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A Speech that Shapes Our Lives Nearly 50 Years Later: "I Have a Dream"

Dan Keeney — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:15:00 GMT

No single speech during the 20th Century shaped the lives of 21st Century Americans as did the "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963. It is great to be able to share it with you -- both the video of the speech and the text below.

In our Presentation Skills Training session, we often examine aspects of this speech and extract lessons for all presenters. Two very simple things that every speaker can do include:

Using repetition. Dr. King repeats key phrases such as “100 years later…” This can help to establish a theme, making clear to the audience those elements of the presentation that are important. Later, repetition is used with the phrases, “I have a dream,” and “Let freedom ring,” both of which are central to the story being told.
Creating pictures with words. By using opposites, as he’s done by contrasting “quicksand” with “solid rock,” he encourages the audience to follow along in their minds.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

18-Jan-10 9:15 AM

Warren Buffett endorses presentation skills training

Dan Keeney — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:00:00 GMT

I am a big fan of Warren Buffett (my Aunt Margie -- maiden name Margie Lee Canaday -- was his classmate in Omaha and was even mentioned in his autobiography, Snowball), so I carved out some time this week to watch his town hall event with Bill Gates at Columbia Business School students on CNBC. Now, it is one thing for me to try to explain to executives the value of our Media Interview Skills Training and Presentation Skills Training services, but to have Warren Buffett put it into dollars and cents -- that takes it to another level!

So when Mr. Buffett explained that improving communications skills can increase the future earnings potential of executives by 50 percent -- which conservatively translates into about a half million dollars for the average college graduate -- it was music to my ears!

You could improve on that (he's referring to future earnings), many of you, and I certainly could have when I got out, just in terms of learning communication skills. It's not something that's taught, I actually went to a Dale Carnegie course later on in terms of public speaking. But if you improve your value 50 percent by having better communication skills, it's another 500-thousand dollars in terms of capital value.

What a bargain -- invest less than $2,000 in our Presentation Skills Training services that teach you the tools and techniques to improve your communication skills and Warren Buffett estimates your return on investment will be 250 times that amount. Thanks for the endorsement, Mr. Buffett!

15-Nov-09 10:00 AM

Online Video is a Powerful Brand Building Tool

Dan Keeney — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT

At DPK Public Relations we have gradually been adding more tools to our arsenal and wanted to share some of the results with you. When I started in public relations with Ketchum Public Relations Worldwide in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s, we often advised clients of the benefits of a corporate video. It game them something to loop on the video displays in their tradeshow booths and was a nice leave-behind or follow-up for meetings with prospective customers.

But they were complicated and could be pretty expensive. I remember one we did for an energy company cost upwards of $17,000 for shooting, producing and editing -- not even counting the time for the account team to script it, coach the client and supervising the shoot.

Now that same video can be done far more efficiently and quickly -- and the results can be seen by the world -- for a small fraction of the cost of the typical corporate video 15 years ago. The editing suite is simply some software (Sony's Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9.0) that cost less than $100. The camera is a nice but not fancy JVC HD video camera that has an internal hard drive. We've also purchased a light kit and high-quality microphones to keep the picture and audio quality up to standards.

The bottom line is that I believe this should now be standard equipment in every public relations practitioner's office -- right alongside the laptop and telephone. Every PR person should be competent with video to deliver maximum value to clients. Writing remains critically important for reaching and influencing publics, but video can be far more powerful than the written word.

Below are a few examples of videos we've done recently for clients. I don't present these as perfect examples -- but instead simply as examples of how video can help your organization articulate its messages and reach an audience through Youtube and/or Vimeo, both of which are free.

How I Built a Beloved Craft Beer Brand Part 1 from Dan Keeney on Vimeo.

5-Nov-09 9:00 AM

A Changed PR Landscape

Dan Keeney — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:30:00 GMT

The practice of public relations has dramatically changed in recent years. It is imperative that organizations change the way they communicate and resist the forces that encourage you to continue the way you have always done things because it is the way you have always done things.

I read the newspaper every morning. The majority of people who are younger than me (and there are a lot more of them every day) did not acquire this habit. Not only do they not consume their information through these traditional media, they don’t particularly trust or respect traditional media resources. In fact, studies have found that most people apply higher credibility to information that comes from other people than from news media.

Quips on Facebook now carry more weight than an implied endorsement from the local TV anchor. And like face-to-face and other grassroots communications, social media offers the ability not only to deliver information but to truly connect and interact. It is an amplified version of one-on-one communication that enables and encourages the community to create and report the information with or without PR serving as a catalyst.

None of this is news in the PR community. We have been scrambling to keep up for much of the past decade. But the pace of change has accelerated with the increased influence of social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

For instance, this weekend, our client, Saint Arnold Brewing Company, will compete at the Great American Beer Festival. It is THE big brewing event of the year from craft brewers and winning a medal is a source of enormous pride can increase visibility and accelerate sales. I hope I don’t jinx them by writing about this.

In the past, when the brewery has won, we have gathered the pertinent information and issued an announcement on the Monday or Tuesday following the Saturday evening awards ceremony. The weekend is not when you want to be pitching journalists. The Sunday paper is typically completed on Friday night and the weekend TV crew isn’t interested in feature stories. They are all about the latest drive-by shootings. Besides, it’s not like the Texas-based writers would have a clue about the outcomes of the awards in Denver. We controlled the information and could dictate the timing.

This year is the dawning of a different era. During the past year, Saint Arnold has attracted a large following on Twitter and has more than 3,000 Facebook fans. There are about a dozen very passionate and active beer bloggers in Texas – including some mainstream media journalists -- who frequently write about the brewery and the social media denizens of Houston have embraced the brewery as one of their own. And there are social networking communities such as Beer Advocate and Rate Beer devoted to craft beer where people regularly share information and ideas.

Moreover, the awards ceremony is streaming live for the first time on The Brewing Netork. In short, there is a communications infrastructure in place that will disseminate the information as it happens and deliver it to just about anyone who cares about it. If there is a positive result, it will be Tweeted and commented on Saturday. On Sunday, people will offer their congratulations and enterprising retailers will recognize the win with a small sign or a ribbon on the products.

So what is PR’s role in this changed landscape? Overall, we view social media as just another batch of potential avenues through which we can target and reach our publics. We never just look at any single discreet media vehicle to deliver our message – we use whatever combination of vehicles we believe will cost effectively deliver the greatest impact for the client. Recognizing that social media tools can be extremely cost effective, they are being integrated into more PR initiatives and for some, such as Saint Arnold, social media provides the foundation for marketing and branding.

But as stated earlier, social media provides the opportunity to do more than just reach someone. It enables true engagement. I view it similar to what invariably happens after an executive delivers a presentation. Everything is beautifully choreographed and performed and then afterward a swarm of people surrounds the executive with comments and questions. Social media is the same as that swarm. You want the executive to make a powerful and positive impression in those personal interactions – whether in person or virtually.

