[Editor’s note: This post features a guest contribution from freelance writer Beth Kotz. A big thank you to Beth, and if anyone else out there has a post they think may be a fit for our blog please get in touch at erik@bernsteincrisismanagement.com!] Small businesses don’t have time for setbacks. The best way to protect …

[Editor’s note: We all know that one person in the office who, despite being solid at their job, is a constant problem in the office. Left unchecked, these types of personalities can cause drops in productivity or even draw negative attention from stakeholders by doing things like agitating coworkers, creating stirs among customers, and generally …

Everyone gets stressed out at work no matter what your job function. As a Technical Writer, you too will probably have situations at one time or other where you get stressed out as well. In order to avoid communicating less or ineffectively, take a break or slow down for a while. Here are a few …

Steer clear of trouble on social media Ahhh social media. It’s so awesome, but at the same time there are so many pitfalls waiting to cause issue for your brand. In this infographic, the experts from Quill.com lay out some ground rules for the most common social media blunders and how to fix the problems …

[Editor’s note: Many thanks to frequent contributor Tony Jaques for allowing us to use this article, originally published in his Issue}Outcomes newsletter. Tony often covers news out of Australia and the surrounding regions which lets us take a look at great crisis management case studies we may not have seen otherwise.] Crisis or disaster? It …

Strategic Planning: The Crucial Role of a Facilitator The goal of strategic planning should be to produce a Plan that is 1) relevant, realistic, and flexible; 2) with a very high likelihood of being implemented; 3) in order to achieve the purpose of the planning, e.g., a purpose to evolve to the next stage of …

If you want to learn a skill you look to an expert. In this case, we’ll look at the emergency response preparedness and action outline created by the World Food Programme. Though it’s created to meet a very specific goal – making certain people are fed – the structure serves as a good base for …

Numerous types of processes (i.e., business processes) exist in many organizations. Processes specifically involve defining and outlining a sequence of events or systematic movements that are to be followed. These processes need to be documented and identified by the Technical Writer. Benefits Documenting processes • ensures that everyone understands the overall picture of what the …

Peter Block, in his seminal consulting book, Flawless Consulting, writes, “There is a set of skills that is an essential part of consulting over and above technical expertise and interpersonal skills – and these are consulting skills” (Jossey-Bass, 2000, p. 6). Yet, the myth continues that technical and people skills are sufficient for successful consulting. …

Here’s a list of the biggest mistakes that I have seen made by strategic planning facilitators over the years: 1. Not getting sufficiently trained on how to do facilitating, e.g., planning the meeting, goals, ground rules, which techniques to cultivate complete participation, doing interventions, managing conflict 2. Not learning a variety of strategic planning models, …