Death and destruction-The Thailand bombing
On August 19, 2015
I just don’t get where we have gone wrong. What motivates people to kill and injure hundreds of people? Thailand, Syria, Iraq, Kenya, America and the list could go on. I am no expert in foreign politics but it seems to me that our society is degenerating. We seem to have lost our connectedness, our...
A genuine apology- A stark contrast in crisis communication
On August 10, 2015
The day after I wrote a blog about a feeble apology from Jon Faine (after his interview with the lawyer of a bullying victim) a letter from Scotch College came across my desk. It was a stark comparison. I wanted to congratulate the school for what I think is a genuine and heartfelt apology. Why...
The Usain Bolt of crisis communication
On August 3, 2015
To state the obvious; effective and efficient communication during a crisis is an absolute imperative. It is essentially what underpins the safety of people, the ability to protect the strength of your stakeholder relationships and the difference between coming out of a crisis with your reputation intact, or not. Crisis teams need to be able...
Jon Faine’s bully blunder- A lesson in crisis management
On July 29, 2015
It was interesting radio this morning as Jon Faine questioned the lawyer of Dimity Paul, Adem Somyurek’s chief of staff who was a victim of workplace bullying at the hands of the Minister. Jon’s line of questioning almost supported workplace bullying. Comments like ‘Politics is a tough environment’ and questions like ‘How bad was the...
Crisis response – spin doctors or Action Jacksons?
On July 6, 2015
During a crisis response, actions will always speak louder than words. I had an interesting discussion with a client recently. Caught up in a major issue that has the potential to impact their reputation, they asked me what message I thought they should focus on. ‘Listen, learn and prevent it happening again’ was my response. ...
Practice makes perfect (sense)
On July 1, 2015
In a recent tragedy, several children died. The crisis team of a long-term client swung into immediate action. Within 45 minutes, the client’s response was prepared. Genuine messages of condolences, tributes on site, staff counselling and more. The team worked seamlessly, each knowing their role, and no one needed to refer to their crisis manual....
Setting objectives during a crisis
On February 9, 2015
Failure to set and agree on clear objectives seems to cause problems for many, especially when they need to be SMART (Specific Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). The same applies in a crisis. Recently, in the midst of an organisational crisis, I experienced the same. It resulted in some confusion when it came to the...
What are the learnings from the Hazelwood mine fire?
On November 12, 2014
In early February a fire took hold of the Hazelwood coal mine and burned for 45 days. Well into the event, vulnerable residents in Morwell and Latrobe Valley were advised to relocate until air quality improved. Was it too little too late? What else could the Council have done? How would your council cope in...
Lessons Learnt From A Terrorist Attack
On June 18, 2014
David’s daily wrap-up of the World Conference on Disaster Management. Kjell Brataas gave an excellent presentation reflecting on the learnings from the Norwegian Terrorist attack that bombed the Prime Minister’s office killing eight people and then killing another 86, mostly young students, in a shooting spree on Utoja Island. After the bomb explosions destroyed a...
Community Resilience: What Does It Mean?
On June 17, 2014
David’s daily wrap-up of the World Conference on Disaster Management. Today’s keynote panel session discussed the concept of community resilience. Part of the initial discussion was to define resilience. The panels’ view was that resilience is the ability of a community to retain is functionality at both a municipal and individual level during a crisis...