Planning For Disaster! What You Need to Know

A crisis communication plan is an investment, not a cost!

Written by Robyn T. Braley 

We tend to think, "It will never happen to us!" And then, it does. Is your company prepared for the unthinkable? 

Having a crisis repsonse plan is usually on the to-do list but is often put aside due to more pressing issues. However, executing a well-written plan can save lives, calm fears, and provide a structure for responding to the event and moving forward. 

Canmore, Alberta floods of 2013

Hurricane Fiona devastated the east coast from Maritime Canada to Florida and into the Caribbean. Hurricane Ian was close behind.

Free Stuff! 8 Free Tools that Will Make Your Creative Life Easier

Free tools that will make your creative life easier!

I couldn't get by without free tools that fast-track the production speed and improve the quality of my creative work. 

In this post, I review 8 platforms that I use almost daily including some free options I have used for many years.

Grand Expectations

Raise your hand if you feel intimidated by the creative expectations of others who expect you to create magical content that engages and blows the minds of your target audiences. You must be an excellent writer, exacting editor, outstanding designer, talented video performer/editor, audio performer/producer, multimedia expert, social media whiz or a fantastic brand and communication guru. 

If this sounds familiar, this post is for you. Your creative life is about to become more productive if you are a senior executive, community leader, student, brand specialist or are building your career.  

Look Good, Sound Good, and Be Good on Video Calls!

 

Help your audience better understand you and what you're saying.

Have you been on a video call when a speaker talked so fast that you couldn't understand what they were saying? Or, when they spoke so quietly, you couldn't hear them, even after turning up your volume up to the max?

It soon became apparent. The speaker was rattled! 

Their gestures were frenetic. They stared wistfully at some distant planet as their voice grew shaky! Soon 'ums, you know's, and, as I said before's' were salted between meaningful content.  

Canadian Election 2021 Leaders TV Debates Media Interviews - What Did Their Bodies Say?

What does body language tell you about what a politician is really saying? Quite a lot, actually. 

Through the years I've been asked many times by various media to analyze the body language of federal or provincial Canadian party leaders as they debated each other on TV, radio, or online.

They are thrown into a boiling cauldron where every facial expression, every blink, every gesture, every turn, and every nuance is magnified by a forest of cameras.

Go to Page 2 to click and listen to each interview.

Political Theatre

Debates are live which means anything can go wrong at any time and usually does. A political debate is a high form of theatre for political junkies.

That is why leaders are coached, rehearsed, and then coached again. In Canada, the process is elevated because the leaders must participate in two debates, one in French and the other in English.

In every debate, one or more of the leaders rise above the rest. The greatest fear is saying something boneheaded, assuming a weak physical position or making an odd gesture that could win or lose the election.

When I am asked by the media to analyze body language, I note subtle - or not so subtle - signals that could make the difference in shaping people's impressions in Election 2021. I try to be unbiased.

While the purpose of a debate is to focus on ideas, they also provide great content for 24 hr news cycles and social media. The goal of each leader's PR team is to capture that one clip that will rocket their candidate to the front of the line.

Interviews Page 2

11 Power Reads Just for You. Top Brandit Posts for 2020/2021! +BONUS

11 great summer reads for summer relaxation.

I love helping people! In fact, I can truly say that helping others is one reason I get up in the morning.

There is no doubt the world of COVID turned lives upside down. Our family was forced to separate geographically due to dramatic changes in the economy.

I know company owners whose businesses thrived during COVID. They were able to pivot quickly to making PPE early into the lockdown.

But, as time progressed, they lost employees due to the disease and were hit by severe raw product shortages. So, if you weren't negatively impacted in some way, you were fortunate.

A Time for Learning

Many used COVID time as growing time. The forced quarantine was a time to learn. I am grateful that more people have read my Brandit posts and engaged with my content on Twitter and LinkedIn than ever before.

Top 11 Posts

Below are the most-read Brandit posts of 2020-2021 for you to enjoy once again. If you enjoy reading them, please comment.

While the numbers are gratifying, I appreciate most the telephone calls, emails, or blog comments from readers like you.

I've also received personal comments during social occasions, which is so cool. The conversation usually gravitates to blogging in general and analytics in particular. Below are the basics.