CaliberPulse

We are experiencing a significant pivot in the way business works. No doubt about it, we are living in unusual times. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is significant and transformative. It has radically transformed our social and economic fabric. And in the coming years, it will be viewed as a significant pivot point in […]

There is a popular quote circulating on social media these days that counsels, “in crisis, a failure to lead can only lead to failure.” Yet knowing just how to lead during turbulent times isn’t always clear especially when facing extraordinary challenges never encountered before.

While it is not clear yet the full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will take a toll on our economy, it is clear that business owners must prepare for long-term consequences and question how resilient their companies really are. Right now, you may be developing a contingency plan for your business — or you […]

The first step is to develop a crisis management plan, which begins with a risk assessment that identifies the current threats that will disrupt or derail your business operations. Work with members of leadership and crisis response team and other key stakeholders to identify all relevant threats or vulnerabilities that could impact your company’s, financial […]

The old adage, “Actions Speak Louder Than Words” rings true for the vast majority of Americans. However, for public figures, this is often reversed. In many cases, the words they choose and how those words are received by the general public can greatly influence their brand – both positively and negatively.

What do you do when your company has exciting news that will likely meet with strong opposition by the exact target audience you are trying to reach? Preemptively planning and precisely positioning your message to best accommodate that specific demographic could be the best approach.

Here in Arizona, we can’t help but find Disney’s efforts to trademark the holiday Dia de los Muertos surprising and, well, just weird. But what we find even more fascinating is how a grassroots effort via social media to stop Disney’s plan spread like a gasoline-fueled wildfire on a 100-plus-degree windy day.

“Communication is a complex activity under the best of circumstances and turns exponentially intricate when a crisis occurs. The mass shooting this past January 8 is a crisis that rocked not only Tucson, but is still being felt across our state and nation, and even around the world.” -Daphne Gilman and Jan Howard, Presidents of IABC Tucson and the Southern Arizona chapter of PRSA. It is not often that those involved in communicating about a crisis talk publicly about the process of handling the events. But recently, Caliber team members had the privilege of attending a seminar at the University of Arizona: Crisis Communication in Action: Tucson in the International News. This program, sponsored by PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter and IABC Tucson, provided insight into the communications crisis that arose from the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and other victims on January 8. It was a unique opportunity to hear news leadership and institutional public information officers speak openly about this shared experience, and we would like to share the top takeaway messages with you.

Even though it is difficult for me to get out of the office for a few days, each year I attend professional conferences to stay on top of the latest consumer trends and new media technologies. This year I attended the Public Relations Society of America’s International Conference Oct.16-19 in Washington D.C. My education started the minute I landed at Reagan National Airport and continued throughout the conference, at the workshops and during the networking sessions, where I interacted with respected peers and educators throughout the world. Here’s a summary of the top ten trends I learned — or confirmed — this year at the PRSA Conference that I hope you will find valuable as you prepare your strategic plans for 2011: