Helpful resources
Communications and Marketing Articles
Research and surveys are extremely important to a business or organization, including colleges and universities and other public sector organizations, which aren’t businesses in the real sense of the word but they need to be run like a business.
Yet I come across so many people and organizations who don’t do any research and then try to run their operations or implement new strategies and wonder why they fail. Some people think they already know all the answers, or in other cases simply don’t want to know the answers as it may undermine their personal agenda or plan.
Why do it? Research is extremely useful to help understand your stakeholders, who include prospective customers, existing customers, employees, shareholders, board members, volunteers, and others. It also offers credibility to support a vision, plan or idea.
You need this intelligence to make sound strategic, operational, marketing and other decisions. You need to find out what stakeholders think about you, your organization, brand, products, services, employees, customer service, and much more. This intelligence helps you build upon your successes and improve on your challenges and problem areas.
Even if you have a good understanding of your stakeholder groups and their wants and needs, doing periodic research is important and valuable. It will guide you on what to do and not do, how to do it, what services and products to start or stop offering, what marketing and communications channels and tools to use, provide feedback on your customer services, employee relations, and much more. Plus, doing benchmark research allows you confirm your operations are successful or make adjustments along the way before going too far down a road towards demise of the organization.
How is it done? In years gone by, doing research meant “asking people how they heard about you” when they were in your store, or asking employees to put feedback in a suggestion box, or hiring an expensive research firm to do a massive survey and/or focus group study. Today, there are so many online tools and technologies available that allow organizations to do it themselves or hire smaller firms to do the research at far lower costs.
An example of a great technology is Surveymonkey.com, where you can easily develop sophisticated online surveys with a multitude of questions formats and options. It offers many ways to collect responses, and great tools for analyzing and presenting the data. I often suggest to people to set up a survey and leave it run ongoing with periodic analysis of the data. This allows for an initial data collection and review to provide benchmark data, but then provides periodic reviews to check if the feedback changes based on the new business strategies you implemented.
To conclude, you can guess about important information leading to guessing about what strategies to use to grow and manage your organization…..or you can ask your stakeholders and make informed decisions to enhance your organization – in asking them, the return on this investment is always positive!
If you have a research or survey need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Strategic communications planning is the process of aligning an organization’s messaging, audiences, channels, and objectives to support its broader business or organizational goals. Rather than communicating in a reactive or fragmented way, a strategic plan ensures that every message, campaign, and interaction contributes to a consistent and purposeful direction.
At its core, strategic communications planning begins with research and analysis. Organizations assess their audiences, competitive landscape, brand positioning, and current communications performance. This insight allows leaders to identify opportunities, risks, and priority audiences while ensuring messaging reflects both organizational values and market realities.
A well-developed communications strategy establishes clear objectives and defines the key messages that will guide all outreach efforts. It also identifies the most effective channels—such as media relations, digital platforms, community engagement, or marketing communications—to reach target audiences. By coordinating these elements, organizations avoid duplication, mixed messaging, and inefficient use of resources.
One of the most important benefits of strategic communications planning is consistency. When everyone within an organization communicates from the same strategic framework, the brand voice becomes stronger, more recognizable, and more credible. Stakeholders—including customers, partners, investors, and the public—receive clear, aligned messages that build trust and reinforce reputation.
Strategic planning also improves efficiency and accountability. Defined timelines, responsibilities, and measurement tools allow organizations to track performance and adjust tactics as needed. Communications efforts become measurable rather than speculative, enabling leaders to evaluate what is working and where improvements can be made.
Another key value is preparedness. Organizations that invest in communications planning are better equipped to respond to emerging issues, public scrutiny, or crises. With established protocols, approved messaging frameworks, and clear lines of responsibility, they can respond quickly and confidently while protecting their reputation.
Ultimately, strategic communications planning transforms communication from a series of isolated activities into a coordinated system that supports long-term success. By linking messaging directly to organizational goals, it ensures that every communication effort contributes to stronger relationships, clearer understanding, and measurable impact.
When communications are guided by strategy rather than circumstance, organizations gain greater control over their narrative, their reputation, and their future.
If you have a strategic communications need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines a 
brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of any of these with the goal of identifying the goods and services of one organization or group of organizations and to differentiate them from those of other organizations.
It makes sense to understand that branding is not about getting your target market to choose you over the competition, but it’s about getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.
The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:
- Delivers the message clearly
- Confirms your credibility
- Connects your target audience emotionally
- Motivates the target audience to perform an action
- Concretes loyalty with the target audience / customers
To succeed in branding you must first understand your organization’s goals, and the needs and wants of your customers and prospects. After collecting this information, other research, and going through a variety of processes, you define your brand and all the accompanying elements (mission statement, logo, colors, etc). You then integrate your brand and its strategies through your company at every point of public contact (ie. Website, brochures, advertisements, employees, etc).
