Invincible Brand with Melissa Agnes

Connection is at the heart of any good crisis communication strategy. However, we’ve all seen leaders attempt to connect with their audience with all the right words, and yet something feels… off. While a Crisis Ready Hindrance is often blocking that connection, understanding near and far emotional enemies is a powerful tool to help you overcome those Hindrances to resonate and connect in meaningful ways. Within this podcast, which is the audio version of a recent Crisis Ready blog post, Melissa Agnes explores how near and far enemies give leaders and crisis communicators the language to better understand why some attempts at emotional connection fall flat, and to better resonate with stakeholders in critical moments. Links: ➡️ The whole article can be found here, on the Crisis Ready Blog. ➡️ If this message resonates with you and you'd like to truly master the art of crisis communication and leadership, enrol in our Crisis Ready® Course, which is the first step in becoming certified in crisis comms.

Make no mistake: AI absolutely will affect crisis communication — and crisis in general, for that matter. Recently, my friend and the queen of PR herself, Gini Deitrich said something that got me thinking about predictive AI even further: Could AI predict the emotional escalation of a crisis… before it begins to happen? This episode explores this concept and what it could mean for the crisis communication industry. This is the audio recording of a blog post, written and narrated by Melissa Agnes, and published to CrisisReadyInstitute.com.

How you make your customers feel… is the powerful differentiator from your competitors, lends to the emotional connection you build with your stakeholders, and can ultimately make or break your brand’s invincibility. Author and Customer Retention Expert, Joey Coleman, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss strategic ways to foster a culture whereby increased customer retention leads to brand advocacy, business resiliency, and ultimately, brand invincibility. About this episode Studies show that 20% – 70% of your new customers will likely decide to stop doing business with you before they reach the 100-day mark. Meanwhile, if you can retain 5% of your customers who would otherwise stop doing business with you, you can increase your profits by 25% – 100%. In his work as an author, keynote speaker, and consultant, Joey Coleman helps organizations strengthen the relationships they share with their customers and clients, with the goal of building long-lasting, emotionally connected relationships. In this discussion, Joey shares some of the specific steps he takes to achieve this. The strategies and insights he shares apply to all entities, whether in the public or private sector. This episode explores: Links to things discussed in this episode Never Lose a Customer AgainHow To Get Ahead Of A Crisis When You’re Already Behind – Invincible Brand Podcast Connect with Joey Coleman: joeycoleman.com

In a world where distractions are thrown at us at every corner, Attention Expert, Neen James, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to share techniques for being mindful and intentional about where you dedicate your attention, in a way that prioritizes the things that matter most to your business, your team, your stakeholders, and your career. You can also listen to this episode on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. About this episode We live and work amongst an overload of distractions and requirements that pull us in every direction, in almost every moment. This can make it difficult to give dedicated and mindful attention to the things that matter most to us, both personally and professionally. And yet, when we give our attention to the right things, we give and receive an abundance of opportunity and rewards in a myriad of ways. In this episode of the Invincible Brand Podcast, Neen James discusses what it means to be intentional with our attention and how it helps foster cultures of trust, resilience, and business and reputational rewards. This episode explores: Links to things discussed in this episode Attention Pays Connect with Neen James: neenjames.comInstagramLinkedIn

Each month Melissa answers questions from real people doing real work in–or learning about–crisis readiness. This month’s question comes from Natalia who asked some core questions that pertain to crisis management and crisis readiness, such as: “What is crisis management and what does it mean to be a crisis management professional?” “What are some of the most common mistakes organizations make in the midst of crises and issues?” “What are some of the qualities and characteristics that lend to being great in this profession?” … and a question that caught Melissa by surprise, but she loved: “What does she think of the show Scandal in the context of crisis management?” You can also listen to this episode on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, and YouTube. Links to things discussed in this episode: The Crisis Ready Model Do you have a question you’d like Melissa to answer, and are you willing for that discussion to be recorded (in a way that respects your privacy and confidentiality)? If so, click here to set up some one-on-recorded-one time with Melissa and have your pertinent crisis ready questions answered.

