SECOND EDITION NOW AVAILABLE 2023 CRISIS SIDEBARS BUD LIGHT, NORFOLK SOUTHERN, ADIDAS
From Bud Light to Norfolk Southern to Adidas, new Sidebars and a new Chapter reveal the trauma of far- reaching crises
With an almost 50-year career in public relations, CHRIS KOMISARJEVSKY is an accomplished public relations firm CEO, retired worldwide chief executive of Burson-Marsteller and retired independent board director with deep experience in communication strategy and crisis consulting, leadership and board governance. He earned an MBA, served f
With an almost 50-year career in public relations, CHRIS KOMISARJEVSKY is an accomplished public relations firm CEO, retired worldwide chief executive of Burson-Marsteller and retired independent board director with deep experience in communication strategy and crisis consulting, leadership and board governance. He earned an MBA, served for 24-years as an Independent Trustee/member of the Board of Directors and Governance Chair of three mutual fund boards where he focused on governance policies and procedures, trustee search and compensation. He also taught corporate and crisis communication at Boston University to graduate students.
Chris is a decorated combat veteran, having served as a Captain and a helicopter pilot with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, 1969-1970.
He lives with his wife Reina in Atlantic Beach, New York, and has nine children.
This is his fifth book.
Public relations and corporate communication are integral to business strategy. They are essential to the reputation of every enterprise ... in good times and bad.
The focus of this book is on reputation and its essential role in handling crises.
The purpose of this book is to provide actionable insights. It outlines steps to earn trust
Public relations and corporate communication are integral to business strategy. They are essential to the reputation of every enterprise ... in good times and bad.
The focus of this book is on reputation and its essential role in handling crises.
The purpose of this book is to provide actionable insights. It outlines steps to earn trust well before a crisis hits and then to manage a crisis after the internet has sounded the alarm and the media are clamoring for answers to probing questions, calling for a statement on the record or on camera.
The author's perspective on handling crises is very much operational: to think, evaluate, explore options, take action and get the job done. Chris' focus has always been on learning from both what is replicable and what may be a unique. He believe that drawing on the crisis communication literature – including scholarly analysis – provides an essential perspective.
Practical experience and having learned from others are at the heart of this book.
Reputation is at the center of it all.
Being prepared is a critical component of preserving and defending reputation. So is moving fast in a crisis. After all, attacks from the media, concerned individuals and interest groups can emerge overnight, spreading like wildfire across the globe.
The Foreword was written by GENE McCARTHY – Chairman of the Board of FootBalance System Ltd., with a celebrated career at world leading sports companies. The Afterword was written by PAT FORD – retired Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller and now Professional-in-Residence at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
The Foreword was written by GENE McCARTHY – Chairman of the Board of FootBalance System Ltd., with a celebrated career at world leading sports companies. The Afterword was written by PAT FORD – retired Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller and now Professional-in-Residence at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, with an extensive career consulting on crisis communication.
In his Foreword, Gene McCarthy writes: "reputation is the key to handling crises, reputation is not some flimsy façade that we create for ourselves. The reality is that we are in an age when no one cares about your brand until they know what your brand cares about. The fact is that it will be your employees and consumers who will be the judge and jury to determine any brand's success."
In his Afterword, PAT FORD – retired Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller and now Professional-in-Residence at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications – writes: "when it comes to the communication surrounding a crisis, no one is forgiving. Simply put, they cannot accept not being informed in a timely and proactive way. Equally important, they rebel against explanations that are not delivered with sincerity, compassion and an understanding of how the crisis impacts others, many of whom may have no significant connection to the company."
This book draws on interviews and observations from experienced professionals, studies and literature from organizations in the public relations industry, articles and reports from journalists and experts in leading publications and essays by recognized scholars in academia whose research and writings set the framework for an objective view of crisis communication and the role of reputation.
Little is more important to success than the comparison of what we say to what we do. Our words and actions build or tarnish reputations: our own, those of our families and those of the organizations where we work.
The same holds true for business.
And remember, it is not if there will be a crisis, but simply when.
Adopting the newspaper and magazine technique of a "Sidebar," the book relies on the language and actual words used in media and other reporting on 16 recent crises at the time in order to provide a snapshot of what was going on. Each report is separated into three brief parts: The Crisis Hits, The Crisis Boils and in the view of the book's author, What's at Stake.
That way, those reading can make up their own minds.
This book offers specific guidance on a crisis plan and the critically important communication action steps, ranging from underlying values and purpose to the development of materials and the Tactical Operations Center ... the TOC, the center where from all communications steps are executed.
Plan for a recovery right from the start. Above all, speak to what you reasonably and accurately can. Don't run and hide.
Remember:
Accuracy trumps speed
People have long memories
People have zero tolerance for lying, avoiding, hiding, denying or walking away from responsility.
Above all, think carefully before responding.
The cover-up is worse than the crime.
Board directors need to know what is going on at all stages. They must be informed in a timely manner. Don't wait. After all, the Board has a mandate on issues of governance, compliance and good business judgment. That way, directors can provide guidance to the CEO and senior management. Reputation -- before, during and after a crisis -- is always on their minds.
And even better for today. Technology and the ever-present digital media today have upended the world of communication. It is a bottoms up world where news is shared in nanoseconds by anyone who has a digital device. It matters not whether they are informed. And everyone has an equally loud voice.
In this digital world, reputation is critical. This is the book with actionable insights. It outlines steps to earn trust well before a crisis hits and then to manage after the internet has sounded the alarm and the media are clamoring for answers to probing questions, calling for a statement on the record or on camera.
