Tag: PR

Being a Conscious Leader in Today’s PR Landscape

Written by Tiana Ware on February 2, 2024. Posted in Firm Culture.

As a GenZ-er early in my PR career, I am in the process of being transitioned into a role as an account manager. It’s a challenging and exciting prospect to begin to find my own voice and develop my own approach to management.

With the support of my managers at The Reis Group, I decided to attend a conference called Conscious People Management for Team Success to help me learn a management style to make my colleagues feel supported and inspired. The two-day conference was eye-opening, with a plethora of tips and tricks. But my main takeaway was an important lesson that will guide my personal development: Feedback is the most powerful and important gift that you can give—and receive.

Nearly three years into my health care PR career, I’ve been learning the great value of clear and intentional feedback. My supervisors’ suggestions are helping me grow my skillset and increase my efficiency while continuing to produce high-quality work. Through this process, I’ve realized that my perfectionist tendencies sometimes cause me to spend longer than necessary on a project. I needed to spend less time with some tasks because it was impacting deadlines and the overall momentum of projects. To remedy this, they provided a few examples of smart strategies that can help: Give myself strict timeframes for each task. Create a plan for my day before jumping into assignments so that my daily priorities are clear.

A great takeaway from these conversations was realizing the value of good feedback. I didn’t feel that I’d been judged or criticized. Instead, they affirmed my experience by acknowledging that balancing thoughtful work and getting the job done quickly and efficiently can be difficult, especially when you want to deliver for the team and, ultimately, the client.

My managers focused on being solution-oriented, and building on my strengths. They also provided great suggestions, like sharing their own tools for time management, creating daily to-do lists and setting up weekly team check-ins.

Learning the value of receiving feedback is one thing, but the idea of being in a managerial role and giving feedback in potentially uncomfortable conversations felt pretty intimidating.

As I’m transitioning to an account manager role, I’m wondering how to approach these difficult and vital conversations. How do I develop the best possible tone and the most useful structure for these feedback sessions? Management consultants preach various tactics, but I needed to figure out my own way.

The leader of the Conscious People Management for Team Success seminar stressed that these conversations should be focused and specific, positioned in a way that propels both individual and team growth. She suggested four steps:

Share actionable insights.
Highlight data for development.
Provide information that enables improvement.
Brainstorm ideas to help you grow.

Soon after the seminar, I had the chance to give feedback to a colleague. Before I met with her, I sat down and listed what she did well with an assignment because I knew she’d put in a lot of effort. Then I noted the three specific areas that needed work, and I thought about what she could do to improve. Then, I planned to give her encouragement by reiterating the good things she did and being upbeat about what she needed to do moving forward.

With the tips I’d learned, I felt prepared to have a productive conversation. We first discussed areas where she shined. I also asked about her own self-evaluation so I could better understand where she was coming from. I was quickly able to identify some confusion about the assignment and areas of disconnect. We were able to find a few specific examples of how she could improve her work.

We both left the conversation feeling positive and motivated. I had reminded myself to stick to my plan to lead with empathy and understanding. For me, the biggest triumph from that conversation was that she felt supported and inspired to take on similar tasks moving forward and wasn’t discouraged or defeated by the feedback.

My first experience with giving feedback was a learning opportunity for both of us. Rethinking the concept of feedback to see it as a “gift” is a powerful way to make our teams stronger. It fosters trust and inspiration among us, which allows us to better serve our clients. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder that no matter where you are in your career, there is always so much more to learn, and being open to it can help strengthen you as a person and a teammate.

Sharon Reis inducted into National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame

Written by Staff on December 20, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, Sharon Reis was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Public Relations Society of America’s National Capital Chapter.

Sharon was honored for her dedication to health, health care and social issues, including her work on campaigns to prevent Alzheimer’s disease, raise awareness of colorectal cancer, fight COVID-19 and promote health equity. Beyond recognizing her commitment to her clients and their issues, Sharon was also honored for her role in mentoring and shaping the next generation of PR professionals.

The National Capital Public Relations Hall of Fame inducts role models who have created an enduring impact on PR from 30 or more years of distinguished accomplishments. Click here for more information about the honor.

“I am honored to be inducted into the PRSA NCC Hall of Fame alongside some of the finest PR professionals in the country. This recognition signifies an important milestone in my health care PR journey, and I am grateful to continue to develop communications programs to help improve health and well-being for so many.”