This is why we on a number of occasions have helped clients – especially those experiencing difficulties – create platforms that enable their customers and communities to publicly express their concerns and ask questions. It can help the organization quickly learn what is wrong and start the process of fixing it, all the while positioning the company as a caring and compassionate member of the community interested in problem solving.

Public relations counselors also work to make sure there is a strategic underpinning to all the activities – both social media and more traditional efforts. Engaging via social media channels such as Twitter can be time consuming low-impact if not specifically tied to a desired end result. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the efforts support whatever the organization’s objectives are and the efforts are focused and consistent.

These are just a few thoughts, many of which are fundamental. We know enough to know that we don’t know everything, but we are being aggressive about integrating these techniques into our client communication activities and have been pleased with the outcomes. We are creating and cultivating customer communities. We are shooting, editing and producing online videos. We are encouraging client blogs, tweets and Facebook pages. And we are tracking what the communities are saying and doing in order to assess our progress and adjust course if necessary.

We are also interested in what you have to say, so fire away.

24-Sep-09 10:30 AM

The Truth about "Digital Crisis Communications"

Dan Keeney — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Recent high profile online calamities experienced by notable brands are prompting discussion about the emergence of a new discipline: digital crisis communications. I understand that some people may believe the fundamental rules have shifted, thus necessitating a new approach to crisis planning and response. However, this is not the case. The fundamentals of crisis communications remain as relevant in an era of rapidly evolving media power structures as they have always been.

That said, I am realistic enough to expect that digital crisis communications will probably catch fire because it captures the current zeitgeist. Social media has reached the tipping point, so more problems will be reported and discussed through online tools such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and whatever emerges in the next year to dethrone them.

There will undoubtedly be all sorts of people who portray themselves as digital crisis communications experts because they have a blog, a Twitter account and believe they know more than everyone else about how the social media environment works. Just as every doofus with a Facebook page seems to think he's a social media expert, I fully expect a crowd of self-appointed digital crisis communications experts will clutter the speaking circuit during the coming year.

Heck, I might as well add "digital crisis communications expert" to my bio right now and get a jump on them.

Of course, I don't believe the conventional wisdom that the emergence of social media has changed the rules of public relations either. The rise of social media and the diminishing power of mainstream media are instead returning PR to its roots. Instead of being publicity seeking flacks, PR pros are increasingly encouraging their organizations to emphasize relationships. But that's always been at the core of what we do. In Effective Public Relations, Cutlip, Center and Broom state that PR "establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and publics on whom its success or failure depends."

This isn't new, folks. The only thing that is changing is the way we connect and the speed that is necessary.

Now back to digital crisis communications. The fact is that it makes little difference how information about a crisis is disseminated and discussed -- the fundamentals still apply. Planning beforehand will often dictate whether you succeed. Effectively responding in a timely manner is essential. And learning from the experience to become better is critically important. Planning, response and recovery are the three fundamentals of crisis communications -- whether the crisis lives online or offline.

Many point to this month's Domino's issue as an example of a social media crisis. Actually, that would be a pretty good way to tell if your so-called digital crisis expert is legitimate or full of it. Domino's had a few bad days, but it was not a crisis by any stretch. Sure, they were embarrassed when employees posted disgusting videos online that showed them violating basic rules of food safety. It may have damaged the brand's reputation, but I suspect that long-term harm is doubtful. There was never any suggestion that patrons were sickened. There was never any suggestion that these dangerous employee behaviors were widespread. There was no evidence that anyone associated with the company tried to cover it up or lie about what happened.

Now, did Domino's effectively respond? They could have taken more visible action, but they chose not to. It wasn't that they didn't think about it. They did. In written correspondence with bloggers the day the videos were discovered, Domino's spokesman Tim McIntyre that they didn't want to make the matter worse than it was by calling attention to it. He was quoted by Advertising Age as saying disseminating a statement would be like, "putting out a candle with a fire hose."

In other words, they were aware of what was happening and, based on their assessment, had determined that the best course of action was to respond to queries individually.

It was naive and exhibited a lack of understanding of how quickly and broadly information spreads via social media. It showed that they were unaware that social media has an enormous influence on mainstream media coverage. Nonetheless, it was a legitimate strategy given what they knew at the time. Moreover, when Domino's saw that its strategy was failing, they changed course. And that killed the controversy virtually overnight.

Monday morning quarterbacks and digital crisis communications experts might look at it (in fact they do) as a crisis communications failure, but it was not. I wish every company that found itself in trouble had the insight to quickly see that the chosen strategy is not working and the guts to change course. The fact is that few do. Most companies adopt a bunker mentality and rely on their lawyers to respond. Others pick the wrong strategy and stick with it regardless of its effectiveness. Only a tiny percentage of companies do everything right from the start. They are the ones you probably never hear about.

The brutal truth of issues management and crisis communications is that those making decisions can see that there are no choices that are clearly right versus wrong. Instead, you quickly find yourself operating in a sea of gray in which every choice has possible upside and downside. Every choice is painful because it forces change, adds costs, creates new complexities or diminishes your organization's competitive position. There are no easy choices in a crisis. Somebody screwed up and everybody is going to have to shoulder part of the blame.

Responding to a crisis isn't fun. It isn't easy. It isn't for people who like to say, "I told you so." It is humbling. You quickly see what can go wrong even when great ideas are implemented. And you wake up the next morning with a greater appreciation for the struggles that those facing THAT day's crisis are having to endure.

So beware of these flavor-of-the-day digital crisis experts. The fundamentals of old-school crisis planning, response and recovery still apply. Those who claim otherwise are selling snake oil.

Photo credit: are you my rik? on Flickr.

28-Apr-09 10:00 PM

Crisis Communications Expert Offers Valuable Tips for All Businesses

Dan Keeney — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:00:00 GMT

DPK Public Relations President and Founder Dan Keeney, APR was featured in the article, "Crisis Communications: How to Recover from a Black Eye," in the March/April issue of Perspectives, a publication for the insurance brokerage industry. The article was written by Paula L. Weis, who does a great job of gathering a lot of solid information and delivering it in a way that is interesting and easy to read.

Of course, these are challenging times for the entire financial services industry and insurance brokers are dealing with customers every day who are afraid that their carriers will not be able to survive. But the tips provided regarding crisis planning, response and recovery should be in the pocket of every communicator these days. You never know when you might need it.

Download the article by clicking on the image below.

17-Mar-09 11:00 AM

Our Readers Point You to the Must-Read PR Advice

Dan Keeney — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Below are the most viewed articles from the DPK Public Relations knowledge library during February 2009:

1	Johnson & Johnson Redefines Crisis Response Again
2	Two Very Different Examples of PR Issues Management
3	Top 10 Tips for Preparing for a TV Interview
4	Lance Armstrong illustrates how to handle difficult journalists
5	In the eye of the storm: Ten PR lessons learned from Hurricane Ike
6	Case Study: Issues Management Keeps Potential Crisis Quiet
7	Fundamentals of Crisis Planning: Establish Media Relationship Before Crisis Occurs
8	Should Your Organization Embargo News?
9	Harnessing the Power of Facial Expression and Eye Contact
10	The News Release: Not Dead Yet

4-Mar-09 1:00 PM

Lance Armstrong illustrates how to handle difficult journalists

Dan Keeney — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:00:00 GMT

In DPK Public Relations' Media Interview Skills Training sessions, we encourage spokespersons to steer away from participating in news conferences if possible. Why? News conferences are high risk affairs. Any time you get a pack of reporters together -- a bunch of massive egos in the room -- it is inevitable that each will attempt to out-do the other.