Utility companies are no stranger to the multitude of challenges that present themselves in times of crisis. As a result, they have a ton of real-time crisis management experience that others can learn from. Alectra is one such organization. With a 1,250 m (or 2,000 km) service territory delivering power to approximately one million customers in Ontario, Canada, Alectra deals with issues and crises on a regular basis. In this episode, Blair Peberdy, Vice-President of Government and Corporate Relations at Alectra, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to share the many crisis management lessons he has learned throughout his career. About this episode It’s always great to learn from the mistakes, successes, and lessons learned by others—hopefully saving you from having to learn them the hard way. In this episode, Blair shares the structure behind Alectra’s crisis ready program, along with the many lessons the company has learned throughout its years of managing dozens of real-life and simulated incidents. This episode provides a behind the scenes look at the different strategies and tactics that Alectra has implemented into its crisis ready program. These strategies and tactics continue to help the organization further strengthen its crisis ready culture, and the best part is that each of the lessons that Blair shares within this conversation are directly applicable to your organization and team. This episode explores: Connect with Blair and Alectra: alectra.com

Humor Engineer, Drew Tarvin, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss how humor can be used to effectively help solve so many common workplace issues, such as a lack of employee engagement, stress management, communication issues, and much more. About this episode Drew’s outlook on life and the way he helps organizations use humor to solve internal issues, build a stronger culture, and increase productivity is unique and effective. It also aligns with the crisis ready philosophy and mindset, providing another piece to building brand invincibility. During this conversation, Drew shares how a humoristic outlook and application improves communication, helps build relationships, improves problem solving skills, increases productivity, and helps to strengthen leadership. And the best part, is that it is simple to implement whether you believe yourself to be a funny person or not! This was not only a fun and interesting conversation, but it’s so applicable and offers so many advantages. Tune in, laugh a little, learn, and then pass it on. This is one of those conversations that applies to and offers something valuable to everyone! This episode explores: Connect with Drew Tarvin: humorthatworks.comThe Skill of HumorThe United States of Laughter: One Comedian’s Journey Through All 50 States@drewtarvinLinkedInYouTube

Dr. Nick Morgan, author of Can You Hear Me?(amongst other great books) and founder of Public Words, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss the impacts that the virtual world have on internal teams and the conscious efforts and actions that leaders can take to mitigate the risks that these impacts present on company morale, team-building, and ultimately the organization’s culture and reputation. About this episode Virtual communication deprives us of the emotional knowledge that helps us understand context. This presents risks to relationships with stakeholders–especially in regards to your internal teams and departments. In this episode, Nick Morgan explores new research that dives deeper into this reality, the challenges it presents to leaders and their teams, and provides strategic insight into how we can mitigate the risks that come along with this reality and build more connected teams and a stronger internal culture. This episode explores: Links mentioned in the episode: Can You Hear Me? How To Connect With People In A Virtual WorldPower Cues Connect with Nick Morgan: Public WordsLinkedIn

Each month, Melissa answers your crisis ready questions. This month’s question comes from Bridget… and, in fact, Bridget had a handful of really great questions that Melissa got to provide responses to. Here’s a sampling of what these questions were: “Is crisis management different from industry to industry?” “What is the best way to manage controversial issues that spark heated emotion within a subset group of stakeholders?” “Who should be a part of the issue management team, when an incident doesn’t need to escalate straight through to leadership?” This discussion explores: Links discussed in this episode: Crisis Ready Issue Management Response FlowchartCrisis Ready Formula for Managing ControversiesJones Brothers Seaplane Adventures Do you have a question you’d like me to answer, and are you willing for that discussion to be recorded (in a way that respects your privacy and confidentiality)? If so, click here to set up some one-on-recorded-one time with me.

