Effective communication is essential during times of crisis to reduce the negative effects on people, organizations, and communities. However, without sufficient preparation and execution, even the best-intentioned communication attempts might fail. Here are five more pieces of advice on how to avoid crisis communication mistakes in this response, which can help people and organizations deal …

So many non-profit organizations are hiring Directors of Development without really knowing/understanding what “development” is supposed to be about and how the role of the Director of Development is supposed to function. For many organizations, the Director of Development is the person hired to write the grant proposals, create relationships with corporations, or create/run the …

In the previous post (Part 3), we covered questions 7-9 of the 15 questions to address in the “plan for a plan.” This post (Part 4) explains questions 10-12. 10. What Materials Will Be Needed? For example, think about: Materials (books about strategic planning, flipcharts, markers, etc.) Equipment (overhead projectors, flipchart stands, white boards, etc.) …

I usually start my workshops by asking people why they are interested in the topic of spirituality and work, and have them say what kind of work they do. One woman said she was a bus driver as well as a Reiki Master. When I asked her about that unusual combination she said it was …

The first question you should ask yourself…How do you measure customer satisfaction? If you are measuring by the # of complaints you are or are not receiving, you are in trouble. Not everybody bothers to take the time to tell you about his/her horrible experience. If you are asking your customers if they are satisfied, …

Crisis Communications: Avoiding the Biggest Mistakes Part 1 All organizations are vulnerable to crises. You can’t serve any population without being subjected to situations involving lawsuits, accusations of impropriety, sudden changes in ownership or management, and other volatile situations on which your stakeholders — and the media that serves them — often focus. The cheapest …

Watch the following situation occur in conversations among consultants. Many consultants place extreme value on people’s feelings, beliefs and perceptions. That’s their natural “lens” on organizations. Many of them are from fields of psychology, human resources and coaching. In my experience, they often conclude their clients have problems primarily with, for example, interpersonal conflicts, emotional …

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In the previous post (Part 2), we covered questions 4-6 of the 15 questions to address in the “plan for a plan.” This post explains questions 7-9. 7. What’s Your Schedule for Developing the Plan? Too many organizations do planning by gathering planners into one retreat where they tweak wording on the mission statement and …

In the post, Part 1, we reviewed the first 5 practices. This post is a continuation from that post, and reviews the remaining 5 practices. 6. Ensure strategic plan that includes action plans The action plan part of an overall strategic plan specifies who is going to do what and by when in order to …