What often results for the person fielding questions is a public disemboweling. Each successive inquiry getting more acute.

But we typically will include a news conference scenario so the trainees get a taste of what it can be like to be peppered with challenging questions from a group of people. It's particularly challenging because there is no consistent line on thought in a news conference. Each questioner comes with their own ideas of what is important. Each is pursuing their own angle of the story.

We train spokespersons to take it all in stride and remember their purpose for doing the news conference in the first place is to deliver their messages -- not to be in a responsive/defensive posture but to be in an assertive/proactive posture.

So I really enjoyed watching the following clip of Lance Armstrong fielding questions at a news conference in advance of the Tour of California. Just to set up the clip, let me explain that the reporter asking the question has been a critic of Armstrong's. For various reasons, not the least of which being Lance's dominance of the sport of cycling smack in the middle of the doping era (HGH, EPO, steroids, etc.), Lance is not highly regarded by many in the U.K. and Europe.

The actual content of the question isn't all that important, though. I want you to pay attention to what Lance does:

Did you see that? He used a difficult question from a reporter who has attacked him personally as a platform to deliver his message. And he did it with a SMILE on his face! Wow. Terrific. But he did more than that -- he responded to the question. He was not the least bit evasive.

You may run into journalists who are crusaders and want to prove something at your expense. Don't take it personally. Remember that this is business and you have a job to do. Dealing with difficult people may be a part of the job. Rise above them and stay focused on what you are there to do.

Thanks to KCRA TV in Sacramento for the clip!

13-Feb-09 2:00 PM

Should Your Organization Embargo News?

Dan Keeney — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:00:00 GMT

DPK Public Relations founder Dan Keeney, APR, posted a good discussion about the current state of news embargoes to his blog, The PR Counselor Is In and we wanted to share the link with you and offer a brief synopsis. The title is "New Rules to Guide Use of News Embargoes."

He recounts his years as a journalist in the 1980s and early 1990s, saying he regularly honored embargoes.

"We knew that if we didn't comply, we would have a moment of glory as we broke the news, but forever after the rest of the media that did comply would continue to get the information early and we would not. We would have to play catch up for the rest of eternity."

It was a risk that journalists simply could not take. Of course those were different times. News was gathered in person or over the phone. There was no Internet. Newspapers still had just one deadline each day and TV stations still had four deadlines each day. The only around the clock news organization was CNN and until the first Gulf War, they were struggling to find a niche and barely surviving.

So the media complied with embargoes. Those that didn't could not compete. They were black listed.

Keeney also points to PR counselor Kellye Crane who writes on her Solo PR Pro blog that the days of actually providing context are probably behind us. In her post, "Modern PR Pros and the Breaking News Dilemma," Kellye writes that anyone who releases information under embargo should anticipate that the embargo will be violated.

Keeney says he understand that times have changed:

"I understand the arguments of those who suggest that embargoes are meant to be broken. Why in the world would you expect a journalist to keep a secret? It doesn't make sense. Their job is to report news, not keep it secret until the appointed time. So I get that. But the end of embargoes can diminish the public's understanding of complex and sometimes conflicting data. If the intent of communication is to create a mutual understanding and not simply inform, then embargoes can play a positive role in encouraging that mutual understanding."

But before completely discontinuing the use of embargoes, Keeney endorses the recommendations made by Kellye -- guidelines for the use of embargoes in this new age:

1. Question whether the news is worthy of an embargo.

2. Reach out to your key relationships in advance and ask if they honor embargoes (and do not include information about the nature of the announcement). Only those who respond in the affirmative should receive your information in advance.

3. When using embargoes, never offer an exclusive to a subset of outlets.

4. If someone violates the embargo and breaks the story, have your “Plan B” in place just in case.

28-Jan-09 12:00 PM

Two Very Different Examples of PR Issues Management Response

Dan Keeney — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Every so often, we are contacted by people or organizations that believe they have been unfairly treated by colleagues, government regulators, the media or bloggers. They want to know what can be done to set the record straight and protect their good name.

The answer does not always satisfy them. We usually counsel them to move forward and forget about the past. Learn from the negatives and have them inform substantive changes -- while at the same time working to drown them out with positive actions and information.

Two cases in the news today point to the spectrum of possible approaches to responding to unpleasant accusations.

In Philadelphia, City Councilor Chuck Turner is in the midst of an aggressive and highly visible campaign to get his story out. He was recently charged with accepting a $1,000 bribe from a Roxbury nightclub owner who was working in cooperation with the FBI and then lying to federal investigators about it. Reporter John C. Drake wrote this account for The Boston Globe.

Drake writes:

Turner and liberal activists who support him are creating a campaign-like apparatus, with a phone bank set for this weekend to encourage supporters to attend a rally - it will be his third - on Tuesday and to show up for his expected court appearance Wednesday. The councilor and his backers are issuing almost daily "Stand with Chuck" press releases, updating a special website, and considering raising money to help defray his legal bills.

As noted by Drake, Turner's strategy is a classic one in the public relations field. Get the positive message out and work hard to define the story on your terms.

From a public relations counselor's standpoint, it is exciting to see someone take this approach because it is relatively rare. Attorneys typically blanch at the idea of a client going public with their argument, so this high-risk/high-reward approach usually ends up being dismissed.

By coincidence, Maria Perotin at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram covered the story of a pair of doctors who are also taking action to defend their reputation. In contrast to Councilor Turner, who is out there getting his positive message out, Drs. George Cravens and Greg Ward are following the advice of their attorney, Jonathan Nelson, and are suing. As a result, they have made the terrible PR blunder of repeating and amplifying the original allegations, which has compounded the reputational damage.

The lawsuit accuses Dr. Roland Chalifoux of libeling them in his blog, Texas Shammed License. We won't get into all the specifics because Perotin does a good job of laying out the facts (and we don't want to get sued!) but suffice it say that Drs. Cravens and Ward argue that Dr. Chalifoux malicously lied in his blog about their relationships, complaints by patients and a past DUI.

It is just too bad they went to lawyer Nelson and not a PR counselor. First of all, this blog has not been updated since August 2005. It is dormant. Sure, it has unpleasant things in it, but it is almost a certainty that nobody would have known about them. All the lawsuit has done is dredge the allegations up and called attention to them. Based on Perotin's brief investigation, it would seem that this lawsuit is doomed. I hope the attorney explained how extremely difficult it is to prove libel. You have to prove that the writer KNEW what he was writing was not accurate. The courts give a great deal of latitude to first amendment protections. It can also be very tough to prove malice -- the intent to harm. Unless there is a paper trail, you almost need to be inside the writer's head.