Your brand needs to stimulate an emotional response within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot. )ie. Nike stimulates emotions on quality and cool factor, McDonalds stimulates emotions on convenient and inexpensive food)
A strong brand is valuable as your battle for customers and sales increases. It’s important to spend time investing in researching, defining, and building your brand because your brand is a message and a promise to your customers. It can make or break your organization.
If you have a branding need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
There are many ways for an organization to generate revenue (besides the obvious sell more and spend less options) and many of them can be used by non-profit, government, or corporate for-profit organizations alike, but with small variations in planning and implementation. Below I’ve listed and explained some common sources of revenue generation, because in today’s world and economy, every extra dollar helps an organization survive and advance.
Donations – while common with non-profits, it’s not limited to those. Subject to your organization, you can seek donations from users, community members, employees, alumni, and even customers. A few ideas include:
- Hold fundraising events such as golf tournaments, sporting events, or smaller events such as a dinner or bingo night. Consider having a raffle or silent auction as part of your fundraising event.
- Developing a planned giving/estate/endowment program. Individuals interested in your mission may want to ensure that part or all of their assets are distributed to your organization when they pass away.
- Developing a memorial gift program. This gives individuals the opportunity to make a gift in memory of a loved one or friend. Or, they can make a gift as a living tribute in honor of someone they care about.
- Micro donations or crowd-funding for specific needs or events can often be better than general fundraising for needs that are unknown at the time or a general fund. People want to donate to something close to their heart.
Advertising – this isn’t applicable to all organizations however it can be to most and there are several methods including: ads in your company newsletters and related promotional collateral, ads on your website, signage in your facilities, advertising on your fleet vehicles, and other ways. This can be done manually in-house, using an agent, or using technology, especially for online ads that can generate revenue through your website, apps, and social media.
Grants – there are numerous foundations, corporations, and government entities offering grants to organizations for a variety of needs, activities, or events. Start close to home in your city or municipal office, then provincial or state and federal jurisdictions. Also search for grants online from corporations and other organizations such as universities, non-profits, and foundations. It takes time to research and apply but well worth it.
Sell Proprietary Products or Services – that are developed in house by your staff. Consider legally protecting that new tool, process, or product and selling or licensing it to similar yet non-competing organizations. You may find you have a lot of proprietary inventions and processes that could generate revenue for you.
Facility Rentals – sub-lease and rent facilities that are not being used efficiently, because much of the costs are already “sunk” or occurring whether they are used or not. Develop a plan that outlines costs, policies, and procedures for facility rentals and market them to community groups, organizations, and others.
Host Events – if you have the expertise, facilities, or similar goals, consider hosting large events for sports, conferences, community activities, and other options. Not only can these generate revenue upfront but also indirectly as your organization benefits from great exposure and PR which can leads to increase sales revenues.
Offer Training Sessions – If you’re paying to attain professional development, training, or education services for your employees, consider partnering with a similar organization or inviting community members to reduce costs. It may pay off your total invest thus saving you the money you had budgeted, or you may even generate a profit.
Provide Services to Other Organizations – Capitalizing on the expertise and experience of your staff members, you can develop and conduct training programs where attendees pay a fee. Record the training sessions and develop online versions or training manuals for sale. Sell these products on your website. It may mean developing a process to “revenue share” with the employees who help in developing and delivering the training programs. But it’s a win-win.
Increase Sales – no kidding right? But I don’t mean simply try and sell more, but try and sell smarter. Try new or different selling strategies or models. Look for diversification of offerings, partnering with other organizations for gains through cooperative advertising, look for vertical integration opportunities, use lower cost yet broader reaching online strategies, and others ways to increase your sales.
Reduce Costs – another obvious yet often overlooked source of revenue. I don’t mean laying people off, but looking for simple and small ways to reduce costs. Small savings add up over a year and especially over the long-term.
- Small ways include: use less office supplies, automate with technology where possible, reduce electricity and water use, or attend fewer offsite conferences and have more in house, online, or webinar based training
- Develop a volunteer pool or have students work on projects that you need done but don’t have the staffing levels for. Also, empower your volunteers to identify and secure potential sponsors, and solicit donations.
- A larger method is to share enterprise wide services with other similar organizations such as: purchasing, fleet maintenance, janitorial, IT, marketing and others. I don’t mean to suggest laying people off, but instead look to simply reduce or limit growing operational costs, especially while in start-up or growth stages.
If you have a revenue generation need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
CHANGE. It’s a word that so many people fear, especially within the organizational context….but why?
Because change is – to make the form, nature, content, future course, of something different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone - which is what many people want or find the easiest. It’s commonly known as the status quo.
