Crisis Management: Be prepared to be prepared 

By Michael Rudd

Everyone has had at least one experience in their life that was so unexpected, so different from anything that had happened to them up to that point in their lives, they just didn’t know what to do.  A lot of times, these experiences end up being great stories to share during dinner parties or group gatherings.  For instance, I was living in Korea, and had just left a restaurant from lunch with a few friends.  We were walking down the street to the bus stop (public transportation is great in Korea), when a man on a moped jumps the curb and parks his scooter right on the sidewalk, blocking our path.  It wasn’t unusual for us, as Americans, to receive more attention than the normal pedestrian, but whenever it was this much attention, there were usually ill feelings involved.  So, as this “scooterist” hopped off his bike and opened the storage compartment under the seat, my flight or fight instinct started revving up.  But, instead, this man pulled out five Slammer Stuffed Animals (the ones that say different phrases when you throw or hit them against the wall), and gave them to us.  He hopped back on his bike, yelled, “Enjoy!” and was off.  There were three important questions that needed answering, besides the obvious, “What the….” What is the proper protocol, who else needs to know, and what is the best way to tell others; all of these important questions need an answer when something unexpected comes up.

But what if the unexpected isn’t something as mild as receiving free talking stuffed animals?  What if the man had jumped the curb because he didn’t like American’s and a physical altercation ensued?  How would I answer those three questions while trying to defend myself and those around me, both from an assaulter and the people who would see the fight and assume I had started it?  A recent, actual event that illustrates the importance of being prepared for unexpected hard trials is the sexual harassment accusations and scandal at Penn State University.  No one at Penn State imagined that they would receive this much national attention for something so unseemly and damning.  That much attention for success in academics or athletics would be something that they all hoped and wished for, but they never even imagined that something so heinous could take place on their campus.  And they weren’t prepared.  Mar Brownstein, President of The Brownstein Group and a columnist with AdAge Daily, commented, “Administrators had to scramble to hire a PR firm to handle crisis communication. I mean, c'mon folks. This is Reputation Management 101. No plan in place? No PR agency on standby? The result was that no one was in charge of Penn State's message.”

And Penn State had plenty of time to get a message in place, to answer those three questions.  They knew about the accusations and controversy long before the national media caught wind of it.  But because no one was managing their message, they stumbled and scraped their way through the media storm, firing Iconic football Coach Joe Paterno and University President Graham Spanier along the way to have some time of public display that “something” was being done.  Penn state seems to have realized their errors and is conducting better PR to help their tainted image.  Brownstein explains the importance of doing this before an issue arises this way; “Managing a crisis effectively does not make the guilty innocent. It doesn't make the victims less sad. It just allows the public to receive well-thought-out messages, in a timely manner, via credible channels. People can then absorb the news in an intelligent, rational context. And good people don't get swept up in a wave of emotions.”

Crisis management won’t make the Penn State story seem like talking stuffed animals, but it can help to keep you from banging your head against awall.

Social Media is Amazing, but How Do I Use It?

By Benjamin Tateoka

Social media is amazing, but navigating through all the different social media web sites can be very difficult.  I was lucky to get my foot in the social media door when it first came out.  In high school I dabbled on Myspace.com and later on during my freshman year of college, I created my facebook.com profile.  Since then, the creator of facebook.com, Mark Zuckerburg has become a billionaire and almost every day a new social media site emerges.  Social media is amazing, but how do you use it effectively?

I found three articles, recently posted on twitter, giving advice to social media beginners.  I felt that these people were experts in using social media, because they got me to read their material just by using the many facets of social media.

Edward Marlon gave four tips for beginners on Weblogbetter.com.

1. Try and offer live events on Facbook; ie. chat sessions, seminars, and webinars. 
2. Start small; just because there are hundreds of social media sites, don’t create profiles on all of them.  Thoroughly maintain a few with well placed, up-to-date profiles. 
3. Don’t annoy any of your followers enough said.
4.   Research what your customers are saying; know what your customers are saying and act accordingly.