Good luck with that.

In the meantime, Perotin's report shined the light on the fact that Dr. Ward WAS reprimanded and fined for a patient care complaint and he WAS arrested and charged with DUI. This is information that I suspect Dr. Ward would prefer not have the community know about -- but it was HIS lawsuit -- not the blog -- that caused this information to appear in today's newspaper.

I can't think of two better examples to illustrate the range of possible approaches to defending one's reputation. Both are aggressive and invite further scrutiny, but one is focused on communicating a positive message and the other is focused on attacking the message that has already been communicated. One is forward-looking and positive. The other is backward-looking and negative.

Always strive to advance and move forward and resist the temptation to re-fight past battles.

Photo credit: George Rizer, Boston Globe Staff

8-Dec-08 11:00 AM

Johnson & Johnson Redefines Crisis Response Again

Dan Keeney — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:00:00 GMT

Johnson & Johnson is best known in PR circles for its remarkable work to protect the public and save the Tylenol brand. That was nearly 27 years ago. For those who don't remember, someone remixed the contents of Tylenol capsules with cyanide and placed them back on shelves at supermarkets and drug stores in the Chicago area in 1982. Seven people died and the entire country was fearful.

I was in college when the Tylenol murders occured, but I did have a firsthand view of the impact of that crisis five years later as a journalist in the Chicago area. In covering the fifth anniversary, we spoke with some of the family members who lost loved ones. It was heart breaking.

The crime was never solved.

The Tylenol case is held up as a best practice in public relations not for what Johnson & Johnson said but for what the company's leaders did. They stopped production and issued a nationwide product recall costing an estimated $100 million. In the ensuing months, Telenol completely reinvented the way pharmaceuticals were packaged, making tampering all but impossible.

Even though Johnson & Johnson was not at fault for the crime, it assumed responsibility. It was swift, definitive action.

A great overview is here.

The reason Johnson & Johnson is on the crisis radar today is the company's less-than-impressive response to a controversy over an advertisement for Motrin on the Internet. In no way do I intend to suggest that the Motrin controversy rises to the level of the Tylenol murders. Nobody was hurt, let alone killed.

Plenty has been reported on the controversy, but suffice it to say that the ad, which was intended to recognize and celebrate moms instead mocked them. It suggested that moms view their babies as mere accessories.

Moms reacted negatively and loudly over the weekend using social media tools such as Twitter to spread their anger. To Johnson & Johnson's credit, they reacted within 24 hours by promising to remove the offending ad and Kathy Widmer, VP of Marketing, sent this note to one of the self-proclaimed leaders of the anti-Motrin army:

I am the Vice President of Marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare. I have responsibility for the Motrin Brand, and am responding to concerns about recent advertising on our website. I am, myself, a mom of 3 daughters.

We certainly did not mean to offend moms through our advertising. Instead, we had intended to demonstrate genuine sympathy and appreciation for all that parents do for their babies. We believe deeply that moms know best and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. Please know that we take your feedback seriously and will take swift action with regard to this ad. We are in process of removing it from our website. It will take longer, unfortunately, for it to be removed from magazine print as it is currently on newstands and in distribution.

On their own blog, http://jnjbtw.com/, Kathy wrote,

Now as you can imagine, we certainly didn’t mean to offend moms through our advertising. As a mom of three girls, I understand many of the comments made and agree that we know what’s best for our kids and for ourselves.

On behalf of McNeil, I’m sorry if you found this advertisement insulting.

Now, as a person who has been married for 24 years, I may have an advantage in knowing how to apologize. Kathy's apology isn't great. She said she was sorry for how the community reacted to what Johnson & Johnson did rather than sorry for what Johnson & Johnson had done to elicit the anger. Pretty simple. But it is profoundly different. She is not taking responsibility for the mistake.

Below are the five elements of an effective apology.

Take responsibility as soon as possible. Apologize as soon after the offense as possible.
Describe what you did. Don't be vague or use euphemisms that attempt to tidy up your mess. A short, direct statement followed by a brief explanation of the circumstances to provide context.
Express remorse. Make your apology as heartfelt as you can without assuming liability. Tone is important here. The statement must reflect genuine remorse.
Shut up. Afterward, be quiet and listen while people tell you how angry they are. If it's really bad, they'll call for your head. Know that you've done the right thing and time is on your side.
Make it right. In such situations, what you DO always trumps what you SAY. Therefore, symbolic gestures matter as you attempt to correct the problem and compensate those who have been wronged.

Hopefully, Johnson & Johnson will learn from this experience and will use it to improve the way they connect with their communities. One thing is for sure, communicators continue to learn from what Johnson & Johnson does -- whether right or wrong.

17-Nov-08 7:00 PM

In the eye of the storm: Ten PR lessons learned from Hurricane Ike

Dan Keeney — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT

This is a longer version of the article published in PR Tactics in November 2008.

My Houston-based clients and I stayed up all night on Friday, September 12th. They were experiencing their own private hell courtesy of Hurricane Ike – hour after hour of 110 mile per hour winds that made their homes groan and sucked windows out of their office buildings, torrential rain and flooding, all in an eerie darkness.

I was 300 miles north in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, safely away from Ike’s ravages. But as a remote member of several crisis communications teams, I had assets others did not, such as electricity and Internet access.

Ike originally was expected to make landfall around the far less populated area of Corpus Christi. When the computer models began to change on Wednesday, September 10th, we alerted clients to begin monitoring the news for updates. Within the next 12 hours, the other computer models zeroed in on Houston as well. Shortly thereafter, coastal residents in and around Galveston Island were encouraged to evacuate.

Knowing that clients were focused on their businesses, I monitored the various news sources and used Twitter and e-mail to ensure clients could make informed decisions. By Thursday morning, September 11th, Houston TV stations had scrapped their normal programming and started wall-to-wall hurricane coverage. My clients decided to release all but essential employees early and run on a skeletal staff Thursday afternoon and Friday.

From the Dallas area, I monitored all four Houston TV stations via the Web and made sure clients got the message. A few typical Twitter dispatches included:

“Live news conference: Texas EMS call storm surge from Hurricane Ike a "surge tsunami." 11:43 AM September 11, 2008.”
“Lesson learned - helicopter shots show gasoline tanker trucks converging on Houston area gas stations. Great execution! 12:13 PM September 11, 2008.”
“Helicopter shots show police escorting ambulances into Galveston to evacuate critical patients. Northbound lanes stopped. 12:17 PM September 11, 2008”
“Judge Emmett: "If you are not in a surge zone, stay where you are. Ride it out and let others who are in danger get out." 12:43 PM September 11, 2008.”

The Houston area learned a lot from the chaos that preceded Hurricane Rita in 2005. Panic, poor communication and intergovernmental bickering had prompted millions of residents to clog roads out of the city. Coastal residents in the most danger found their evacuation routes impassable. Gas stations were quickly drained and countless cars ran out of gas, leaving thousands stranded at the roadside.