Shashank Nigam, author of Soar and CEO of Simpliflying, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to share some powerful strategies on how today’s leading airlines have managed to build sustainable trust – and how that serves them when undesirable incidents risk occurring. About this episode The airline industry is tough. The risks are exponential; profit margins are difficult to maintain; the general public is critical, emotional, and has the ability to instil a world of impact on brand equity and reputation; regulatory compliance is strict and severe… and the list goes on. And yet, there are some airlines out there that just simply get it. These airlines continue to do phenomenal work in creating brands that deliver an experience and put people first, fostering a culture that aspires to achieve brand invincibility and works proactively towards this objective every day. Fortunately for the rest of us, there are so many crisis ready lessons and strategies that can be taken from these airlines and adapted into your own organization, no matter its industry. In this week’s episode of the Invincible Brand Podcast, Shashank sat down with me to discuss the strategies, mindsets, and crisis management failures and successes that he has seen in his work with over 90 of these airlines over the past several years. This episode explores: aspirationalplan Links mentioned in the episode: SoarThai Airways’s issue management failSimpliflying Live Connect with Shashank Nigam: SimpliflyingLinkedIn@Simpliflying

Charlie Maclean-Bristol, one of the Founders and Directors of PlanB Consulting, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss how organizations can get around the lack of certification in the profession of crisis management, to make sure they’re partnering with the right professionals for their company’s crisis ready needs. About this episode If you follow my work, then it’s quite possible that you know of a grievance that has been frustrating me more and more lately. The grievance is that, as a result of the thrilling allure and hype around the crisis management profession, combined with a lack of industry certification requirements, organizations are being put at risk by hiring “experts” who are causing more harm than help. I recently published a video addressing this grievance which sparked an interesting conversation on this subject with Charlie, which I thought would make for a compelling and hopefully beneficial podcast conversation. This episode explores: Connect with Charlie Maclean-Bristol: Charlie’s consulting firmLinkedIn

Jackie Ford, partner at the law firm Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss proactive legal strategies in your crisis readiness and the practice of compassionate compliance. About this episode In my experience, one of the biggest challenges organizations face is forming a crisis ready alliance with their legal department where everyone is on the same page, understands each other’s different realities and challenges, and proactively supports and compliments one another’s crisis management functions. And yet, once this alliance is formed it is such a powerful asset to the organization’s crisis readiness. Jackie Ford is a partner at Vorys and has a practice in employment law, privacy issues, internal investigations, and crisis management. Not to mention that she is a brilliant attorney whom I enjoy partnering with as often as possible in the interest of helping our clients strengthen their crisis readiness. Her work, her mindset, and the outcomes she provides to her clients are all testaments to the powerful advantages of creating strong relationships with legal for issue and crisis prevention and management. In this conversation, Jackie provides great perspective and shares powerful stories to help you bridge these potential gaps and strengthen your crisis ready governance and culture. This episode explores: Connect with Jackie Ford: Jackie and her practice at VorysLinkedIn

A culture of compassion requires consciousness. How compassionately conscious is your brand? Nearly ten years after Dave Carroll’s United Breaks Guitars video series went viral and helped change the landscape of issue and crisis management for brands, Dave joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss the impact of compassion on brands and on an organization’s issue management, crisis management, customer service, and ultimately, its invincibility. This episode explores: United Breaks Guitars Links and things discussed in this episode United Breaks Guitars Connect with Dave Carroll: website@DaveCarrollLinkedInFacebookYouTube

This month’s question: “I have been a digital journalist, reporter and TV producer for the last 10 years. I am interested in merging my skills in breaking news coverage into a career in crisis communications. I’d love to speak with you to hear your thoughts around how I can merge my journalism career into a future in crisis communication work.” The answer explores: Links discussed in this episode the impact of shows like Scandal on the crisis management industry and profession Do you have a question you’d like Melissa to answer, and are you willing for that discussion to be recorded in a way that respects your privacy and confidentiality? If so, visit melissaagnes.com to set up some one-on-recorded-one time with Melissa!