The problem is that most things in life change one way or the other. So you’re either part of the change or you’re the outcome of the change. I often say that if you’re not moving forward with change, then you’re probably going backwards (not remaining the same). While it is often hard to understand and embrace change, it is important that we try to. What’s even more important is that when change is to be implemented, especially in an organizational context, it is done in a positive and managed way. That’s where change management comes in.
Change management is the application of a structured process and set of tools for leading the “people side” of change to achieve a desired outcome.
Change management and organizational transformation emphasizes the “people side” of change, and when done well people feel engaged in the change process and work collectively towards achieving common objectives, delivering results, and realizing benefits. Employees within all levels of an organization must be involved to maximize the probability for success.
There are several models and processes that can be used for change management and organizational transformation including the ADKAR model, PCI (people centered implementation), KOTTER’s 8-step change model, PROSCI’s 3-phased change management process, and others. These are important, because if change is not managed effectively the risks can be high and negative for an organization. They include:
- Morale deteriorates, which leads to productivity declines.
- Productivity declines leading to poor customer service and lost revenues.
- Passive resistance escalates leading to active resistance.
- Active resistance emerges and sabotages the change.
- Divides or silos are created in the organization between “us and them”.
- Valued employees leave the organization.
- Projects go over budget and past their deadline.
- Workarounds are used to avoid the new way of doing things, or employees revert back to the old way.
- The organization builds a history of failed and painful changes, which makes I third to hire new good employees.
This is a very broad and deep topic and I could write about it for pages, but I’ll conclude by offering these 10 general tips that usually apply to most change management initiatives.
- Address the “human side” systematically.
- Start at the top.
- Involve every layer.
- Make the formal case.
- Create ownership.
- Communicate the message.
- Assess the cultural landscape.
- Address culture explicitly.
- Prepare for the unexpected.
- Speak to the individual.
We’ve probably all experienced examples where an organization or its employees couldn’t or wouldn’t change for a variety of reasons, but everyone can do their part by being open to change, because as scary as it might seem, it often leads to positive outcomes for employees, customers, and the organization overall.
So don’t fear change, embrace it, because the world is changing around you whether you like it or not.
If you have a change management need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
External Engagement Articles
Research and surveys are extremely important to a business or organization, including colleges and universities and other public sector organizations, which aren’t businesses in the real sense of the word but they need to be run like a business.
Yet I come across so many people and organizations who don’t do any research and then try to run their operations or implement new strategies and wonder why they fail. Some people think they already know all the answers, or in other cases simply don’t want to know the answers as it may undermine their personal agenda or plan.
Why do it? Research is extremely useful to help understand your stakeholders, who include prospective customers, existing customers, employees, shareholders, board members, volunteers, and others. It also offers credibility to support a vision, plan or idea.
You need this intelligence to make sound strategic, operational, marketing and other decisions. You need to find out what stakeholders think about you, your organization, brand, products, services, employees, customer service, and much more. This intelligence helps you build upon your successes and improve on your challenges and problem areas.
Even if you have a good understanding of your stakeholder groups and their wants and needs, doing periodic research is important and valuable. It will guide you on what to do and not do, how to do it, what services and products to start or stop offering, what marketing and communications channels and tools to use, provide feedback on your customer services, employee relations, and much more. Plus, doing benchmark research allows you confirm your operations are successful or make adjustments along the way before going too far down a road towards demise of the organization.
How is it done? In years gone by, doing research meant “asking people how they heard about you” when they were in your store, or asking employees to put feedback in a suggestion box, or hiring an expensive research firm to do a massive survey and/or focus group study. Today, there are so many online tools and technologies available that allow organizations to do it themselves or hire smaller firms to do the research at far lower costs.
An example of a great technology is Surveymonkey.com, where you can easily develop sophisticated online surveys with a multitude of questions formats and options. It offers many ways to collect responses, and great tools for analyzing and presenting the data. I often suggest to people to set up a survey and leave it run ongoing with periodic analysis of the data. This allows for an initial data collection and review to provide benchmark data, but then provides periodic reviews to check if the feedback changes based on the new business strategies you implemented.
To conclude, you can guess about important information leading to guessing about what strategies to use to grow and manage your organization…..or you can ask your stakeholders and make informed decisions to enhance your organization – in asking them, the return on this investment is always positive!
If you have a research or survey need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Organizations today operate in an environment where transparency, accountability, and meaningful dialogue with stakeholders are more important than ever. Whether in the public sector, non-profit organizations, or private enterprises, decisions often affect communities, customers, and partners in significant ways. Establishing a public engagement framework and plan provides a structured approach for organizations to listen, communicate, and collaborate effectively with the people they serve.