This time was different. Through a coordinated effort, residents inland hunkered down, giving coastal residents a clear route out. And the National Weather Service helped the evacuation by issuing what is already an infamous warning:

“Persons not heeding evacuation orders in single-family, one- or two-story homes may face certain death.”

The clarity of that communication probably saved hundreds if not thousands of lives.

Most in the Houston area lost power shortly after Ike made landfall early Saturday morning. Nonetheless, the city’s TV stations continued streaming live on the Web and dispatches through Twitter could be received and sent via cell phones. It proved to be a valuable information lifeline, alerting recipients not to use water and stay off the roads.

Later on Saturday, people emerged from their homes to find wind damage to homes and businesses, trees down, streets impassable because of flooding, shortages of gasoline and no power. Those who had generators found their homes being used by the entire neighborhood to recharge cell phones. Those with the foresight to stock up on extra propane tanks became the ad hoc cooks for everyone on the block – spending hour after hour grilling meat before it went bad in powerless refrigerators.

Slowly, power was restored and businesses reopened. But with more than one million homes still without power a week after the storm, employees were distracted, exhausted and wishing for simple comforts.

Lessons that everyone in the PR community can apply include:

1. Encourage every employee to have a family crisis response plan. In a crisis, employees quickly prioritize and family appropriately takes precedence. We observed that employees who had a plan for what to do and where to go were able to balance the personal and professional responsibilities. Those without a family crisis plan quickly abandoned their work responsibilities.

2. Don’t sugar coat the facts. The dire prediction of “certain death” from the National Weather Service was highly persuasive. Having access to simply worded and accurate information will set realistic expectations. I received a call from Petri Darby, APR at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. His home had withstood nine full hours of hurricane force winds and he wanted to know how much longer it would continue. I clicked to the weather map and gave him the good news and the bad news – the storm would pass in the coming hour, but there could be tornadoes. In any crisis response, straightforward information must flow.

3. Maintain multiple redundant communication methods. Many organizations have grown complacent believing that the cell phone will reach key personnel 24x7. To really be prepared, assume that traditional methods of communication will not work and examine all available options. In addition to Twitter, explore the feasibility of satellite phones, methods of recharging batteries, CB and Ham Radios and Web-based wikis to keep information flowing.

4. In the aftermath, deal with human suffering first. Swift and immediate action is necessary to end the misery associated with the crisis. Until then, all communication should be focused on accomplishing that goal.

5. Every decision has consequences. Everything your organization says and does during its crisis response will have intended and unintended consequences. Only through careful planning and extensive work on crisis scenarios can your organization fully anticipate all the likely and less-than-likely consequences of its actions. But never underestimate the importance of asking, "What if," during crisis communication planning and in the midst of response. I know that a lot more Houston families will ask, “What if the power is out for two weeks?” before the next big storm.

6. Action and communication must be in alignment. Do what you know to be right. Say what you know to be true. You will only get in trouble if you stray from that simple principle. If you say you are doing everything possible to bring the situation under control -- even though your CEO remains on vacation -- it's not going to play in Peoria. If you say you are fully cooperating while your attorney files papers to seek an injunction, you will lose credibility. Align your actions and your words.

7. Maintain fully operational offsite facilities. Even if your organization just has one facility, you must maintain the ability to quickly ramp up crisis communications operations from an alternate location in case your facility is inoperable, inaccessible or destroyed. Reflecting on the latest natural and manmade disasters, our recommendation is that this alternate crisis communications facility be located at least 100 miles from your facility. You may also consider dispersing communications tools to various members of your crisis communications response team to store at their homes in waterproof containers. The key is to have redundant systems in place and maintain the capacity to be operational within minutes.

8. Nothing says "concern" and "control" like placing your leader at the scene. Even as the storm made landfall and most of her city was under water, the mayor of Galveston made herself available for interviews. The physical presence of a leader is the loudest statement your organization can make regarding how concerned you really are. Demand that senior leadership be on the ground.

9. Monitor traditional and new media coverage. In the midst of a crisis, one or more people must be assigned to monitor the coverage of traditional print and broadcast media as well as new media, such as Twitter and blogs. In addition to helping you keep tabs on developments that you may not otherwise be aware of, monitoring the media is necessary to ensure your actions are aligned with the public's interest.

10. Constantly search for ways to turn the story positive. At some point, you will be able use your crisis response to illustrate what your organization is all about. Sometimes, this can come early and helps you to quickly neutralize the crisis. Other times, it has to wait. At DPK Public Relations, we are big believers that your organization's mission statement plays a critical role in helping you make the shift toward image building. The question that must be asked is, "How do we make progress toward that mission from where we are right now?"

12-Nov-08 9:00 AM

The News Release: Not Dead Yet

Dan Keeney — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:00:00 GMT

Over the past couple years, there have been plenty of people inside and outside the public relations community who have declared the news release "dead." I couldn't disagree more. In fact, I believe the current environment, in which people search for and discover information that is valuable to them without the interference of traditional "gatekeepers" such as editors and journalists, makes the news release more powerful and important than ever.

Instead of having to catch the eye of journalists and editors, news releases now can make a direct impact on the end users of information. As Sarah Palin might say, we can now directly target Joe Sixpack with our message instead of having to waste time and energy impressing the media elite.

Even so, it remains important for organizations to carefully consider whether the information they are disseminating has value. If you send out value-less information -- whether to the media or directly to your audience -- you will train them to ignore you. So, examine carefully whether what you are promoting is newsworthy before kicking off a publicity effort.

Before you take your story public, consider this five-point checklist to formulate the important messages that need to be communicated:

1. Prominence. How big is this really? Is this part of a larger trend or will it have a lasting impact?

2. Timeliness. Remember, the first three letters in "news" spell "NEW!" Did it just happen or is it about to happen? Does it tie in with a current public interest?

3. Punch. What impact will your story have on your company and your audiences, and how many people will be effected?

4. Proximity. Is this of interest to only a select few in a fairly confined geographic area, or will it be of interest to a regional, national or global audience?

5. Personal. Is there a human interest element? Who can you speak to in order to make the story more "real" to the audience? They like to consume information that reflects their personal situations. I like to think of it as the Brady Bunch factor. When I was a kid, everyone crowded around the TV set to watch the Brady Bunch because whether you were 8 or 18, a boy or a girl, the stories told reflected the lives of the audience. You need to do the same thing in your story telling.

Depending on how well the story you are crafting fits these parameters, you may want to modify your course of action and/or your expectations. Maybe it would be better to use it in an e-newsletter or on a blog post. Perhaps trade publications would be better to approach than the business page of your daily newspaper. Perhaps you should flesh out the personal side of your story, recognizing that an emotional element will be more interesting to many journalists.

The bottom line: don't just continue to do something because you have always done it. Adjust your approach to match your strategies and objectives. If what you really want to do is alert your customers and prospects about a new product or service, maybe it is no longer necessary to think first about the media. Maybe you can reach your audience directly instead.

