30th
01 -
2012
|
comment closed
Avoiding the truth and media inquiries when a crisis arises could have a devastating impact on your company. If you had a game plan in place, you could avoid long-term damage to your reputation.
It may be years before people forget the chaotic evacuation, the traumatic rescue mission and the serious crisis communication problem Carnival Corp.’s Italian unit found themselves in. It was reported that they cruised off course so someone could wave to a family member and the captain jumped ship before ensuring passengers were safe. In a situation like this, a sound crisis communication game plan is a must.
So you find yourself facing a major public crisis and your company doesn’t have a crisis communication game plan, not even a boilerplate to follow. There are a few things you need to do immediately in order to prevent the crisis from escalating out of control. Your goal is to maintain daily operations while managing the crisis. You need to contain it.
Crisis communication five steps when you don’t have a prepared plan.
1. Fact Check: Find out immediately what has happened, how it happened and why it happened. Gather all the information you can so you can properly inform the public. If an investigation is pending, then explain in detail what you are able to explain. Do not leave reporters hanging. You not only need to inform the media but other people affected like the family or friends.
2. Bullet Point it: Whether you are writing talking points or a press release to the media, outline the facts in a bullet point form so it is easily read and delivered. This will help to explain complicated matters in simple terms.
3. Stay informed to keep others informed: Constantly stay on top of the crisis and gather information as it develops. Then turn around and disseminate it to the proper channels. Use your social media outlets such as Twitter, YouTube, Blogs and Facebook to quickly respond to misinformation, accusations and distortions.
4. Designate a spokesperson: You need to identify the person who will be the media contact and company spokesperson. This may be two people, one is the contact and one is the spokesperson. Do not have numerous people from the company talking to the media. This person should be well informed about the crisis and comfortable with interviews.
5. Plan for questions: Write out all the possible questions you could be asked about the situation and get the information and bullet point the answers so you can easily address them when asked.
30th
01 -
2012
|
comment closed
When you are looking to move ahead in life, whether it is in terms of your employment, your personal relationships or with regards to your community, you will find that one of the most important things that you need to consider is effective communication. When you think about it, effective communication skills are the most basic building block when it comes to making sure that things move forward. What you’ll find, is that without it, things will quickly turn into chaos. If you are in a place where you are looking to improve your life and the situation around you, you’ll find that one of the first things that you need to consider is improving your communication skills.
Consider a scenario that is high stress; maybe you have a deadline coming up, or you have a doctor’s visit where you need to discuss something fairly serious. In any situation that causes stress, you’ll find that clear and worthwhile communication is something that can make things much easier. If you can clearly and without any stumbling make your needs known and convey information in a way that takes up the least amount of time, you’ll find that things will go much more smoothly. Good communication skills are an important part of working with other people and those that have it do much better than those who don’t.
One thing that you need to understand about effective communication skills is that while some are born with them and some aren’t, almost anyone can learn them! Good communication is something that can be taught, and people who make the effort to learn all about this important skill come out much profited from the experience. You’ll find that with just a little bit of work, you’ll be able to streamline many things, both in terms of your work and your personal life. When you can communicate clearly, you’ll be able to make everyone’s life a great deal easier.
Looking at effective communication, you will find that this is something that people as a whole are always working towards. In the last hundred years, we have made impressive leaps and bounds when it comes to putting us in contact with each other. What mode of communication do you like? Are you someone who can chat a hundred miles an hour on the phone? Do you need to use things like instant messenger to really convey what you are thinking via text? You’ll find that if you can figure out what your strengths are when it comes to communicating with other people that you will be far ahead of the game when it comes to getting your needs met.
If you’ve ever been told to be more of a team player, or you want to make sure that you have a place in the community that you have chosen, you’ll find that effective communication skills are a giant step towards what you are looking for. Make sure that you give this valuable skill some thought. Where are you less effective when it comes to communication? Are you comfortable with it, and how can you improve? You’ll find that these questions can guide you towards improvement in many areas of your life, so make sure that you see what you can do about it today!
30th
01 -
2012
|
comment closed
Learning how to build communication skills puts you at an advantage. A lot of people believe that communication is just about talking; but is it just talking that cinches the deal or gets you a job?
If speaking was all it took, then you’d think there would be more successful people around. The truth is, learning how to build communication skills is a two-way street.
It’s not just about how you talk your way into somebody else’s good grace, but how you relate to them and vice-versa. Here are 3 simple steps to help you out.
Step # 1: Read More Often.
One important thing you have to do to improve your ability to communicate is to read more often. You can’t keep a conversation up if what you know yesterday is all you know today.
You have to keep updating yourself, so you’d always have something new to share with other people. Reading a book, a newspaper or even interesting articles online can come in handy.
What if your boss suddenly wants to talk about the latest news? You’d better have something to say about that. In the unfortunate case that you don’t, however, it is best not to try talking your way through it.
Step 2: Learn To Listen.
If you want to learn how to build communication skills, you need to learn how to listen as well. As said before, communication is a two-way street. You can’t be the only one talking your head off; you’ve got to be prepared with questions of your own.
When you’re being interviewed, take the time to ask about the company you’re applying for. That will show that you are at least sincerely interested in working for the said company.
Step 3: Ask For Feedback.
Asking for feedback is not something you would normally do, except when you have just completed a presentation.
Then again, presenting new ideas, reports or proposals is also one form of communication; and if you want to know how to build your communication skills, then an evaluation can come in handy.
After the presentation, all you have to do is ask if they have any questions or if there are points that your audience may want to clarify. If you have a friend in the room, you might want to ask that person how you did.
« previous page