A public engagement framework is the guiding structure that defines how an organization approaches stakeholder involvement. It outlines principles, objectives, and standards for engaging with the public in a consistent and respectful manner. The accompanying engagement plan translates this framework into practical actions—identifying audiences, engagement methods, timelines, and evaluation measures for specific initiatives or projects.
One of the primary values of a public engagement framework is clarity. Without a defined structure, engagement efforts can be inconsistent, reactive, or limited to one-way communication. A framework helps ensure that engagement is intentional and aligned with organizational goals. It establishes when and how the public will be involved in decision-making processes, and what level of participation is appropriate—from simply informing stakeholders to consulting, collaborating, or co-creating solutions.
Trust is another major benefit. Communities and stakeholders are more likely to support initiatives when they feel their voices are heard and considered. A well-designed public engagement plan demonstrates that an organization values transparency and input from those affected by its decisions. By clearly communicating how feedback will be gathered and used, organizations build credibility and strengthen relationships with their audiences.
Public engagement frameworks also improve the quality of decisions. Stakeholders often bring valuable insights, lived experiences, and perspectives that may not exist within the organization itself. Through surveys, workshops, community meetings, digital platforms, and other engagement tools, organizations can gather diverse viewpoints that help identify potential risks, uncover opportunities, and refine proposed solutions. This collaborative approach often leads to better-informed policies, programs, and projects.
Another advantage is improved efficiency and organization. A structured engagement plan outlines timelines, roles, and communication channels in advance. This preparation reduces confusion and ensures engagement activities are coordinated rather than ad hoc. It also allows organizations to allocate resources effectively, select the most appropriate engagement tools, and manage expectations around participation and outcomes.
A public engagement framework is also essential in managing complex or controversial issues. When organizations face decisions that may generate strong public interest or concern, having an established engagement process provides a clear pathway for dialogue. Stakeholders understand how they can participate, while the organization benefits from a structured process for gathering input and addressing concerns in a transparent manner.
Measurement and accountability are equally important components. Effective engagement plans include evaluation methods to assess participation levels, stakeholder satisfaction, and the influence of public input on decision-making. These insights allow organizations to improve future engagement efforts and demonstrate the tangible value of involving the public.
Ultimately, a public engagement framework and plan transform stakeholder interaction from a reactive communication exercise into a strategic and collaborative process. By creating consistent standards and clear opportunities for participation, organizations foster stronger relationships, enhance decision-making, and build lasting trust with the communities they serve..
If you have a public engagement need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
It sounds easy to understand, and even to do, but it isn’t as easy as you might think. I’ll explain it in simple terms and give you a few tips on how to plan for Digital Engagement (DE) in your organization. It is not simply using a website or social media tool to push out your messages one-way.
Simply put, DE uses digital tools and techniques to find, mobilize, listen to, engage, and dialogue with key stakeholder groups for a strategic purpose or issue. The key here is that it involves two-way interaction in many cases.
DE examples include:
- A university might use it for brand advancement, student recruitment, or student athletics pride building.
- A company might want employee feedback in co-developing a new strategic vision and plan.
- A non-profit organization might use it for collecting feedback from users on a new plan or program.
- An airline might use it for managing delays and customer complaints in real-time.
- An energy company might use it for issues management about a new and unpopular oil pipeline.
- A sports team might use it to promote the team brand to build support, and sell tickets and merchandise.
While there are many DE technology options, here are a few key tools that can be used:
- Online surveys – to collect initial data and feedback on a specific issue or cause, and to help formulate a DE plan.
- Websites, microsites, mobile sites – often as a first stop leading to more engaging interactive tools..
- Social media tools – based on your audience / stakeholder groups. Great for monitoring and engagement.
- Online forums, chat boards, and digital town halls – to allow for open dialogue.
- Blogs – that allow for feedback, comments, and ratings.
- Analytic tools – to measure reach, engagement, interaction, conversion, and other KPIs.
- CRM systems – that can collect and manage the stakeholder and engagement data.
There are many specific tools and software available within the key areas above. Some free, some paid. Choose strategically based on the steps below.
A framework to set up and integrate digital engagement into your marketing, communications or external relations plans for most organizations would generally include the following:
- Clearly understand your key objective. ie. enhancing customer service, feedback collection, issues management.
- Establish a vision, goals, and desired outcomes.
- Clearly understand who your audiences or stakeholder groups are, where they are, and what they want or need.
- Be specific, it’s not “everyone”, and they don’t want or need everything.
- Segment them into groups by demographics or other attributes if needed.
- Learn about and understand what influences them, pushes their buttons, and makes them engage.
- To achieve steps 1 and 2 you may need to perform research or surveys of your audiences to help establish objectives, learn about their preferences, trends, influence criteria, preferred channels, and other valuable information to implement into your DE framework and strategic plan.