20-Oct-08 4:00 PM

Fundamentals of Crisis Planning: Establish Media Relationships Before Crisis Occurs

Dan Keeney — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Johanna Schneider, executive director of external relations at the Business Roundtable, authored a fine article in PR Week magazine, "The evolving role of the media in covering disasters." It nicely details the impacts of the 24-hour news cycle and ubiquitous mobile devices with the ability to record or stream live video and sound.

"Technology has enabled journalists to broadcast from the frontlines of disasters, strengthening reporting, as well as changing the dynamic of the media's responsibility – which now often includes disseminating information about survivors' needs and directing audiences to charities to donate cash, products and volunteer services," writes Schneider.

Together, these developments make the job of crisis communications planning and crisis response more challenging than ever. What can you do to protect your organization's reputation in times of crisis -- and perhaps enhance its reputation in the aftermath? Schneider offers the following recommendations based on feedback from a media panel that included Jeanne Meserve, CNN; Kelley Holland, contributor to The New York Times; Brad Heath, USA Today; Amanda Ripley, Time Magazine; and Kelly Flynn, CNN-Impact Your World:

Develop relationships with the media before a disaster: Businesses, first responders, and the government need to have strong relationships in place with the media before a disaster occurs to allow for more effective and efficient communication.

Be proactive in reaching out to the media: The media value the business perspective during the chaos of a disaster. Strong relations with the media can help companies get the word out on how their operations are affected by a disaster and can also provide an opportunity to highlight companies' philanthropic response.

Empower employees to share their stories about their company's response efforts: The media have changed their “old school” approach from simply giving the public facts and figures about disasters to showcasing individuals who are taking action and contributing to the relief effort – perhaps as part of a company-sponsored volunteer effort. For example, CNN has established Impact Your World to provide its viewers with a place to share stories and information about relief agencies and how to donate to them.

Take an active role in communicating about disaster preparedness: The media recognizes that preparedness is a critical component of disaster response, but acknowledged that it is challenging to cover in a compelling way. Therefore, panelists recommended that the media, business, and government should re-frame the issue of preparedness and communicate about it more consistently to persuade employees and citizens to be better prepared before the next disaster strikes.

Schneider's recommendations are spot on. I especially like the recommendation to enable and encourage the participation of employees to help the organization get the message out that it is mobilizing all its resources to respond. Too often, organizations miss the opportunity to showcase the caring, helpful faces of employees in times of trouble because of worries that the employee could say the wrong thing.

That's why we recommend conducting basic Media Interview Skills Training for employees at all levels -- to give management confidence to engage employees at all levels of the organization to speak with the media when it is strategic to do so.

8-Oct-08 9:00 AM

As Hurricane Ike Approaches, Reflect on 2005's Teachable Moments

Dan Keeney — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:00:00 GMT

With Hurricane Ike bearing down on the Houston metropolitan area, I wanted to revisit an article I drafted a few years ago in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These are great fundamentals for crisis communications planning and response. A number of these lessons have been integrated into the operational response of various public, private and nonprofit organizations. The effect will be to save precious response time and, in the process, do a better job of protecting human life and safety.

Independently, the following 10 truths about crisis communications planning and response serve as a great checklist to add to your crisis response plan. Together, they can serve as guiding principles for your organization's crisis communications philosophy.

1. Deal with human suffering first. Swift and immediate action is necessary to end the misery associated with the crisis. Until then, all communication should be focused on accomplishing that goal. The best way to protect your organization's reputation is to first stop hurting people.

2. Remember that every decision has consequences. Everything your organization says and does during its crisis response will have intended and unintended consequences. In the case of Hurricane Rita, the decision to announce evacuations lead to unprecedented traffic congestion, which led to gasoline shortages, which led to thousands of motorists being stranded, which led to hundreds of cases of heat-related illness. Only through careful planning and extensive work on crisis scenarios can your organization fully anticipate all the likely and less-than-likely consequences of its actions. But never underestimate the importance of asking, "What if," during crisis communication planning and in the midst of response.

3. Action and communication must be in alignment. Do what you know to be right. Say what you know to be true. You will only get in trouble if you stray from that simple mantra. If you say you are doing everything possible to bring the situation under control -- even though your CEO remains on vacation -- it's not going to play in Peoria. If you say you are fully cooperating while your attorney files papers to seek an injunction, you will lose credibility. Align your actions and your words. The public's trust can only be regained if your credibility remains intact.

4. Assume you won't be able to communicate. Most organizations have grown complacent about the power of the cell phone to reach key personnel 24x7. But virtually any natural disaster will quickly make cell phones useless. In the case of Hurricane Rita, many Houston cell phones could not receive calls up to 72 hours before the storm arrived. Having a couple million people simultaneously using their cell phones while stuck in traffic will do that. To really be prepared, assume that traditional methods of communication will not work and examine all available options. For instance, the New Orleans Mayor's office was able to resume telephone service via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). According to the Wall Street Journal, their first incoming call -- two days after Hurricane Katrina hit -- was from the President of the United States. Those that have Internet access can use Twitter to send and receive brief updates. The feasibility of satellite phones, methods or recharging batteries, cell phones from alternate area codes, CB and Ham Radios and Web-based wikis all should be explored beforehand. The cost of outfitting all crisis response team members with a redundant cell phone ($300 to $600 annually for each) might seem like a waste -- until the moment you need them.

5. Maintain fully operational offsite facilities. Even if your organization just has one facility, you must maintain the ability to quickly ramp up crisis communications operations from an alternate location in case your facility is inoperable, inaccessible or destroyed. Reflecting on the latest natural and manmade disasters, our recommendation is that this alternate crisis communications facility be located about 100 miles from your facility. For a fee, many hotels would be willing to store necessary communications infrastructure. You may also consider dispersing communications tools to various members of your crisis communications response team to store at their homes in waterproof containers. The key is to have redundant systems in place and maintain the capacity to be operational within minutes.

6. Recognize your limits. Nobody likes to relinquish control, particularly when you believe to your core that nobody can do the job as well. But knowing when it is better to step aside and take a supporting role is an art that has saved the reputations of many brands and businesses. Don't delude yourself into thinking you can do it all, particularly in a crisis. You probably can't.

7. Nothing says "concern" and "control" like placing your leader at the scene. Of course he or she has their hands full, but their physical presence is the loudest statement your organization can make regarding how concerned you really are. Even in the first Merck trial, jurors said they were disappointed that no senior executives bothered to testify in person. Demand that senior leadership be on the ground.

8. Be the first to report your bad news. If everything worked the way it was supposed to, there wouldn't be a crisis, would there? So step forward and acknowledge that something went wrong, explain what you know about it and describe the specific steps being taken to correct it. This helps you define the story, rather than having others define it for you.

9. Monitor traditional and new media coverage. How was it possible that federal authorities were apparently not aware that the situation at the New Orleans Convention Center was spiraling out of control 48 hours after the levies broke? Moreover, how was it possible that FEMA was apparently unaware that the levies had broken until Tuesday morning, even though the National Weather Service reported the break 36 hours beforehand? In the midst of a crisis, one or more people must be assigned to monitor the coverage of traditional print and broadcast media as well as new media, such as Twitter and blogs. In addition to helping you keep tabs on developments that you may not otherwise be aware of, monitoring the media is necessary to rapidly respond to inaccuracies and ensure your actions are aligned with the public's interest.

