Them, That or Those – Who is a Stakeholder?
Who are we trying to engage with anyway? Pull out the objectives for the last exercise you attended. Dimes to dollars that JIC capability was measured by holding a press conference. Now review the differences between Liaison and Joint Information Center in the NRT manual, your Area Contingency Plan or your own organization’s crisis response […]
Sea Change
Every so often, a sea change occurs in our communication world. Sometimes without us realizing it. We tend to notice major sea change, when its impact makes recognition and understanding unavoidable. But some changes sneak up on us and change our world without us realizing it. In the FX television series “The People vs. O.J. Simpson: […]
We Are All Sausages
Trauma exposes the real us: We may look sleek and shiny on the outside, but the truth is that there are always messes inside. When trauma slices across our lives, it exposes our secret side even as it impacts our prepared public face. In every personal crisis, all our internal stresses and strains come to […]
Lizard Brains at Work
Why does it seem like we go brain dead in a crisis? We plan and prepare assiduously, locking procedures into our minds and increasing our muscle memory with regular exercises. Then when ‘the big one’ hits, we seem to forget everything we’ve learned. Even if we don’t, it seems like everyone else has. Everything seems […]
The Compassion Challenge
Why don’t people care any more? It’s a decades-old puzzle: Human beings are noted for incredible acts of heroism, kindness and generosity, yet we’re also known for selfish, self-centered actions and the capability to seemingly ignore evil as it occurs around us. Sociologists debate the answer, ethicists explain the issue and we just accept it […]