- Determine if you have existing assets and tools in place. ie. a CRM database of contacts, a network or audience members, social media tools, a high traffic website, money to finance the project.
- Determine what tools and technologies you need to enroll for, or buy, and begin implementing them based on the steps above. You won’t need them all – and that is a key mistake people make – they set up 20 tools when they only need 4 and should simply use those 4 well to achieve the objective.
- Establish an implementation plan – including costs, a schedule, tools, team players, and key roll-out steps.
- Ensure you have analytics in place to measure engagement across the platforms and channels you use.
- You’ll likely want or need to develop user guidelines, policies, and other materials in support of your DE plan.
- Implement, measure, adapt, enhance and continue
Organizations are becoming serious about their digital engagement efforts and have moved past the “let’s wait and see” stage or the “one-way communications” process into the full adoption of a strategic DE plan and technology integration. There is much more depth to this topic and I could have written many pages but I offer the quick overview above.
If you have a digital engagement need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
A media relations strategy is an essential component of an organization’s overall communications plan. It provides a structured approach to building relationships with journalists, sharing newsworthy information, and managing how an organization is represented in the media. When developed thoughtfully, a media relations strategy helps ensure consistent messaging, improves public visibility, and strengthens credibility.
One of the first key elements is clear objectives. Organizations must define what they want to achieve through media engagement. Objectives may include raising awareness of an initiative, promoting services or products, positioning leadership as subject-matter experts, or strengthening the organization’s reputation. Clear goals help guide all media outreach and ensure efforts are aligned with broader organizational priorities.
Another important element is audience and media targeting. Not all media outlets reach the same audiences. A strong strategy identifies the publications, broadcasters, digital platforms, and journalists most relevant to the organization’s stakeholders. Developing a focused media list allows communications teams to tailor messages and pitch stories to outlets that are most likely to be interested.
Key messaging is also central to an effective media relations strategy. Organizations should establish clear, concise messages that communicate their mission, values, and priorities. These messages ensure consistency across interviews, press releases, and public statements. Well-defined messaging helps spokespeople communicate confidently and prevents mixed or unclear communication.
Story development and news planning are equally important. Media relations should focus on sharing compelling and relevant stories rather than simply distributing information. Organizations should identify newsworthy announcements, milestones, research findings, events, or community initiatives that may attract media interest. Creating a proactive editorial calendar can help ensure a steady flow of timely stories.
Another critical component is spokesperson preparation. Identifying and training designated spokespersons ensures the organization communicates clearly and professionally when speaking with journalists. Media training can help leaders understand interview techniques, message delivery, and how to handle challenging questions.
Finally, monitoring and evaluation help measure success. Tracking media coverage, audience reach, tone, and message accuracy provides insight into how well the strategy is performing. These insights allow organizations to refine their approach and strengthen future media engagement.
Together, these elements create a media relations strategy that supports effective storytelling, builds trust with journalists, and enhances the organization’s public profile.
If you have a media relations planning need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Many marketing, communications and media relations professionals still struggle with this question. So I’m going to provide a short and summarized answer. I could write a ton of content on this and its related topics but in this case, I’ll keep is simple and clear.
But we small business owners wear many hats. Marketing may be one of 6 or 7 responsibilities you have. In fact, you may have so many responsibilities that you’ve run out of hats (see cartoon above).
Owned media is when you use and leverage a channel you create and control. This could be your Twitter account, YouTube channel, website, company blog, Facebook page, etc. Even though you don’t technically own these channels and mediums, you do control them and generally don’t have to pay for basic usage.
Earned media is when offline or online media, public, or customers share your content, mention your brand via word of mouth, and otherwise discuss your brand, company, products or services. Simply put, these mentions are “earned,” meaning they are given by others voluntarily.
Paid media is when you pay to use and leverage a third-party channel, such as advertising on third-party sites, sponsorships or paid searches on Google.
Discussions about owned, earned and paid media tend to be in the context of larger corporations. But the concept is just as relevant to small businesses. The concept of owned, earned and paid media has content at the center. Fortunately, small businesses are getting savvier at creating and managing content.
Forrester Research created this chart that lays it out pretty well, including the advantages and disadvantages:
If you have a media relations need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Crisis Communications Articles
Crisis communication is generally designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a challenge to its reputation, usually a public challenge. Communication scholars often define crisis communication as the perception of an unpredictable event that threatens important expectancies of stakeholders and can seriously impact an organization’s performance and generate negative outcomes. So why do so many organizations ignore or put little effort into crisis communications until an actual crisis occurs?
Preventative measures and preparation in anticipation of potential crises can turn reactionary crisis communications into confident crisis management. I’ve dealt with several crisis communications situations and I’ve learned the value of a few basic preparedness strategies that I offer below.
