Is it Too Soon to Talk About Ebola Crisis Communications Strategies?

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Public relations professionals and the businesses they work for are suddenly thrust into the Ebola crisis. Some are touched by actual cases of Ebola, some are affected by their relationship to an Ebola case, and others are being forced to communicate to stakeholders because of hysteria. And all of this has happened since the first Ebola cases were brought to the United States in early August.

Crisis communications expert Gerard Braud notes, "Last week no one in Dallas thought they needed any type of crisis communications strategy for Ebola. Now, dozens of organizations have to communicate about a portion of the crisis, ranging from the hospital, to the companies decontaminating places affected, to the apartment complex where the first deceased patient lived."

Braud defines a crisis as any event that could affect the reputation and revenue of an organization.

Because every company, government agency and non-profit in America could be affected in some small way, requiring big communications, Braud says public relations professionals need to have their A-game ready. He says every crisis communications plan needs to be updated and organizations with no plans need to stop everything right now and focus on what lies ahead.

"The best time to prepare for a crisis is on a clear sunny day," Braud says. "Sadly, most PR people think crisis communications is a function of how well they can respond to the media after a crisis has happened. A PR pro is a person who is fully prepared on their darkest day because of what they did on a clear, sunny day."

CommPro.Biz has invited Braud to lead a free webinar called, "is it too soon to talk about Ebola crisis communications." The program is Friday, October 17, 2014 at 11 a.m. CDT.

Register online at: http://www.commpro.biz/in-the-office/soon-talk-ebola-crisis-communications-strategies-free-webinar/

Braud says too many public relations communicators tend to put off the heavy lifting required for pro-active communications. "This is no time to 'wait and see.' This is the time to plan and act."

About Gerard Braud, Media Relations Expert

Organizations on 5 continents rely on Gerard Braud (Jared Bro) to be their expert for media training and crisis communications plans. This self-confessed "News Junkie" has spent 15 years as a frontline journalist and 20 years as a media trainer and crisis communications experts. Braud believes you have a choice to either manipulate the media or be manipulated by them. He has appeared on television more than 5,000 times and been quoted in more than 500 publications around the world. His news reports have been seen on CNN, HLN, CBS, NBC, The Weather Channel and the BBC.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141015/152438LOGO

SOURCE CommPro.Biz