– Sharon Reis

5 Tips for Growing into Your New Role at Work

Written by Alyssa Slovin on September 13, 2023. Posted in Firm Culture.

After graduating college and starting my first full-time salaried position last May, I was excited to learn the ins and outs of health care public relations. My managers and peers have truly taken me under their wing, and everyone has been an amazing mentor and resource. On top of that, we frequently hold office-wide professional development sessions to continue building our PR skillsets.

After a year and a promotion to Account Executive, I am still always learning new strategies and tactics, now focusing on account-management skills. Our managers are preparing the account team to better understand how to practice client relations and balance multiple timelines. Learning foundational public relations knowledge is key, and practicing management techniques is just as crucial to our personal development.

Here are five tips for growing into your new role at work:

Don’t be afraid to ask all your questions. You’ve probably received this advice before, but it’s worth repeating: this is the best way for you to determine exactly what your manager wants. So, it takes away any guesswork on your end. Instead of spending your time trying to decode their request, it’s much quicker and easier to ask for clarification.

This is not necessarily where your questions should end, though. If time allows, try asking about how this work fits into the larger plan for this client or project. Even if your tasks are smaller scale for now, you can create something that is more tailored and relevant to the bigger picture if you have more context.

Follow up on your work. If you haven’t received any feedback on a completed assignment, consider following up on it. Your manager may not have had time to send you feedback in the moment, but your follow up gives them the opportunity to let you know what you might need to improve next time.

Following up not only shows your interest in growing your skill set, but it also demonstrates that you’re on top of your work. It can also position you as the point person for this topic if and when this type of work continues.

Track your to-dos and update your team. Keep track of your to-dos in an organized manner so you aren’t relying on reminders from your team to know what assignments are coming due. At TRG, we use Breeze, an online task-management system that we can organize by client. I also find that keeping a daily to-do list helps me prioritize and use my time efficiently every day.

If a deadline is coming up and your task is taking longer than expected, send a quick message to your account manager or team members who are relying on that work. Whether it’s a hard or soft deadline, this keeps your team from wondering and allows them to plan accordingly.

Take on new tasks, but be up front about other deadlines. When you are given a new task that wasn’t in your original plan, try to fit it into your schedule. It’s important to be a team player, and this new project could be a great learning opportunity or could bring a new perspective to a project. But if it really doesn’t work with your other assignments, don’t be afraid to speak up. Ask how flexible the deadline is, or how long they expect it may take. Producing one on-time and top-notch assignment is better than two rushed projects.

Share new ideas without worrying if they are good enough. As a new team member, it can feel daunting to present new ideas to your team. But if you have one, let your account lead know. They want you to engage in your work and make it your own – that’s why you are a part of the team.

Try to have some additional logistical information on your new idea if possible, but sometimes just joining the brainstorm can spark the inspirations for an innovative new project.

Growing into a new role at work can be challenging, especially if you’re accustomed to turning in your assignments and moving on to the next task. Developing your account-management and client-relations skills early on in your career will set you and your team up for success.

The Role of a Commentary in Earned Media Outreach

Written by Hanna Hayden on May 16, 2023. Posted in Building Credibility.

In the big, fast-moving world of health care communications, there’s such a flood of news and information that it can seem almost impossible to make your client’s voice stand out above the noise of the crowd. But it’s more important than ever to try to find ways for their voice to be heard, which is why we are paying more and more attention to the power of the well-crafted and well-placed commentary.

The commentary is an effective communications tool to allow your client to display their expertise in a conversational, accessible manner. Finding a home for the commentary in an outlet that represents their industry can highlight your client’s qualifications in their field. And the personal nature of the commentary also positions your client as someone whose viewpoint demands attention. By writing a commentary for your client, it allows them to enter the conversation du jour in an organic and outstanding way.

I had the opportunity to explore the power of the commentary to its fullest potential earlier this spring. Our client was looking to increase awareness of their annual scientific meeting in Washington, D.C. After discussing their goals for the meeting, which included elevating their reputation, attracting media attention and promoting the important discussions at their meeting, we decided to add a commentary into our earned media strategy and outreach.

As public relations professionals, we know that a commentary is an opportunity to play to our author’s strengths. It’s an ideal vehicle for showcasing their unique perspective. When speaking with the author about her goals for the piece, we concerned ourselves with the “why?” of the commentary as much as the who, what, where and when.