William Espey, the man responsible for the voice of the brand that is Chipotle, joins the Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss the challenges Chipotle faced when managing the E. coli crisis in 2015, and the mindset and strategies they implemented to manage the many dynamics of this incident and the reputational impact it threatened to leave on the brand. About this episode Chipotle is a brand that has worked hard and done a phenomenal job at building solid and trusting relationships with its customers. When the E. coli crisis struck, the brand needed to work especially hard to not lose all that goodwill and trust they had earned throughout the years—and the challenges that this crisis presented were complex, dynamic, and emotionally based, proving to be more difficult than the organization may have initially realized. In this episode, William shares what it was like behind the scenes of managing this crisis. We discuss the brand’s mindset and culture, and how these things helped them navigate through the real-time challenges they faced. I recorded this episode with William a while ago, before I decided to rebrand the podcast and relaunch it in September 2018, so I’ve been waiting a long time to share this conversation with you and am excited to do so! This episode explores: Links discussed in this episode The Brand Invincibility Webinar Series Connect with William: William’s LinkedIn profileChipotle’s website

Mike Ganino, company culture expert and author of Company Culture For Dummies, joins The Invincible Brand Podcast to discuss how you can assess and implement a strong culture that will lend to your brand’s invincibility. Whether your organization is a start-up or has been around for decades, no matter its size, type, or industry, Mike provides insights, strategies, and clear tactics that will help you strengthen your organization’s culture in powerful ways. About this episode Building brand invincibility is not about having a crisis management plan that sits on a shelf collecting dust, but rather requires embedding a crisis ready culture. Amongst other things, this means implementing a culture that is in alignment with your organization’s values and fosters a work environment that is empowering and attracts and retains the best talent. This culture needs to permeate from the top down, the bottom up, and the inside out. As this is an essential part of becoming crisis ready and building brand invincibility, it only made sense for me to sit down and chat with a leading expert who helps today’s top organizations implement and strengthen an exceptional culture. That leading expert is Mike Ganino, author of Company Culture For Dummies. This episode explores: Links discussed in this episode Company Culture For Dummies Connect with Mike: Check out his website.Check him out here.LinkedInTwitter

In April 2018, shortly after the shooting that took place at YouTube’s headquarters by 38-year-old Nasim Najafi Aghdam in San Bruno, California, the media learned from Aghdam’s father that she had been confronted by Mountain View Police Department officers prior to the shooting taking place. Before MVPD had time to make this connection themselves and gather the necessary information, news of this fact quickly went viral with the media, local communities, and the general public demanding answers and speculating on what the answers to those unanswered questions might be. In this episode of The Invincible Brand Podcast, Melissa Agnes sits down with Captain Chris Hsiung of MVPD and Katie Nelson, Social Media and Public Relations Coordinator for MVPD, to discuss the behind the scenes of what happened, how it happened, and the crisis ready strategies that MVPD quickly put into place in order to regain control of the narrative of the incident and mitigate the risk of losing trust and credibility with their community and the general public. Learning of a serious issue or crisis once it has already gone viral against your brand is a business risk that applies to any type of organization in this day and age, and the tips, strategies, and insights that Captain Hsiung and Katie share in this episode are relevant to all businesses whether you’re a brand of one, a mega corporation, or whether you’re in the public or private sectors. This episode explores: Links discussed in this episode The first response statement published by MVPD before they could release the video footage of the incidentThe official response published by MVPD with the video of the incident Follow and connect with MVPD on social: FacebookTwitterInstagram

The Horse River Wildfire that took place in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, in May 2016, was unprecedented in Canadian history. Eighty-eight thousand people needed to be evacuated in the span of only a few hours, for a month-long evacuation. This wildfire was so catastrophic that its economic impact actually impacted Canada’s GDP. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Jordan Redshaw, one of the communications managers with the recovery task force at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (a.k.a. Fort McMurray), to discuss his experience in being one of only two people responsible for communicating with the Fort McMurray community, to help 88,000 people evacuate safely. Throughout this conversation, Jordan generously shares his biggest lessons and takeaways from this experience. It’s an insightful and engaging conversation that I know you’ll enjoy! This episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast discusses: Running time: 47:20 Subscribe to the Crisis Intelligence Podcast! Subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher Subscribe via email In this episode, I mention a previous episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast, where Garth Rowan and I discussed the management of this crisis as it unfolded. Listen to this podcast here. Connect with Melissa and Jordan About host, Melissa Agnes Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in This Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa Agnes Follow Melissa on Twitter: @melissa_agnes About guest, Jordan Redshaw Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn. Follow Jordan on Twitter: @JordanRedshaw. I’d like to extend a big thanks to Jordan for the important work you do, as well as for taking the time to discuss your experience and the important lessons you’ve learned with us.