10. Constantly search for ways to turn the story positive. At some point, you will be able to shift the direction of the crisis and to use the event as an opportunity to illustrate what your organization is all about. Sometimes, this can come early and helps you to quickly neutralize the crisis. Other times, it has to wait. At DPK Public Relations, we are big believers that your organization's mission statement plays a critical role in helping you make the shift toward image building. The question that must be asked is, "How do we make progress toward that mission from where we are right now?" Often, you will find that your organization may have subtly contributed to the crisis by allowing itself to stray from or be distracted from its mission.

DPK Public Relations offers crisis communications planning, response and recovery services and can be reached at 214-432-7556.

11-Sep-08 3:00 PM

Media Training Fundamental: Reporters Are Always Working

Dan Keeney — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

What is the role of a reporter and to whom is that reporter responsible? This is a question we tackle in most media training sessions because DPK Public Relations believes it is important for spokespersons to understand the environment in which they will be attempting to deliver their messages.

The answer is pretty simple, really. A reporter has only one master: the story. In our media training sessions, we explain that the role of a reporter is to gather information and weave those facts into compelling stories that will make the audience pay attention.

You might have a reporter who lives next door and is among your good friends. If you found yourself in the middle of a news story, do you think that reporter will give you special consideration? Think again.

Nothing tops the story in the world of a reporter. If friendships are sacrificed, so be it. Of course, a reporter will insist that it's not personal and that's true. This is the business that they are in and they are never off the clock.

A great example is the experience of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke who was pleased to bump into CNBC's Maria Bartiromo at a dinner in 2006. They exchanged a few brief words and then parted ways.

What Mr. Bernanke didn't fully appreciate is that Ms. Bartiromo may have been in an evening gown but she was still on the clock. Here's how Market Watch reported what happened next:

CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo reported that she had bumped into Bernanke at the White House Correspondents Association annual dinner over the weekend and that he agreed with her assessment that the market had misinterpreted his congressional testimony last week as dovish.

Instead of meaning the Fed had only one more rate hike to go before ending the tightening cycle, as the market had concluded from his testimony, Bernanke said he was stressing that the Fed might pause and start raising rates again. Everything depended on the data, he said.

The markets, unaccustomed from getting the latest thinking from the Fed chairman in this manner, reacted swiftly, with stocks falling in late trading Monday, bond yields rising to a four-year high and the dollar jumped.

Without knowing exactly what was said, many refused to speculate. The Fed is not commenting on the story.

That the conversation took place at the correspondents dinner, with its heady blend of media and political heavyweights and Hollywood stars, only added to the spice to the story.

Many believed Bernanke most likely thought the conversation was off-the-record.

But officials at the White House Correspondents Association said all conversation at the dinner is on the record, unless the official says they are private.

In our media interview skills training sessions, we do not advocate taking a defensive posture with reporters, but it is essential that every spokesperson understand that everything done and said in the presence of a journalist is fair game. They are observers and you are the observed. They will describe what you look like, your posture, your disposition and your tone of voice. So you have to be "on" from the first moment to the last.

For those who believe that there are limits to how far a journalist would go for a story, I offer the following brief video clip in which some of the great broadcast journalists of the 20th century discuss a hypothetical situation: What would they do if they knew of a planned ambush on American soldiers? Simple question? Not for a journalist.

The story is king. Nothing personal, just business. Knowing this should guide your interactions with all journalists going forward.

For more information on DPK Public Relations' media interview skills training services, visit http://www.dpkpr.com/mediatraining/, call 214-432-7556 or fill out our PR contact form.

26-Aug-08 9:00 AM

UPDATED: You Have 10-Minutes for Crisis Communications Response

Dan Keeney — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

This article was originally posted in 2005, but it is even more relevant and meaningful today. Through one of my clients, I've learned that a Houston area Congressman is now steaming live video from his cell phone onto the Web, interviewing colleagues and constituents.

It's pretty amazing how powerful these tools can be. When advancing representative government, these tools can do great things, but they can also present enormous challenges for communicators by granting any and every individual the same live news powers that once made CNN so special.

So take a fresh look at this classic piece from the DPK Public Relations archives:

I presented a half-day seminar, "Crisis Communications Planning, Response and Recovery" to a gathering of public relations practitioners from the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) this week. It was a great session with plenty of interaction to make us all think.

At one point, I asked those in attendance how many carried cell phones that doubled as cameras. About two out of three did. When I asked how many had phones that could shoot video, only one person raised her hand. Nice phone!

The point I eventually made was that there are millions of people walking around with the technical capability to be on-the-scene reporters. Think of the video that circulated on the Web of the tsunami making landfall earlier this year. The crude, jumpy images were captured on cell phones and digital cameras and posted with just a few clicks. In a couple days, they showed up on the evening news.

We've been discussing the democratization of journalism for more than a decade, but now it's happening and it is having enormous impact on how crisis communicators must function. In the event that an incident of major concern to your organization occurs, you typically have just a few minutes now before you should acknowledge that something has happened, express concern and assure the audience that you're on top of it. Failure to act quickly invited rumor, speculation and inuendo. If you're not out there establishing the facts, someone else will simply make them up based on the available evidence, or their own interests.

In the Fort Worth seminar, we role played the "600-second drill," giving participants that much time to gather the facts, work with their teams to craft a statement, then meet the media.

It's not pleasant to think about, but today's technology puts prominent people like your CEO at risk of plunging their organizations into crisis.

Taking a recent tabloid story about a certain supermodel and twisting it a bit, how would you respond if a video surfaced online showing your CEO cutting lines and snorting cocaine? Your CEO might demand that you batten down the hatches and keep quiet.

Is that really in the best interests of your organization? Probably not.

In almost every case, the best interest of an organization in an emerging crisis is served by helping define the story and showing that you don't have your head in the sand. That requires releasing an initial statement that states the facts that you absolutely positively know to be true.

For instance:

"I can only make a brief statement and will not be answering any questions. We are aware of video that appears to show activities that concern us greatly. We are working to determine the facts and anticipate having more information by mid-day. In the meantime, it is important to note that our chairman has stepped forward and is personally involved in the investigation as well as in the operations of the company."

Moving as quickly as possible to assert that your organization is aware of the issue, is concerned about it, is cooperating in an investigation and, if necessary, is open to taking corrective action is the best way to shorten the amount of time you are in crisis response mode and move more quickly to crisis recovery.

If your organization would like to have DPK Public Relations President Dan Keeney, APR present the half-day seminar, "Crisis Communications Planning, Response and Recovery," please contact us at dan@keeneypr.com or call 214-432-7556.

14-Aug-08 11:00 AM

Case Study: Issues Management Keeps Potential Crisis Quiet

Dan Keeney — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:00:00 GMT

When a high-profile company (we can't name the organization because of a confidentiality agreement) faced the possibility of an ugly lawsuit that threatened to drag its good name through the mud, they contacted DPK Public Relations.