Though a compelling commentary should always be supported by proven research, it’s also an opportunity to have a conversation with the audience. A commentary focuses more on the author’s personal interpretation of research than on the facts themselves. Because of this, the author can inject more of her personal character into the piece. This human touch serves to answer why her analysis deserves a place in the conversation.

Placing this commentary in a popular medical outlet before the meeting helped the speaker establish her credibility in her field by displaying the depth and breadth of her knowledge. It also showcased the kind of high-quality work that would be discussed at the meeting. This served to elevate the client’s reputation as a don’t-miss attraction at the meeting and gained the author a foothold in some of the most closely followed conversations of the day.

How PR Can Make a Meaningful Public Health Impact

Written by Molly Ashmore on May 9, 2023. Posted in Promoting Science.

Everyone has their own unique career journey. As a recent grad who just last year received my master’s in Public Health, I may not be the typical person you might think would be working at a PR agency. Public health is an incredibly broad field – some of my colleagues are tracking infectious diseases or managing hospital operations, while I spend my workdays drafting press releases, conducting media outreach and supporting communications campaigns.

Fortunately, it’s turned out that health communications, an important aspect of public health, has been the perfect niche for me to start my career. My background in public health helps me understand the science and context behind the messaging strategies we employ. The experience I’m gaining at TRG has made me a more effective communicator and given me a practical understanding of how people receive messages about health.

I’ve seen firsthand the importance of strong communications skills in the world of public health, particularly in a time when many people rely more on social media than their own physician for health advice. We can – and must – employ solid public relations strategies to impact public health for the better.

Understanding your audience. One of the key points that was emphasized in my public health classes was that no one wants to adopt healthy behaviors if they’re just being talked at and not understood. Think about when your doctor simply tells you to “try eating healthier” without any additional information or tips customized to your specific situation, background or schedule. It’s frustrating, right?

People want information that is relatable – and this is where public relations comes in. Knowing our audience is key in developing content for campaigns or preparing spokespeople for media interviews. One way we do this is by making sure we’re up to date on news coverage, frequently scanning the media so we know what our clients’ priority populations are seeing about various health topics.

Digging deeper than just scanning the headlines is important: have there been any recent changes in coverage in a particular area? Are there any new polls available that survey people about their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs around a health topic? Being up to date on all aspects of coverage keeps us in close touch with our audiences. Take vaccination for example: we need to be fully aware of the most recent changes in public attitudes, such as vaccine fatigue and skepticism, if we expect to make successful pitches to the media and effectively reach our intended audience.

Reviewing science responsibly. As communications professionals, it’s our job to come up with fresh and creative ways to promote our clients’ news and viewpoints. But it’s essential that we always take extra care to make sure the messages we are sharing are completely clear and accurate. In the field of health care, our audience is often patients who are relying on information from trusted sources. We have the responsibility to guard against dangerous misinformation as our first priority.

At TRG, we work with many scientific organizations and conferences to promote the latest science and research being presented at their events. We need to carefully read the latest research papers, and we must also conduct deeper, probing conversations with the researchers so we clearly understand their methods and their findings to make sure that consumers clearly understand the importance of this new health information. As we all saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation can be incredibly harmful.

In my day-to-day work at TRG, I wear many different hats, but everything I do is part of a larger chain of events that impacts people’s health. This is my “why” for coming to work each day and trying to provide the best product possible for our clients. Ultimately, our “clients” are not just the organizations we work for, but also the end users in the public who rely on us for vital, accurate communications about their health.

Calm in the Storm: Five Tips to Stay Cool in Crisis Communications

Written by Stacy Skelly on September 21, 2022. Posted in Elevating Reputations.

Calm in the Storm: Five Tips to Stay Cool in Crisis Communications

By the nature of our jobs, health care public relations agencies are often called on to provide communications counsel and identify how to act during a crisis. We’re also expected to remain calm under pressure. But that isn’t easy – especially when a client may be panicking and reporters on deadline are calling to demand comment, and your job is to calmly navigate all the internal and external responses to an emergency.

