This past year reinforced the ongoing need for solid crisis management strategy and communication planning, regardless of what your organization does.

Great, Great Grandpa Rhynard didn’t need no fancy learnin’ to know crisis happens (Pretty sure this is someone else but you get the idea.)

I didn’t attribute this quote because in our community, as far as I can tell, this is essentially a cliché. It’s cliché because if my great, great grand pappy (conceptually pictured here) were a crisis communicator like me (he wasn’t) and writing an end of year post about crisis communication … (pretty sure he couldn’t read and didn’t have a computer or word processor as far as I know) … he could make the same observation.

A critical event or crisis situation is as guaranteed as death and taxes. And like death and taxes, it’s always surprising how little prepared we are.

In 2014, many of you turned to us for insight about what it takes to be better prepared (much like I will turn to the H&R Block site as April approaches.) Brandon and I thank you and sincerely appreciate the comments, shares and contributions.

Take a moment to visit and bookmark a few of the more popular posts from 2014. (I recommend using the bookmark title “I told you so,” but that’s up to you.)

Here were the Top 3, measured by unique visitors, shares and number of views from Nepal:

A New Guide for Public Information Officers

The pocket guide is intended for service members who may serve as the PIO or an assistant PIO during an incident command system (ICS) managed response, but there are plenty of gems to mine throughout the extensive document for local, state and federal incident management team members, or professional communicators in the private sector who may collaborate with them during crises.

Apps for the Crisis Communicator’s Virtual Toolbox

Being a public information officer for an organization with a diverse array of nearly a dozen distinct missions made every day exciting. On any given day, I might be talking to the media and stakeholders about maritime search and rescue and law enforcement, chemical and petroleum environmental pollution response or how icebergs in the North Atlantic are tracked every year.

Crisis Comms 101: Preparing for the Inevitable

Crisis happens. I don’t think that’s a bumper sticker yet, but it should be. A manager who can anticipate the things that can go wrong and has a plan for them is way ahead of the curve.  You don’t have to know when and where crisis might strike in order to formulate a plan.