Add Crisis of Reputation to Your Crisis Planning Kit

  • Fran Stephenson
  • January 8, 2015
  • 4 min read

Most companies planning for their crisis communications focus on physical types of crises like natural disasters and crime. Increasingly, however, it’s just as likely that an organization will face a crisis of reputation and the crisis will happen on social networks. This is a shocker to many traditional companies. You can just imagine the CEO […]

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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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Roundabout Responses in a Crisis

  • Fran Stephenson
  • September 5, 2012
  • 2 min read

It’s hitting the fan. Your organization is in crisis and you have 30 minutes to get your act together and prepare the first response.  The challenge for any organization in crisis is that you are still gathering facts to figure out what happened yet the “always-on” media and persistent public demand a response. It is […]

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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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First Advice in a Crisis: Do No Harm

  • Fran Stephenson
  • June 13, 2011
  • 3 min read

Do no harm. This was the first thing I was taught about crisis planning, back in the mid-1980s way before cell phones and Twitter. Twenty-plus years later and it’s still the best piece of advice anyone can follow.   It is an integral part of every crisis planning and crisis response session I teach. The second […]

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