So, when the heat turns up, it’s vital that we’ve got our own strategies for staying cool under the collar. Here are my tips for building credibility and elevating reputations during a time of crisis:

Plan, plan, plan. While most communications professionals know that issues management plans, including scenario planning and rapid response systems, are important to staying ahead of the curve, this part of the work can often fall by the wayside. When approaching your work, you need to make time to stop and think about scenarios: what is likely to happen and what could happen, and how will we respond. Sometimes that requires a formal issues management document, or it could be a quick check-in before an event or press announcement goes out.

Having a strategy is one of the absolute best ways to keep even-tempered, so that when others are pressuring you or creating a fuss, you can simply point to the procedures in place to address the problem. Besides, it helps to remind yourself that you’ve already thought this through. Going back to your plan lets you stop spinning and start leading.

Take action. Nothing cures anxiety like putting one foot in front of the other. Ideally, amidst the crisis, you’ve already got a plan and you are acting on it. But perhaps that first draft of a media statement needs to be written, and your chest is just a little bit too tight to start hitting those keys. The reality is that making the first move, even if you later scrap it, is crucial. Simply taking that next step—rather than worrying about every possible outcome or second guessing—helps get you unstuck and moving forward.

But it isn’t always clear what that next move should be. In those cases, you could “phone a friend.” Perhaps you know someone in your office who always has great advice for any situation. Or you could reach out to colleagues in the industry to ask how they might handle this predicament. And never forget, you’ve got a team at your back—call a meeting, explain the challenge at hand, and brainstorm. Even as the PR expert, you aren’t going to have all the answers. But you don’t need to, as long as you can figure out how to get unstuck. Sometimes the simple act of picking up the phone or sending that email will get the ball rolling.

Practice self-care. When things start heating up and stress makes you lose focus, simply getting up and out of your chair can allow you to refocus with the right attitude. I’m not talking about retail therapy or bubble baths; just a quick mind-body reset that can happen in as little as 5-10 minutes.

My recently discovered activities include standing yoga, a short meditation, and the tried-and-true walk around the block. A quick journaling session or deep breathing could work too. My personal favorite is to close the door, shut the blinds, turn up a favorite song, and pretend it’s karaoke time. I’ll wager that after three minutes of singing your heart out, things will feel different. Those few minutes taking a mental break will reap a serious reward. In fact, my guess is that if you need a reset and you don’t take the time, then you’ll just waste those same minutes in a tailspin.

Rely on what you know. It’s easy to let the stress get the best of you but remember that you’ve gotten to this point in your career for a reason. You’ve been put in this job because you are a trusted member of the team—and your experiences and expertise are valuable. Don’t let the pressure make you forget that.

But if that’s not enough and it all feels overwhelming, revisit a previous time you’ve tackled something unknown and remind yourself how you felt when you accomplished a frightening task that had seemed insurmountable. Consider, too, what lesson or action you can implement from situations you’ve handled in the past. Recall those successes to build your future. You’ve done hard things before—things you weren’t sure you could do—and come out on the other side. Now go into this crisis with those experiences at your back.

Be flexible. Even the best-laid plans aren’t going to work every time. Sometimes the reporter is going to move up the deadline on you, or the business decisions change, or something impossible is added to your plate amidst all the craziness. You already know you’re going to have to pivot in a communications role, so it’s best to practice being flexible in small ways each and every day. Recognize where you’ve done it well in the past and lean on the understanding that you can move quickly and make good decisions in the moment.

If you’re like me, you might struggle when things don’t go “as they should.” But my favorite trick is to bake flexibility into every project. Remind yourself that flexibility is a core element of any PR strategy. Things are going to shift on you, and you’re going to have to adjust. So, when things don’t go as expected, I get the joy of reminding myself that, actually things are going exactly as planned and now is the chance to implement the part of the plan where things change.

When a PR crisis hits, it’s easy to allow ourselves to get caught up in the storm. Stressful situations can always get the best of us. But we also need to be forward-thinking and anticipate staying calm under pressure. With a little conscious effort, we can be our best professional selves and do the best work for our clients and teams.

8 Ways to Squeeze in Time for Professional Progress

Written by Jessica Thibault on April 14, 2021. Posted in Firm Culture.

Even with less commute time, there still never seems to be quite enough hours in the workday. However, by incorporating some strategy, you can continue your professional development without too much trouble. After fully embracing the term “maximizing” to describe my life approach, I’ve come up with ways to make time for the important things, including my numerous passions and beloved relationships.