- What Crisis? First understand that it’s never a crisis..…until it’s a crisis, but that doesn’t mean you don’t plan for it. Don’t fool yourself into thinking “it will never happen to us”, or “we’ll deal with it if and when it happens”. An organization usually has some sort of crisis to deal with over time, large public sector organizations and universities often have several. Learn to anticipate a crisis – you’ll be better prepared for when it happens, and you may realize that some crises are preventable by simply modifying operations, procedures, and other aspects of your organization.
- The Team. Identify a team of key individuals in your organization who may need to be designated spokespeople, will collect and provide information, marshal media, manage communications channels (email, social media, radio, TV, others you may use), and perform other tasks. These will likely include the CEO, legal counsel, communications/PR leaders and staff, board members, agency reps, heads of major divisional units, and others. Training for spokespeople may be required and is always a good investment.
- Crises that Could Affect Your Organization. Research and brainstorm on crises that generally can or have affected your industry. Review articles and outcomes, watch videos, and learn about how they were handled, or mishandled. Use this intelligence to list out potential crises that may impact your organization to help you plan for managing them.
- Develop a plan. You can’t plan for each crisis but you can develop a general plan for any crisis. Start by answering the basics of Who, What, Where, When, Why, How. Develop policies and guidelines for employees and other stakeholders. More in-depth plans can be developed or start with a simple one, but any plan is better than no plan at all! Also consider preparing pre-drafted statements, sound bites, tweets, and anticipated QandAs for a small handful of these.
- Prepare Crisis Communications Kits. I’ve been told that I may have been the first in our industry to implement crisis communications kits (and I don’t mean a bunch of forms or documents). They served our team well and I highly recommend them. If your organization has multiple locations, it’s a good idea to prepare communications kits that contain a variety of useful items needed in case of a crisis. Aside from your laptop and mobile phone which you should carry with you always, a kit could contain: your plan, key contacts list, informational documents, collateral materials, signage, a portable radio, walkie talkies, pen and paper, markers, some cardstock for instant signage, extension cord, Ethernet cord, power bar, chargers, flash drive with your digital plans and supporting info on it also, energy bars, and an assortment of other items that help prepare you for what might be an extended situation. Store it all in something easily carried such as a backpack, duffel bag or similar. Keep in mind, subject to the crisis, you may not have cell or landline service among other vital services.
- Practice. Do a run through of a mock crisis or two with your team, department, and others as needed. Role play and pose tough questions on different scenarios with each other to test how prepared you are. Do it in front of a camera to face some pressure and then review how you do on camera.
- Implement Monitoring and Notification Systems. These can involve technology, social and conventional media monitoring tools, and simply educating employees on a process of staying alert and who to contact in case of a crisis. Examples include media monitoring agencies, Google Alerts, social media, text messaging, web alerts, email, and many others.
- During a Crisis, Understand your Position. Work with senior leadership, legal advisors if necessary, and the communications team to prepare a situation plan. Determine what happened, your explanation, and how it will be rectified and prevented from happening again. Ensure it is accurate and honest. Develop messaging and select communications channels for the situation, and stay on message, but be prepared to adapt if the situation escalates or changes.
- During a Crisis, Say Something. The worst thing you can do during a crisis is say nothing, no matter how bad the crisis is. Silence breeds rumours and speculation, and feeds perceptions of inaction, incompetence and indifference. Empathize with your stakeholders’ emotional state. Being accurate, factual, focused and calm during a crisis is important but you don’t want to appear uncaring.
- Post-Crisis Analysis. After a crisis is managed and hopefully resolved you should analyze it and how your team dealt with it in order to learn and adapt as needed. Have a review and brainstorming session to determine what was done right, what was done wrong, what could be done better next time, and how to improve various elements of your organizational crisis preparedness.
Conclusion: Don’t take the position that doing this is a waste of time and money, and thinking that… “it will never happen to us”. That’s what many people say…and then they have a crisis. It’s worth the small investment to be prepared, proactive and professional.
If you have a crisis or emergency communications need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
A crisis mitigation communications strategy is designed to help organizations anticipate, prepare for, and respond effectively to situations that could threaten their reputation, operations, or stakeholder trust. Rather than reacting under pressure, a well-developed strategy provides a structured framework that enables organizations to communicate clearly, consistently, and confidently during challenging circumstances.
One of the most important elements of a crisis mitigation strategy is risk identification and scenario planning. Organizations should assess potential issues that could escalate into crises, such as operational failures, safety incidents, reputational concerns, or external events. By identifying possible scenarios in advance, communications teams can develop prepared messaging, response procedures, and decision-making protocols that reduce uncertainty when a crisis emerges.
