Solomon McCown &

For many - including myself - the thought alone of crisis communications can be intimidating. Crises are by definition scary, and as PR professionals, we must think on our feet and move quickly and confidently to help our clients get through it. Our own crisis guru, Ashley McCown, is great to learn from and has shown me that crisis communications is one of the most important areas of public relations. Stories won't always come out the way you want them to, natural and man-made disasters occur, and negative events that you have no control over will impact you. It's what you do with it that matters.

How a company manages a crisis impacts its brand and reputation. Here are a few pointers I've learned in the past couple months as an account coordinator at Solomon McCown:

1. Get with it! It's the 21st century. Today's world is a constant race of who can get the word out fastest, and often accuracy suffers. (Think CNN and the Supreme Court's Obamacare ruling…) Twitter can take a tiny local drama to a national level if it's picked up by influential tweeps. Content can be twisted into something much uglier than you originally intended, and yet silence is riskier. At SMC, we monitor any and all coverage that runs on an incident involving our clients to understand the coverage, anticipate reactions, and remain as in control of the situation as possible.

2. Be prepared…or prepare to stress. A key element of crisis management is anticipating what could go wrong before it ever does. It's a gloomy task having to prepare for a tragedy that hasn't happened yet (and hopefully never will), but it's a valuable exercise. Look at a potential situation from every angle, then plan and play out all the options. Being ready for the worst means you won't have to waste precious time in the crisis thinking about what to do or say. Plus, making rushed decisions often makes matters worse.

3. Keep your message clear and concise. Crises are chaotic. When a reporter calls in tough times and asks hard questions, you better have your answers ready and rehearsed. If you fumble around without thinking before speaking, the reporter will likely take advantage. You could end up being misquoted and/or misrepresented in the media, and therefore to the public as well. Know the message you want to send in various situations, and make sure its brief and clear. The most effective responses consist of three parts: 1) the answer to the question; 2) data and/or facts to support it; and 3) repetition (restate your answer and supporting information to drive the main point home).

4. Know your non-verbals: Body language is often louder than words. When media training a client, we focus on non-verbals cues to be sure they align with the issue at hand. Talking about the devastation caused by an accident while plastering a toothy smile on your face will not only hurt your reputation (because that's creepy), but it will hurt the company's image and credibility. The message may be sympathetic, but the public will only notice that it was said with a smile and consider it shallow, insincere and insensitive. Adopt a tone appropriate to the story so that the public can empathize, understand the situation, and trust that you care and are being as helpful as possible. It's also important to dress appropriately and avoid nervous ticks. The goal is to be human while showing confidence and control of the situation.

These tips are just a few of the many important things to take note of when dealing with a crisis. People want to see someone that can acknowledge an issue, take responsibility where it is due, and work hard to assure it won't happen again. In a day where the smallest issue can grow exponentially, it's important to be prepared for the events you hope will never occur.

By Anna Rabin, Account Coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company

President Obama responded perfectly Friday when asked by a reporter, "Mr. President may I ask you about this current case in Florida & the very controversial allegations of lingering racism within our society.  The so called 'Stand Your Ground Law'…  Can you comment on the Trayvon Martin Case, sir?"

Normally, the president becomes annoyed when off-topic questions come upand can even become quite combative with journalists. But, in this case, he commented and his first words set the appropriate tone:

Well, I'm the head of the executive branch, and the Attorney General reports to me, so I've got to be careful about my statements to make sure that we're not impairing any investigation that's taking place right now.  But obviously, this is a tragedy. I can only imagine what these parents are going through.

Right from the outset, the President acknowledged the responsibilities of his office and his duty to stay within certain constitutional guidelines.  Rather than leaving it at that, he then pivoted toward a carefully worded statement that humanized him as a private citizen and a parent, justlike millions of his constituents. 

In doing so, President Obama managed to avoid politicizing the case, choosing instead to use the benefits of his office - visibility, respect, leadership - to avoid a potential flashpoint and keep the focus on the personal nature of the tragedy. Although some have tried to criticize the President for likening Martin to the son he never had, those claims were met with skepticism and had a short shelf life in the media.

The President's handling of the Trayvon Martin tragedy shows how much his messaging and communications skills have improved since the Henry Louis Gates Jr. incident in 2009.  In that case, he commented far too quickly, before all the facts were in, and ended up having to backtrack.  This, of course, culminated in the awkward beer summit at the White House.  

This time, President's Obama's language was far more thoughtful. He didn't intensify the issue with the racial rhetoric that some pundits have attempted touse to an effort to create a social wedge issue in the presidential campaign.  In fact, the President didn't mention race once.  "I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this," he said.  Not "every Black parent" but "every parent."

I don't think the President could have handled the question any better.

Watch Obama's entire response here.

Ben Levine is an Account Coordinator at Solomon McCown

One basic rule of public relations that we often tell our clients is: If you say it, it can be printed (or broadcasted, for that matter).

It's clear that Gisele Bundchen, supermodel wife of the Patriots' Tom Brady, either forgot this rule or simply didn't care when prodded by a Giants fan after the Super Bowl loss.    

Blaming Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez and Deion Branch, each who dropped the ball in the fourth quarter, Gisele responded to the needling fan by saying, "You [have] to catch the ball when you're supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot f------ throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can't believe they dropped the ball so many times."

If you watch this video you'll see that Gisele softly murmured this comment; however, it set off a loud tirade in the media and from football fans across the nation. After all, Gisele put husband Tom Brady in an awkward position with his teammates.

TMZ reported - "Gisele Bundchen should have kept her perfectly-shaped mouth shut last night -- this according to multiple sources inside the Patriots organization, who claim the supermodel violated a "code of brotherhood" by bashing Tom Brady's receivers."

And Bleacher Report said - "All is not well in the land of the New England Patriots. The team was once again defeated by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on Sunday, and now it sounds like a rift may be developing in the locker room thanks to Tom Brady's beloved wife, Gisele Bundchen."

Although Gisele may have had a valid point (hey, had those catches been made, the game may have turned out differently), she overstepped her boundaries and violated two very important PR codes: 1) Always think through the repercussions of your words before speaking them and 2) Never vent after a few cocktails.

Perhaps Gisele should sit through one of Solomon McCown's media trainings. She certainly could use it.

By: Melia Swift, Account Supervisor at Solomon McCown & Company