Schedule yourself. Set a pop-up reminder to get yourself to think about or invest in professional development. This could be blocking out 30 minutes once a week for some professional development reading on LinkedIn, a monthly pop-up reminding you to make progress towards your annual goals, or anything in between.
Find an industry-focused email newsletter worth reading, like Michael Smart’s Thursday emails. Start by picking just one that is worthwhile, and don’t be afraid to unsubscribe and try something different if it starts to feel like additional clutter.
Find someone further along in their career who is willing to provide casual mentorship. Now that we’re used to remote meetings, ask about some quick check-in calls before work, over your lunch break, or in the evening, maybe bimonthly or once a quarter. This will keep it from being too cumbersome for either of you.
Listen to industry podcasts or audiobooks on your walks, workouts, drives, or while making meals or folding laundry. Make your chore time extra-productive.
Follow key hashtags or join an industry group on LinkedIn. You’ll stay relatively informed without trying too hard.
Ask someone to keep you accountable. If your former coworker is willing to check in occasionally to see whether you’ve been keeping your list of work wins up-to-date, you’re more likely to do it (and figure out the most painless way for you to maintain the practice.)
Whenever you wrap up a small project, ask for any feedback to make the next project better. Be sure to also share feedback with others to encourage improvement and grow your working relationships.
Volunteer to support a one-time event or for a committee with a minimal time commitment. Choose an event during a time of year that is less busy or a commitment that is infrequent enough to keep it manageable.

I like to pursue many goals at once and have found that with the right planning and reminders, big things are usually more feasible than they sound. If you have any favorite strategies for fitting in professional development or any favorite podcasts or newsletters, please share them. We’ve got this!

A Clearer Path Forward for 2021

Written by Sharon Reis on February 8, 2021. Posted in Firm Culture.

Kindness. Recovery. Brightness. These are some of the words my colleagues used during a recent Zoom meeting to describe their hopes and expectations for 2021. Several shared news of a friend’s pregnancy, an engagement, a pleasant family milestone, or possible vacation. Their energy and optimism reminded me that despite the pain and chaos of the past year, there are nonetheless many reasons to feel grateful, particularly for the health, safety, and job stability of our team.

The ongoing development of new vaccines and the adoption of more serious mask mandates are our new lights at the end of the tunnel. The nationwide innovation that has occurred by collaborating across sectors to develop multiple COVID-19 vaccines is truly inspiring and has shone a light on what is possible when we find ways to work together in our collective best interests.

In health care PR, we have turned our attention to building vaccine confidence and promoting the science behind it. These campaigns are crucial to our nation’s revival. The personal toll of pandemic loss and confinement has also focused new attention on the importance of behavioral and mental health, including the expansion of telehealth. I am encouraged, too, by the renewed focus and wider acceptance of the power of the mind-body connection in achieving health and well-being. On Instagram, I’ve started following Happify and wanted to share one of their recent posts, “Three Things to Notice Daily:” What energizes you? What are you grateful for? What’s not working, and why? I have found that pausing to take the time to identify and focus on these three things has made a difference in my daily well-being.

Finally, I am particularly grateful for our team of amazing health care PR experts. Through our regular Zoom calls, we have maintained and built even stronger connections. We have supported and shared with each other when we’ve been challenged in so many unexpected ways. As the path forward becomes clearer every day, we are hopeful of getting vaccines before the fall, seeing those new babies, attending those weddings, and enjoying a renewed sense of well-being.

A Formative Four Years

Written by Sharon Reis on June 15, 2020. Posted in Firm Culture, Our Take.

It’s hard for me to believe that we are already celebrating the fourth anniversary of the founding of The Reis Group. As I thought about this milestone and about my original vision to create a health care public relations agency with the best possible work culture, I was wonderfully gratified to get the news that we were just named one of the “Best Boutique Agencies to Work For” by PRovoke, one of the leading industry trade news outlets.

To be recognized for our culture, being named one of the best in the nation in the “most voluminous and competitive” category, according to PRovoke, is very rewarding for me both professionally and personally. Having a strong, talented, supportive team has been a joy, and it gives me hope for much success in the next year and beyond.

As I looked back at the four-year mark, I found myself marveling at how much has changed in such a short time, even before our world was upended by COVID-19.

