I may know the reason that BP's early PR was so AWOL

Brent Boynton, formerly the news anchor on KOLO-TV, Reno’s ABC affiliate, conned me into attending this mornings monthly breakfast hosted by the local chapter of PRSA - Public Relations Society of America. We’re both stirring around, looking for our next professional adventure, and you have to do this sort of thing to keep your hand in, so to speak.

I’ve avoided getting aligned with this group simply because the great share of my PR experience has been for a large non-profit closely affiliated with the military, and was better fit with the NIOA - National Information Officers Association.

But Brent said, “oh, it’s going to be about Crisis Communications, and you’ll be interested in that.” True enough, and I thought the networking opportunity might be worthwhile, too.

Here was the official program:

“Successfully Responding to Crisis”

When things go wrong, what do you need to do as a communicator to get your organization back on track? What are the steps that lead to not only resolving the crisis, but also to repairing your organizations’ reputation?

The most well-intentioned projects and well-meaning companies can be rejected or ignored amid a chorus of naysayers drowning out their message. At our May luncheon, you’ll learn how to identify and refine the positive messages that will beat back that chorus and ensure the true issues are brought to the public’s attention. We’ll discuss how to create detailed message plans and outreach strategies to prevent misinformation from disrupting your efforts.

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