How Offensive Is Your Organisation?

Corporate Story / By
Or how brave should you or your organisation be in the face of criticism that you are or have been offensive or ‘inappropriate’? Some related reputation management incidents will no doubt have caught your attention recently: Waitrose sought the resignation of its magazine editor, William Sitwell, after freelance journalist, Selene Nelson, revealed how ‘shocked’ she …

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media interview

How To Stop Your CEO Walking Out Of A Media Interview

Reputation Management / By
As Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy put it: “I will defend anyone’s right to act like an arse, but if they do, they shouldn’t be surprised if anyone else decides to park their bike somewhere painful.” You may have seen the video of Persimmon plc CEO, Jeff Fairburn, walking off-camera during a recent BBC interview. He …

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pret a manger

If Pret-a-Manger is now a big, bad business, what does this say about the company you do PR for?

Corporate Story / By
It has been easy to criticise Pret-a-Manger’s clunky response to the tragic death of one of its customers due to an unlabelled, sesame-seed infused baguette. It always is when you are not inside the organisation and party to the debates and decisions. Yet sorrows come not as single spies but in battalions. Now there is …

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warehouse

Growing Tension With Amazon and Its Corporate Reputation

Corporate Story / By
The tension between the successful marketing messages of online retailer, Amazon, and its worsening corporate reputation has been growing this year and a useful example to discuss in our media training. As a consumer, you probably quite like Amazon. Maybe you marvel at its mastery of technology; maybe you celebrate the speed and quality of …

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richard branson pr

Andrew Highlights Richard Branson’s Powerful Human Response to the 2007 Virgin Train Cumbrian Crash

Video Commentary / By
Media mischief-making last week saw Richard Branson criticised for tweeting about people turning up late for meetings when his train company has the worst punctuality record in the country. But let’s take a moment to remember how well he handled a real reputation crisis: the 2007 fatal Virgin Train crash in Cumbria. Watch his highly …

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Leaves on the track type excuse

Don’t Use Your Own ‘Leaves On The Line’ Type Excuse In A Press Release

Reputation Management / By
You've read the excuse - sorry, reason - in a press release for poor corporate performance. Retailers blame the weather; restauranteurs blame Brexit; Imperial Tobacco blamed ISIS for interrupting its distribution network in Iraq. And some just blame their customers. In 2015, Macy's chief financial officer, Karen Hoguet, blamed the company's weakness in the luxury …

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Checklist For Preparing A Crisis Management Team & Crisis Centre

Crisis communications, Expert Guide, Help For Communication Directors / By
Know That When Crisis Strikes ... … it is a time of high emotion and confusion. Initially you will lack accurate information but will need to act and communicate swiftly. In such situations, being able to rely on processes and training will enable you and the crisis management team to act calmly and with purpose. …

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How To Explain A Complicated Thing Like Blockchain In A Media Interview

Media Training, Presentation Skills / By
How do you communicate complex or technical topics like Blockchain in a media interview simply, easily and in layman terms? This is the type of challenge we address in our media training. At the heart of good communication lies simplicity. Which is not the same as 'dumbing down'. Simplicity allows the audience to understand you …

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Frustration Boils Over In Oxfam CEO Media Interview

Case Study, Crisis communications, Help For Communication Directors / By
What was the low point in Oxfam's response to its reputation crisis? It was frustration boiling over for Oxfam’s CEO, Mark Goldring, when he gave a media interview to the Guardian and said that criticism of the charity was “out of proportion to the level of culpability”, that no one had “murdered babies in their …

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Should Company Spokespeople Expect More Hostile Media Interviews In 2018?

Case Study, Media Training, Reputation Management / By
Hostile media interviews. Was the Peterson-Newman Channel 4 interview a watershed moment? Business has an image problem. Whether the focus is on its role in society, levels of executive pay, the privatisation of public services or the alleged behaviour of some of those attending the Presidents Club charity dinner, corporations are under greater scrutiny than …

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Tackling The Fallacy That 93% Of Communication Is Non-verbal

Expert Guide, Media Training, Presentation Skills / By
So Many Trainers Get This So Wrong Many people misunderstand Albert Mehrabian's research if they think he concluded that people’s first impressions are based 55% on how you look, 38% on how you sound (i.e. the 93% total) and only 7% on what you say. If someone was to give you the spoken instruction “Evacuate …

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Why does a story go viral – like United Airlines bumped passenger?

Case Study, Crisis communications, Reputation Management / By
Why does a story go viral? The United Airlines bumped passenger story offers us a nice insight into the power of communications. I suspect that this situation doesn’t make an appearance in United’s crisis manual. But then, it’s not a crisis. It’s a poorly handled issue - at the moment. Much like when two weeks …

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Is There A Legal Duty To Maximise Profit?

Expert Guide, Help For Communication Directors, Media Training / By
Let us examine the oft-repeated claim that the directors of (especially listed) companies have a legal duty to maximise profit and to minimise tax for the benefit of their shareholders. Under Section 172 of the UK’s 2006 Companies Act, company directors merely have a legal duty to promote the success of their company. Specifically, directors …

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nervous speaker

Expert Guide: How to Deal With Nerves Or A Phobia About Public Speaking

Expert Guide, Presentation Skills / By
If You Have A Phobia About Public Speaking ...   ... then you’re suffering from ‘glossophobia’. It’s from the Greek - ‘glosso’ meaning tongue. Fundamentally, the phobia of public speaking comes from a fear of being judged. So how can we lessen it? First, take comfort in your expertise. You would not have been invited …

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Expert Guide: How Architect Firms Can Win More New Business Pitches

Expert Guide, Presentation Skills / By
The remarks below are extracts from a presentation by our Managing Director, Andrew Caesar-Gordon, at the Royal Institute of British Architects, about how architecture firms and builders can pitch their designs more effectively to clients. Electric Airwaves train architect firms to win new business pitches. And many other professional service firms too. We help them …

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Expert Guide: How to Practise Good Issues Management

Crisis communications, Expert Guide / By
To ignore an issue is to invite a crisis. So when is an ‘issue’ an issue?  When do you need to practise good issues management? An issue occurs when there is a gap between your policies, performance, products or public commitments, and your stakeholder expectations. It usually threatens reputation damage. The issues management process seeks …

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Crisis communications plan

Expert Guide: How to Practise Good Crisis Communications

Crisis communications, Expert Guide, Media Training / By
A crisis is defined as: “an intense, unexpected and unstable state that disrupts normal operations and risks highly undesirable outcomes that requires extraordinary measures to restore stability”. Crisis communications management therefore involves the extraordinary measures that are taken to restore stability. A crisis may arise when an issue is ignored or issues management fails or when …

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Doorstep interview

Expert Guide: How to survive ambush or doorstep interviews

Crisis communications, Expert Guide, Media Training / By
The key thing about surviving doorstep interviews is to take control. Running away makes it look as though you have something to hide. If you do not know what you should be saying If you do not know what they are talking about or do not want to answer any questions at all, say “I’m …

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