The issue revolved around threats by a former employee to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and a wrongful termination lawsuit. She claimed she had been illegally fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on two celebrity employees for actions that could have been interpreted as racially insensitive. Making the issue even more uncomfortable was the fact that these allegations followed highly publicized protests of the company related to employment practices that some considered to be racially motivated.

As Barak Obama has explained eloquently, racial issues in America remain highly complex and deeply rooted. Organizations must tread carefully and respond quickly any time race is raised as an issue, even when company leadership believes no problems exist. DPK Public Relations assessed the situation and crafted a two-pronged issues management strategy designed to protect and enhance the company's reputation.

First, working closely with the company's legal counsel, we created a reputation safety net for the company in the event the EEOC complaint was filed. Knowing that it could be filed at any time, we developed messages, speaking points, backgrounders and fact sheets designed to accurately portray the company's point-of-view. Our messages revolved around the fact taht the organization took the allegations seriously, addressed them forcefully and continues to execute a plan for ongoing improvement.

We provided media interview skills training to ensure the company's spokesperson understood the messages and was expert at expressing the organization's viewpoints. We also provided counsel to the employees whose actions had been called into question by the former employee to ensure they understood the gravity of the matter and were aware of the company's plan of action.

Second, we immediately went to work to address lingering questions about the organization's commitment to diversity. Our community relations experts helped to identify leaders of the area's diverse communities and we arranged one-on-one discussions between the company's top executive and more than a dozen community leaders, some of whom had been highly critical of the organization in the past. While these meetings were designed as listening sessions, we also crafted subtle messages to articulate the progress that was being made while acknowledging that it was a process that was not yet complete.

These personal meetings were followed by an open house celebration at which the company made clear that its commitment to diversity was for real.

This two pronged strategy was designed to effectively inoculate the company from the damage that could be done to its reputation by a highly publicized EEOC complaint. But it did much more. Once implemented, the issues management strategy gave the company's attorneys the confidence to call the bluff of the disgruntled former employee without caving into her demands. She ultimately decided to settle and the allegations were never made public.

Sometimes, our best work never sees the light of day. In this case, our work prevented a public fight that could have tarnished an extremely valuable reputation and probably saved the organization hundreds of thousands -- if not millions -- of dollars by avoiding a costly legal battle.

17-Jul-08 6:00 PM

Survey Answers the Question: What Is Public Relations?

Dan Keeney — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Despite overwhelming evidence that the mainstream media's influence is sliding, corporate America continues to focus its public relations dollars on media relations activities. This is a key finding of the 2008 PRWeek/MS&L Marketing Management Survey published this week by PRWeek (click here to download).

The online survey, conducted by PRWeek and Millward Brown, was completed by 252 marketing executives between May 1, 2008 and May 19, 2008. When asked how their companies use public relations, two out of three respondents said they use PR to generate publicity (media relations). It was the most frequent answer (see graphic below -- credit PRWeek).

Click on image for high resolution version

10 years ago, I would have been shocked if responses were different than this. Even five years ago, I would not have been surprised that most who control marketing purse strings thought of public relations primarily as a publicity machine. But today, with newspaper readership dropping by the month, the nightly news a whisper of what it used to be and trade publications moving mostly online, the emphasis on media relations would seem quaint if it wasn't so scary.

Make no mistake, I continue to include "good ol' media relations" as an element of what we offer clients. But once we begin that discussion, we make it clear that our definition of "media" has radically changed in the past decade. We consider media to be any conduit through which we can deliver the message to a targeted audience. So YouTube is media, as is Flickr and FaceBook and select blogs that deal with appropriate subject matter.

Other studies have reinforced this mindset, suggesting that mainstream journalists are among the most avid consumers of social media such as blogs. There is strong evidence that a considerable percentage of newsroom decisions are influenced by the respected bloggers are writing about. A couple years ago, we launched a blogger-driven lobbying effort in the Texas Legislature, putting significant pressure on a deep-pocketed opponent. Though the big money ended up winning, we did make valuable in-roads -- even winning passage of a small concession. And the bloggers made so much noise that the mainstream media had to take notice.

The biggest disappointment of these findings is that just 35 percent of respondents say their company turns to public relations to help guide company strategy. At DPK Public Relations, we are fortunate to be intimately involved in the formulation of company strategy for our clients. As counselors to our clients' chief executives, we can help to identify and prevent potentially damaging issues and to uncover and fully leverage opportunities. Involving your PR counselor in strategy formulation is the best way to derive maximum value from your PR investment.

What are your thoughts? Please post your comments below:

24-Jun-08 5:00 PM

DPK Public Relations Salutes the Late Ron Stone, Respected News Anchor

Dan Keeney — Wed, 14 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Longtime television newsman Ron Stone died Tuesday at his home.
Stone, who was diagnosed last year with prostate cancer, was 72.

His signoff, as delivered across four decades on KHOU (Channel 11) and KPRC (Channel 2), was "Good night, neighbors," and the signature spoke volumes about the man.

He was a native Oklahoman who was honored by the Sons of the Republic of Texas and a TV guy who took pride in the depth and clarity of good writing, and his long tenure in Houston helped established the style that viewers expect of their local anchors.

Stone was born April 6, 1936, in Hanna, Okla., graduated from East Central State Teachers College in Ada, Okla., and worked in radio and television in several small Oklahoma markets. He was working at KVOO in Tulsa in 1961 when he caught the eye of Rather, who was then Channel 11's lead anchor.

After Rather departed for CBS, Stone moved into the lead anchor chair and dominated the ratings alongside sports anchor Johnny Temple and weathercaster Sid Lasher. He departed in late 1967 for New York as a writer for NBC but returned 10 months later to Channel 11. In 1972, he moved to Channel 2, where he worked alongside longtime colleague Doug Johnson, the station's weathercaster.

Along with anchor duties at Channel 2, where he remained until 1992, he hosted the series The Eyes of Texas and established himself as a master of words as well as video.

During his final broadcast before retiring from Channel 2, he said, "I always figured that doing local television was a trust. So I never tried to lie to you, never tried to lead you down a false path. I spent 30 years working at two really fine television stations in one really fine town. I've been a very lucky man."

After retiring, he founded Stonefilms of Texas, which produced corporate videos in tandem with the public relations community. He wrote three books about Texas history and a fourth book with his son, Ron Stone Jr.

Stone also established the Ron Stone Foundation for Texas History, based in Brenham, which supports the upkeep of a park in Washington-on-the-Brazos, where the Texas declaration of independence was signed, and provides stipends for historians.

Stone remained active as a speaker before he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last September. After doctors determined this year that the disease had spread to his brain, he spent his final days focused on family.

Survivors include his wife, Pat Stone; two daughters, Robin Brown and Julie Payne, both of Houston; two sons, Ron Stone Jr. and Billy Stone, both of Houston; a sister, Joyce Murdock of Oklahoma City; and nine grandchildren.

14-May-08 9:00 AM