The Cloud

When we moved into our brand new Dupont Circle office in Washington, D.C. in 2016, we worked with our tech expert to put all our content into the cloud and to have everything accessible virtually. It’s been an amazing change, particularly with our increased travel schedules, to have the ability to work from anywhere and have access to all our files. And it enabled us to buy the lightest laptops available, which was fantastic news for my poor sore shoulder!

Remote Work

Long before COVID-19, we started working remotely once a week on the day of your choice. But that became too confusing; some people would take it, others wouldn’t. It got to the point where we didn’t know whether someone was in or out of the office. We had a solution: “Work From Home Fridays.” Everyone would get the benefit. Everyone would be required to use video calls as the primary form of communication. Everyone needed to have a home office set up. Wow! Did that ever pay off when the coronavirus hit!

Working from home one day a week is fun. Working from home every day is just hard. I miss my co-workers! Getting coffees together. Chatting about the weekend. Noticing a new piece of clothing or a desk decoration. Being able to tell how each of us is doing by reading our body language. Let’s face it; you really can’t do that as well on Zoom. We are on virtual calls every day together, but nothing replaces being in each other’s presence.

Health Care’s Transformation

Our firm is focused on health and health care. I’ve dedicated the last 20-plus years of my life to these issues. So much has changed so quickly in both a scary and exciting way. Disparities, telehealth, questions about insurance coverage, access to care, prevention, mental health, reimbursement issues, scope of practice, and more. Never have these challenges been more apparent or important.

Supporting Our Community

The sweeping protests around the world are sparking historic changes that have been too long coming. As an employer, I am strongly committed to equity and to having a team that reflects our community, that is open to ideas from everyone, and that supports each other’s successes. Every June, we donate to a cause that helps the community. This year, we made a donation to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

My Proudest Moment

When we opened our doors four years ago, I said something that still holds true and that I keep near my heart. “To give it my best—to really make it shine—I need to work with the best people; people who share my values and my commitment to excellence. I have to work in a culture of support, in which our team members see that a major part of our work is to build each other up and help each other succeed.” I’m very grateful to know that we are doing that, and will continue…

Are You Prepared in Case of an Emergency?

Written by Lauren Musiol on January 24, 2020. Posted in Elevating Reputations.

Does your organization have a plan in place to respond to an emerging issue like a negative media article, a major reorganization or a controversial legal matter? According to a recent PR News article, PR pros anticipate a rise in crisis communications as we enter the new decade and it’s important that your organization not be caught on its heels.

The goal of managing crises is to mitigate the immediate danger, along with any subsequent serious negative repercussions–while maintaining leadership and transparency on the issue at hand. While we all hope we never have a reason to actually implement a crisis communications plan, it’s vital to have one in place. It is crucial to assure that all key players understand their role in a crisis and know how to initiate action so they are able to quickly and efficiently respond to any situation.

Here are four things to keep in mind when developing your organization’s crisis communications plan:

Identify the most likely scenarios. You can never fully anticipate all the details of a potential crisis, but it’s important to think through whatever situations are most likely to occur and then determine whether any potential scenarios can be grouped together in terms of how you would respond. Identifying a few key situations will help keep your plan manageable and actionable and will allow your response system to be easily adaptable to a variety of situations.
Determine a threshold for responding. Not every situation warrants a response, as sometimes the response itself will only add more fuel to the fire. It’s important to always assess the caliber of the threat and determine from there how best to publicly respond, if at all. Even if a response is not deemed necessary, it’s still important to monitor the situation and have some draft materials in place should things escalate.
Determine chain of command and have appropriate back-ups identified. This is a very critical piece of any crisis communications plan. By having key members and back-ups identified, it allows your organization to quickly put your crisis plan in motion and ensures that everyone who needs to be in the know will be notified quickly. A crisis can occur at any time and, as much as we’d like to be, we all can’t be available 24/7. So, having a back-up person identified for each role in the crisis plan will guarantee that the plan progresses as it should, regardless of whether someone is unavailable.
Develop draft materials with key messages that can be easily updated depending on the crisis. Time is of the essence during a crisis, so having outlines with key talking points and messages at the ready will help jump-start your response efforts and help you move quickly. Having some of these draft materials pre-approved will save valuable time during an actual crisis, which will mean your organization can respond as quickly as needed to all situations.

As Benjamin Franklin said “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” If your organization doesn’t have a crisis communications plan in place, contact The Reis Group and we can work with you to ensure you are ready to set the right processes in motion should a crisis situation arise.