Social media helps costumers look up information about organizations, but can also provide organizations free information about the consumer. Companies can look at what people are saying about their organization and monitor tweets, status updates, etc.  This is a great function, and it can also be used to check up on their employee and prospective employees.

An article by Kevin Allen in PRDaily.com reported that a Reppler survey conducted a study on 300 hiring professionals and concluded that 91 percent of companies use social networking sites to screen prospective employees.  In the same study, 70 percent of the hiring managers surveyed said that they have rejected a candidate because of what they saw about them on a social networking site.

So if you are a perspective employee reading this blog, make a note to yourself to delete those party pictures.  Your social media presence can affect your job search.

Another list for you newcomers to social media comes from Robert M. Caruso from Bundlepost.wordpress.com

1)      Don’t Pitch (too much) - Provide your followers, or those who “like” your page, with valuable or interesting information.  Slip in just a few posts about you and your business and you will get far better results!

2)      Don’t Ask – If your relationship with a person is only because you are “friends” online, don’t ask them to retweet or post something on facebook, unless you have done the work to build a relationship.  Don’t send invites to people you haven’t engages with for a long time.

3)      DO Help Others – Whenever possible, help your fans and followers with what they do. Look for opportunities to share things they write that your audience would find valuable.

4)      Build Relationships – Learn about your fans and followers through engaging in conversations. Ask about them and what they do. Don’t be afraid to be silly and joke around. Do the things you do in real life that build connections and closeness.

Hopefully you will avoid social media disaster and build better relationships with your online audience.  Take it from the experts, social media is amazing, and if you do it right, you will reap the benefits.

"Halloween and All Hallow's Eve," presented by UVU's Interfaith Student Association

All members of UVU’s Interfaith Student Association, all guests, faculty, staff and members of our community are invited to attend our next meeting Monday, October 10, 5:30 p.m., in the Liberal Arts Building room 112, a conversation about two upcoming holidays – “Halloween and All Hallow’s Eve.”

This discussion will feature Father Peter Van Hook, of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, and Zarey Hansen, a UVU student and Pagan/Mythologist.

Monday’s meeting will not be a debate or Halloween VS. All Hallow’s Eve,” Chaplain Linda P. Walton said. “We will discuss historic celebrations of both events and how they have changed over the years.”

The event will provide for a question and answer opportunity, and “treats” will be available. For more information, please contact Chaplain Walton at linda@thewaltongroupinc.com or 801.362.0330.

When Reality Hits You Hard

Watch this funny news cast about a seeming mundane accident.

Power Lines Fall on Crashed Vehicle, Driver Trapped: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

A Community of Heroes.

By Benjamin Tateoka

Ordinary citizens became extraordinary heroes when our country needed them most.

September 11, 2001 changed our country’s future and made an impact in all of our lives.  After the towers fell, Dr. Richard Heaps of Provo, Utah, flew to New York City to offer his services as a volunteer psychologist.  He gave comfort to those in need and put his life in harm’s way.

His example of selfless service was honored Sunday Sept. 11, 2011, during Provo city’s commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of the terrorist attack in New York City.  The Red Cross and The Boy Scouts of America presented him with the Best of Our Community, Sept.11 Volunteer Service Award.

Keynote speaker Matt Holland, President of Utah Valley University spoke to a crowd of 250 at the Seventh-day Adventist church in Provo.  His tone was upbeat and he suggested that a little laughter should be allowed.  His remarks were geared towards how we should resolve to live better lives every day as we remember our fellow Americans who perished as result of the terrorist attacks.

“When anyone dies, we know the names of those who perish, and today we stop to remember their departure from this world,” Holland said.

“Nineteen individuals hijacked planes and dealt us a tragic blow, but they did not win,” he said.  “The way we travel has been changed, but this is still a land of freedom and America still stands, even though we may stand a little more nervous.” 

The heroics of brave individuals have been captured in books and movies, insuring that we will never forget their actions

“They were just doing their jobs, just like our police, fire, and EMT who are common citizens protecting human life,” he said.

