall brou-ha-ha and the pre-season losses stacking up. Let’s just say I was a pretty lonely Super Bowl advocate going into game one of the regular season.

I’m not so lonely anymore.

So what happened? Also a huge fan of the Colorado Rockies, I had observed the same phenomenon earlier this year, when they yanked Hurdle – a mere two years removed from his infamous World Series run in 2007, replacing him with Manager Jim Tracy. The upshot – the Rox take off like a rocket and give the National League a run for its money, with the best season second half in their history.

Veteran Manager Jim Tracy and newcomer Coach McD have something in common – both leaders care more about what happens inside their respective teams than outside their teams, and it shows. Each established rock-solid internal communication, including clearly defined expectations and objectives, and a laser-like focus to the task at hand – Winning.

Both coaches identified this goal and built their communication (and their teams) around it – focusing on the goal and the path to reaching it. The transformation for both teams appeared seemingly overnight.

So what’s in it for us? Two key things these coaches remind us about:

1. Your internal audience is your most important audience – without their support, your organization simply can not be successful, no matter how well you communicate with customers.
2. Establish a single, clearly defined goal, and build all communication from there.

Oh yeah, and how much fun it is to win.

Thanks Coach McD – see you at the Super Bowl!

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Posted by Karen Morales on 10/20 at 09:01 PM
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Nice column—hey, mind if I quote you in my PR column? Good stuff here!

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  10/21  at  11:46 AM

I with you agree. In it something is. Now all became clear, I thank for the help and I hope to see more such articles.

Posted by Callie  on  11/11  at  12:07 PM

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