How to Build a Virtual Toolbox for Disaster Response

If the blog had a “Free Bird” or – I dunno – “Margaritaville?” this year, it was this piece, coming in at #1 in our countdown of the Top 10 Most Read Pieces of 2015. Not necessarily a “one-hit wonder” kind of thing – more of a “show closer.” I wrote a slightly different version of […]

A New Guide for Public Information Officers

It was about this time two years ago that Paul and I talked and both said, “Hey. We should do a crisis communication blog. Or something.” History. This year-end countdown has been fun for me, because I get to look over what we’ve published that People. Like. You. Actually. Like. (I. Get. To. Make. Up. […]

Crisis Identification and Management

We are in the medal round for our year-end countdown of Top 10 Most Read Pieces of 2015 here on the blog. This bronze-winning piece was inspired by my philosophy coursework at Old Dominion University (Go Monarchs!). Really! I took a philosophy course on ethics and crisis communication, so it makes sense that I’d migrate […]

Social Media and Crisis: 6 Things You Should Do, 2 You Shouldn’t

Hey ho! Let’s go! Hey ho! Let’s go! We’re at #4 (that’s not a hashtag, that’s just a “number sign” [and then the number that comes after it]) in our countdown of the Top 10 Most Read Pieces of 2015 on the ol’ #CrisisComms blog (that. that was a hashtag). Have you ever read a […]

Four characteristics of effective messages

Happy Monday! We’re continuing our countdown of the Top 10 Most Read Pieces of 2015, and we’re halfway to number 1. Coming in at #5 is this piece Paul published almost a year ago, which has been a regular landing spot since then for people visiting the blog. Probably because it’s really good. Enjoy, and […]

Disaster Response; the Public Info Officer’s Perspective (Part 1)

Crude oil train accidents in North America have been making headlines the last few years and early this year I “debriefed” my public information officer friend, Thomas, after he returned from a deployment to one of these incidents. He and his crisis communication team had some challenges, to say the least. This piece comes in […]