Another key component is the establishment of a crisis response team. This team typically includes senior leadership, communications professionals, legal advisors, and operational experts who can provide accurate information and coordinate the organization’s response. Clear roles and responsibilities ensure decisions are made quickly and communications are approved efficiently.
Prepared messaging frameworks are also critical. While each crisis is unique, organizations benefit from having adaptable message templates that emphasize transparency, accountability, and empathy. Initial communications should acknowledge the situation, explain what is known, outline immediate actions being taken, and commit to providing updates as more information becomes available.
A strong strategy also identifies designated spokespersons who are trained to communicate with media, stakeholders, and the public. Spokespersons should be prepared to deliver clear messages, respond to difficult questions, and maintain a calm and credible presence during high-pressure situations.
Communication channels and monitoring systems are another essential element. Organizations must determine how they will share information quickly through media relations, digital platforms, internal communications, and stakeholder outreach. At the same time, monitoring media coverage, social media discussions, and public sentiment helps organizations respond to misinformation and adjust messaging when necessary.
Finally, post-crisis evaluation and learning are critical to long-term resilience. After a crisis, organizations should review their communications response, identify lessons learned, and refine their crisis plans to improve preparedness for future situations.
By planning in advance and establishing clear communication processes, a crisis mitigation communications strategy helps organizations protect their reputation, maintain stakeholder confidence, and navigate difficult situations more effectively.
If you have a crisis or emergency communications need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Many organizational crises begin as small issues that, if left unaddressed, can quickly escalate into larger problems. Mitigating a crisis while it is still in the issue stage is one of the most effective ways to protect an organization’s reputation, maintain stakeholder confidence, and avoid costly disruptions. Proactive monitoring, early response, and strategic communication are essential components of this approach.
The first step is issue identification and monitoring. Organizations should continuously track internal operations, stakeholder feedback, media coverage, and social media discussions to identify potential concerns early. Issues may emerge from customer complaints, operational challenges, regulatory questions, or public commentary. Detecting these signals early allows leaders to assess the situation before it grows into a broader crisis.
Once an issue is identified, internal assessment and coordination are critical. Leadership and communications teams must quickly gather accurate information, determine the scope of the issue, and understand who may be affected. Clear internal communication ensures that all departments involved are aligned on the facts and on the steps needed to address the concern.
Another important element is proactive communication with key stakeholders. When appropriate, organizations should acknowledge concerns early and demonstrate that they are taking the issue seriously. Transparent communication helps prevent speculation, misinformation, and disinformation while showing that the organization is responsive and responsible.
Strategic messaging also plays a significant role in issue mitigation. Messages should focus on explaining the situation, outlining actions being taken to address it, and reinforcing the organization’s commitment to accountability and improvement. Providing timely updates helps maintain credibility and prevents the issue from escalating due to a lack of information.
In many cases, corrective action is required alongside communication efforts. Addressing operational problems, improving policies, or clarifying misunderstandings can resolve issues before they gain broader attention.
Finally, organizations benefit from continuous evaluation and learning. Reviewing how issues are detected and managed helps strengthen monitoring systems and communication processes for the future.
By recognizing and addressing issues early, organizations can often prevent them from developing into full crises. This proactive approach protects reputation, supports strong stakeholder relationships, and ensures problems are managed with clarity and control.
If you have a crisis or emergency communications need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Public communications play a critical role in the effectiveness of an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). During emergencies such as natural disasters, infrastructure failures, public safety incidents, or community crises, the EOC becomes the central hub for coordinating response efforts and ensuring that accurate information is shared with the public. A well-structured communications function within the EOC helps protect public safety, reduce confusion, and maintain trust during rapidly evolving situations.
One of the primary responsibilities of public communications in an EOC is providing timely and accurate information. During emergencies, the public relies on trusted sources to understand what is happening, what risks exist, and what actions they should take to stay safe. Communications teams must work closely with operational staff, emergency responders, and leadership within the EOC to gather verified information and distribute it quickly through appropriate channels.
Another important element is coordinated messaging. Multiple agencies and departments may be involved in responding to an emergency, and inconsistent messaging can create confusion or undermine public confidence. Public communications staff within the EOC ensure that information released to the media, community partners, and the public is consistent and aligned with the overall response strategy.
Multi-channel communication is also essential. Information may be shared through media briefings, news releases, social media platforms, official websites, emergency alert systems, and community outreach networks. Using multiple channels ensures messages reach diverse audiences, including vulnerable populations who may rely on different forms of communication.
Public communications teams are also responsible for monitoring public response and media coverage. Tracking questions, rumours, and misinformation allows the EOC to address inaccuracies quickly and adjust messaging to better meet public information needs. This two-way communication helps decision-makers understand community concerns and respond accordingly.
