All posts by James Donnelly

crisis response, opinion and insights

Poll: Impact of crises today – deep or shallow?

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Courtesy: Stuart McMillen, based on work by Neil Postman

 

Although penned more than a year and a half ago, I recently stumbled upon a thought-provoking cartoon by Stuart McMillen and based on text by Neil Postman.  I’ve posted two key panels to the left, but clicking there will take you to the entire cartoon. 

In full, it concludes that Huxley’s fears have become more prevalent than Orwell’s, and that the public has an “almost infinite appetite for distractions.”  Information and entertainment overload are thought to be contributing factors.  We are hyperlinked, super networked and gadget consumed.  (For example, how many travelers do you see toggling through email, Twitter, AP news and Angry Birds apps when in an airport?  How many of you are those travelers?  I’m partially guilty.) 

If the Huxley fears are accurate, it raises an interesting question for crisis/reputation managers.  

Does a crisis today have more impact or less impact than, say, a decade ago when bad news came from fewer focal points? 

By example, I’d venture to guess that the public was more informed about the Toyota recall or the Qantas’ emergency landing (caused by a faulty Rolls-Royce engine) than a decade ago.  But is the impact the same as a decade ago?  

Continue reading Poll: Impact of crises today – deep or shallow? →

opinion and insights

Bad hype, good hype?

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Earlier this week, I stumbled upon another tasty infographic from David McCandless.  Click here or on the image to see the interactive graphic on his website:

Source: David McCandless

 Titled “Mountains Out of Molehills:  A timeline of global media scare stories,” McCandless illustrates some media coverage imbalance on threats that did not materialize into high fatalities. 

From this, you could conclude that this is bad hype – in the interest of higher ratings, the media stokes public fears and sensationalizes uncertainty.  You may be right. 

Alternatively, you could conclude that this is good hype. 

Continue reading Bad hype, good hype? →

opinion and insights, Welcome / site mission

2010 reflections: “I now know why I blog”

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When I launched this blog on Jan. 7, 2010, I will admit I was flying blind.  But, oh, what places I’ve been!   As a 2010 wrap-up post, here are key things I’ve appreciated and learned through this experience.

 

This is my book.  This blog began as a book outline.  The working title was “Crisis Management in the Culture of NOW!”  Within a week of typing “CHAPTER ONE,” I realized I was racing to catch the sun.  I rationalized that by the time I sought a publisher, there’d likely be a half-dozen books on my topic.  I also found myself reading more crisis-expert blogs to bolster points I wanted to make in the book.  I quickly began calculating the benefits of blog vs. book.

A blog has no shelf-life – it’s a living, breathing thing.  A blog would allow me to explore multiple facets of crisis management and communications coaching, not just the angle tethered to a book title.  A blog doesn’t require “new editions” to be updated.  And – perhaps most enticing – a blog encourages interaction through comments and “likes” and retweets. 

Thus, after a maddening month trying to learn web hosting and WordPress (it’s not nearly as easy as advertised), this blog was born.  If I may be immodest, it’s a lot better than my book would have been.

 

This is my database.  Here’s an admission – I have a terrible memory.  If I don’t write something down, it’s very likely that I’ll forget something useful I’ve created for a client.  (Clients who know me well joke that I’m the perfect crisis counselor – unintended disclosures are unlikely because most details of their ordeal are completely forgotten “within a month.”  Har, har.) 

Continue reading 2010 reflections: “I now know why I blog” →

opinion and insights

Video: my interview with CommPRO’s Brian Pittman

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Earlier today, my interview with Brian Pittman – part of his “DESKSIDE WITH…” series – was posted to CommPRO, a marketing communications industry news hub.   Here ‘tis:

I’ll admit that I thought the final video would have been an edited to 4-5 minutes, but the final product clocks in at a meaty 12:51.   If you haven’t got that much time to spend, here’s what we cover:

  • 00:11:  What I’m working on now – moving organizations from “plans” to “capabilities”
  • 00:50:  Crisis implications/lessons on WikiLeaks on companies
  • 4:21:  Biggest mistakes brands make when bad news breaks (hint:  they’re not aligned!)
  • 6:19:  Common elements of companies that manage crises well through social media  (hint:  they’re aligned!)
  • 8:33:  Crisis preparedness New Year’s resolutions
  • 10:18:  How to align crisis response among PR, advertising, marketing, investor relations and corporate communications disciplines and agency partners  (hint:  get aligned before a crisis happens!)

If you have any feedback on the interview, share it with me below.  (And, yes, I know I need a better webcam.)

Thanks!

Dec. 24 Update:  Crisisblogger (and expert) Gerald Baron was kind enough to refer his readers to this interview on his blog.  Thanks, Gerald!

Jan. 20 Update:  It’s nice to see my European colleague Dirk Popp feature this video interview on his blog.  Thanks, Dirk!

opinion and insights

100 sides to every story: more perspectives on forced transparency

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I’ve heard that there are usually three sides to every story:  yours, mine and the truth.  I’m starting to believe that axiom is changing.  Today, there are probably 100 sides to every story. 

Blame it on rise of social networks, citizen broadcasting and, now, the forced disclosures of copious and raw information proffered through WikiLeaks and its copycats.   Since every person and institution carries a bias, everyone has a competing claim to what they view as truth as all of this information gets publicly dissected. 

This is not necessarily good or bad.  It does raise challenges.

As I stated in my original post on WikiLeaks, we can only begin to scratch the surface on effects and implications for businesses.  As predicted, spinoff sites are already propagating and the leading contender, OpenLeaks, is rumored to launch on Monday.  Therefore, since I already opened this Pandora’s Box with my first post, I thought I’d follow up with more perspectives and implications from the best articles I’ve read since last week:

  • This article from The New York Times highlights the U.S. Justice Department’s efforts to determine if Assange encouraged or helped Pfc. Manning to gain access to the classified data.  This would make Assange a conspirator and would fundamentally undermine his position as “one who simply provides the vehicle for leakers.”  Corporate communicators would be unwise to think a prosecution here will provide a respite.  The copycat sites will likely render WikiLeaks and Assange as merely a footnote.
  • Reason magazine raises two possible outcomes of forced disclosures.  It opines that some companies will keep fewer secrets and behave more carefully, or some will “…try harder not to be caught.”  I don’t like the author’s implication that companies are only shadowy, reckless, or both.  I think one other possible outcome is missing:  that companies and individuals may exhibit more caution with all written, digital transmissions.  It will take time, but the pendulum can swing back on this.  All history is cyclical – there’s no reason to believe that our networked world will always remain as candid and open as it is today.  I also think that “digital fingerprinting” will make electronic communications (and leak sources) less anonymous, which will lead to less leaks.  This article from The New York Times raises several other reasons that future secrets may be kept WikiSafe. Continue reading 100 sides to every story: more perspectives on forced transparency →