Every passenger on United Airlines flight 93 was a common citizen.  They did not know they were destined to be heroes.  They did not know their nation was under attack, but before they acted they did something very American; they took a vote.

“There was a difference in what was happening in back of the plan, than what was happening at the front,” he said.  “People with weaknesses, who were determined to produce human respect, changed the outcome of Sept. 11.”

“Like true believers of the New Testament, we should remember Sept. 11 and try to live every day a little more generous, showing more kindness and friendship towards other,” he said.

Crisis Managment

By: Benjamin Tateoka


How can the 13^th most powerful person in the world fall from grace?  According to 2010 Forbes’ Most powerful people list, Rupert Murdoch was the number 13^th on that list.  What made the 117^th wealthiest person fall?  It came down to ethics.

He inherited his family’s newspapers business at the age of 21.  From there, he acquired and started other publication in his native Australia.  He then expanded News Corp into the U.K., U.S.A., and Asian markets.  In 1986 he created the Fox Broadcasting Company.  In the 2000’s he purchased The Wall Street Journal. 

He also has investments in Satellite television, the film industry, the Internet and book publishing industry.

After his company was accused of intruding into people’s privacy by illegally tapping into person phone accounts, Murdock called upon Edelman PR to help navigate through this crisis.

Part of what Public Relations firms do is to manage the crisis.  Agencies handle the organizations crisis by working with the media and the organization to solve the problem.  Transparency is important.

Edelman PR should take a Defensive Response Strategy.  They should give the public what they want.  Make concessions with the public.  Have Murdock step down and change some of his organizations policies when collecting information.

Rupert Murdock needs to distance himself from the editor of the magazine who approved the illegal wiretaps.  He needs to investigate his company and fire some CEO’s and make sure that they are being ethical.  He should seek to punish the condemned and take them to court.  The public need to know that it was not Murdock’s decision to do it and that the editor acted alone.

He does not need to admit that he is guilty because the courts have not made a verdict yet.  He is still innocent until proven guilty.  Show some remorse for your actions and then apologize. 

Take Responsibility and fix the problem and then determine blame later.  Be accessible!  Web sites seek constant updates.  News media will go elsewhere for the story.  Depending on the intensity of the crisis including situation with ongoing threats to human safety the organizations top leadership should meet frequently with reporters through news conferences. Websites should include video or transcripts of its news conferences as well as the news releases and other available background material.

Whether your company is publically traded or is a small family business, whenever you have a crisis look for a PR professional that can help you focus your energy and maintain your positive image.

Get to Know Us (part 4)

Benjamin Kenji Saito Tateoka was born and raised in a small rural farming community in southern Idaho. He grew up helping his father on the sugar beet farm. From the age of five he picked up a hoe and started working in the sugar beet fields. At the age of twelve, he gave up his promising career in major little league baseball to start working on the farm full time. Working under the hot Idaho sun taught him the value of hard work and an education.

He played high school football all four years and received his varsity letter his freshman year. He participated in student government, FCCLA, BPA, speech and debate. The year before his junior and senior year, Benjamin opted out of mandatory team football camp to pursue another interest of his; ballroom dancing. He spent a week at BYU-Idaho and learned the basics of cha-cha, samba, rumba, triple-step, waltz and the foxtrot. The girl to guy ratio was in his favor and it was an added plus that he was a varsity football starter.

Benjamin’s senior year was his best year. As student body president, he noticed a void of school spirit at sporting events. He went to local business and received $200 in donation to start Valley high schools first pep club. The Black and Blue Crew was a hit. With the generous donations from local businesses, membership was free and the Blue Crew shirts were cheap making the Blue Crew the biggest school club. To this day, the Black and Blue Crew carry the same shirt design on their t-shirts.

Six years later, Benjamin still loves football and is involved in the community. He is studying public relations and is an avid BYU Cougar fan and has season tickets to see all of their home games. He has served in various positions on the executive board of BYU's Annual Giving Fund, Choose to Give, and is actively involved in BYU's Multicultural Student Services. He loves his family and loves having a good time with friends.