Finally, effective public communications in an EOC require trained spokespersons and clear communication protocols. Designated officials provide regular updates to the media and public, reinforcing key messages and demonstrating leadership during the crisis.
By delivering clear, coordinated, and reliable information, public communications within an Emergency Operations Centre help communities remain informed, prepared, and resilient during emergencies.
If you have a EOC communications need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
Technology Articles
In a world where everything and everyone seems to be within 6 degrees of separation, the issue of security becomes an important topic.
In the past I wrote about the idea of a personal domain name, and here I want to focus on security. E-Communication has presented businesses with large opportunities that were relatively unheard of a couple decades ago. But for all the advantages the internet has to offer E-Communication, it also carries some unprecedented challenges.
The convenience of doing business online has forced many businesses to invest large percentages of their annual IT budgets on protecting their customers and themselves against disrupted operations and theft due to computer / cyber crime. These investments in security measures have become important to many companies as it helps bestow confidence in their customers.
Still cases of identity theft range in the many thousands each year, and the risks of breaches of privacy are a major concern to many parents whose children continuously communicate electronically. Still, E-communication continues to prosper despite these risks, partially because of the large benefits associated with online activities.
With that being said, it is important to keep in mind the different security concerns that are associated with E-Communication, and I recommend you take the necessary precautionary measures to protect yourself. These include keeping your anti-virus software updated, using smart protocols with your user logins and passwords, being aware and alert for common online viruses and scams, and ensuring your e-commerce software or SaaS provider has security measures in place such as SSL encryption.
If you have a technology need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
App is an abbreviation for application. An app is a piece of software. It can run on the Internet, on your computer, or on your phone or other electronic devices. Google offers many extremely powerful and functional tools and apps developed for a variety of technologies and needs such as e-marketing, online communications, online advertising, website SEO, and more.
It’s not a matter of if you need to use one or more of these tools, it’s a matter of which ones, and how soon can you start! Some of Google’s man business and e-marketing tools and apps include:
- Gmail – web-based email tool and main account tool for all other services.
- Adwords – the Google online advertising platform.
- Analytics – their website traffic monitoring and measurement tool.
- Adsense – a tool to generate revenue on your website by offering ads.
- Search Tools – search appliances you can use on your website.
- Places – a tool to mark and promote your business location on Google Maps.
- Optimize – a tool to help with SEO and optimizing of websites.
- Calendar– a web-based calendar tool that allows sharing another functions.
- Docs – a web-based tool to store, work on and share documents with others.
- Groups – allows for formation of groups to access and share other services.
- And many more – see them all here.
You’ll soon discover all the other tools and how beneficial they will be and how they tie in with each other.
If you have a technology need at your organization, reach out to us for support.
I recommend to all my clients, followers and students who I teach in university business classes that a smart move they can all do now is to reserve their personal domain names and vanity URLs in many social media and related websites.
“Wow that sounds like a lot of work and money, and I don’t have or want to use a website or social media”, you might say. But I say “maybe not today or tomorrow, and perhaps never, but get them today, stash them away, because you know what the future holds”.
Two, five or ten years down the road you may start a business, become a consultant, need a personal brand to acquire a new job, or you may go into politics. The bottom line is that it is essentially dirt cheap or free to do this and you don’t have to use them now. Just secure them now before they’re gone. It’s as much about protecting your personal brand and branded digital channels from others as it is about you maybe using them in the future.
For the cost of a coffee or two and a couple of hours you can research, register and secure your domain name (I recommend your personal name as a first choice) but they are cheap so consider potential business names, urls based on interests or hobbies you have and other options.
You can always allow them to expire later or try and sell them for more than you initially paid. Also secure your Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts and vanity urls for sure…and others as needed.
Remember it’s cheap (or free), takes little time, and you never know how valuable to you they may become in the future. Consider it “money in the bank”!
If you have a guidance on domains for your organization, reach out to us for support.
If you have a website you need to be using Google Analytics to measure your traffic….and collect a ton of other great intel!
Not using GA is like doing conventional business and marketing without knowing anything about who your customers are, where they come from, what they look at in your store (website) and more. Oh ya….many business are presently in this position. Wow, that is a shame because that’s just bad business practice, it’s wasting money, and it’s missing out on tons of opportunity to increases sales, customer service, and profits.
It’s free to use, only takes a few minutes to sign up for an account, and is fairly easy to implement the code….even for non-techies. Plus, GA integrates with Google AdWords (for those of you doing online PPC advertising) and integrates with other Google tools. WordPress also offers a plugin for their blogs. Within one account you can track a bunch of websites, for you power users with multiple sites.
Once setup you can use the intel you collect to make smart decisions on website development, offline and online marketing and advertising, and many other business needs. So what’s your excuse for not using Google Analytics?
If you have a technology need at your organization, reach out to us for support.