6 Crisis Communications Resources

  • Fran Stephenson
  • May 19, 2016
  • 2 min read

A quick glance at the news this month is a good reminder that a crisis can happen at any time. The weather is creating crisis situations for many organizations; others have been surprised recently by technical failures or social media mishaps. If you haven’t looked at your crisis plan in a while, now might be a good […]

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How the Corvette Museum Survived a Sinkhole

  • Fran Stephenson
  • April 15, 2016
  • 6 min read

Small Organizations CAN Handle a Crisis Alongside Interstate 65 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, you can see the iconic Skydome of the National Corvette Museum from the freeway. It is a place where devoted fans come to see and admire America’s iconic cars. It is also a small, but smart organization who handled a once-in-a-lifetime crisis. Here is their […]

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At a recent conference on crisis communications, a participant stopped me and asked this question:  What do you do when your leadership is not communicating?  WHAT? Her real question was this: during a recent crisis in her town, the city leaders were not communicating to the tourism pros in town, yet the reputation of that […]

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How to Tame that Arrogant Spokesperson

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 18, 2014
  • 3 min read

There’s nothing more challenging for a crisis management team than an inflexible spokesperson. You can picture it in your mind instantly. This person knows everything, will not take direction, cannot take constructive criticism. In a crisis, the person who becomes the face of your organization should ooze humility. He or she should represent, with extreme […]

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Essential Elements of a Crisis Communications Plan

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 11, 2014
  • 5 min read

Formulating a crisis response and communications plan is an important first step in preparing for your next crisis. Some of the best crisis plans are simple. Rather than envisioning every “if this, then that” circumstance, a robust crisis plan which is somewhat vague might be the perfect framework for your organization. Every crisis plan contains […]

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Coping in a Crisis: What to do the First Hour

  • Fran Stephenson
  • November 29, 2012
  • 3 min read

How you respond in a crisis largely depends on what you do in the first hour after you become aware that something bad has happened in your organization. The suggestions given here are to supplement the crisis communication plan you are already using and should help with work flow in the first hour. Clear Your […]

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Before Your Next Crisis: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 17, 2011
  • 3 min read

Earlier this week, I taught two classes at the TTIA’s Tourism College at Texas State University. The program, in its second year, will lead students who participate all three years to a certificate called “Certified Tourism Executive” or CTE. While teaching the sophomore class this week, we examined a mock crisis in small groups.  Our […]

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Crisis Planning includes Packing a Bag

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 15, 2011
  • 3 min read

There’s a crisis every day somewhere in the world and plenty of advice from marketing and public relations professionals on how organizations should handle communicating when they happen. But rarely have I seen an attempt to outline the supplies you need to have on hand before your crisis hits. When I was the communications director […]

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6 Mistakes Organizations Make During a Crisis

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 14, 2011
  • 3 min read

It happens to every organization at some point.  Something sudden and unexpected happens which requires us to act.  In tourism organizations, it can be as simple as a weather event which affects daily operation.  Or as complicated as an event like the BP Oil Spill.  Most disasters fall somewhere in between, but the key to […]

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