Earlier this week, I published a #crisisready video that discusses the emotional factors that can quickly escalate an incident to crisis-level. Remaining on the topic of emotional impact and the human factors of crisis management and preparedness, I’m excited to be sharing the latest Crisis Intelligence Podcast with you! I recently had the opportunity to have a conversation with Sam Miller, a psychotherapist with a particular expertise in trauma counselling, and a keen understanding of the psychology of business and the workplace. Within this podcast, Sam and I discuss “the human capital component” that should be factored into your crisis preparedness and crisis response. It’s an interesting and enlightening conversation that will give you the initial tools to explore how to make sure you don’t underestimate the emotional effects of a crisis, as well as how to mitigate the psychological risks that can be an impactful part of your organization’s crisis management. This episode of The Crisis Intelligence Podcast discusses: Running time: 49:30 Subscribe to the Crisis Intelligence Podcast! Subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher Subscribe via email Connect with Melissa and Sam About host, Melissa Agnes President and co-founder of Agnes + Day Inc., Melissa Agnes is a crisis management strategist and keynote speaker who helps global brands and governments prevent and manage a wide range of issues and crises. Her client list includes financial organizations, technology companies, healthcare organizations, government agencies, cities and municipalities, energy companies, global non-profits, and many others. Are you #crisisready? Find out at melissaagnes.com Learn more about Melissa Agnes Follow Melissa on Twitter: @melissa_agnes About guest, Sam Miller Samuel A. Miller has over 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist, a particular expertise in trauma counselling, and a keen understanding of the psychology of business and the workplace. Sam works closely with each client to help them identify and understand the psychological component of their enterprise risk, and then to develop plans, protocols and training to help mitigate and manage those risks and recover well should a critical incident or traumatic event occur. You can connect with Sam through his website at sammillerconsulting.com, or by calling him directly at +1 (416) 455-1684. I’d like to extend a big thanks to Sam for taking the time to have this enlightening conversation with me.

When it comes to crisis management, law enforcement has one of the most challenging tasks. Not only does their crisis management involve real dangers and the important mission of keeping their communities and themselves safe and out of harms way, but it also includes a need for effective and nearly instantaneous communications. And while the former challenge has always been a part of their job description, the latter is relatively new with ever evolving real-time challenges. Challenges that can be difficult and grueling to overcome. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that I am dedicated to helping law enforcement agencies implement a 21st century crisis-ready culture. Whether it be through my work with law enforcement agencies, EMDs, cities and municipalities, or by leveraging my blog, podcast or #crisisready video series. This is why I was honored when Brian Willis reached out to invite me onto his podcast for his Excellence In Training Academy, which is “a membership site for law enforcement trainers who are committed to the pursuit of excellence in their life and in their training”. Brian does some amazing work within the law enforcement profession, including being the cofounder of WINx, an annual conference targeted for law enforcement professionals who aren’t happy with the status quo and are willing to be part of the growth and evolution of the law enforcement profession. Brian was also gracious enough to allow me to repurpose the podcast we recorded together and share it with all of you. It’s a dynamic discussion with lots of great advice and takeaways for the law enforcement profession, so be sure to tune in! Subscribe to the Crisis Intelligence Podcast! Subscribe and leave us a review on iTunes and/or Stitcher Subscribe via email Connect with Brian and Melissa About host, Melissa Agnes Learn more about Melissa Agnes Follow Melissa on Twitter: @melissa_agnes Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn Email Melissa directly: melissa@melissaagnes.com About guest, Brian Willis Brian has 25 years experience as a full time police officer. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his commitment and contributions to officer safety in Canada and was honored as the Law Officer Trainer of the Year in 2011. Brian also has 25 years experience as a law enforcement trainer. He works with law enforcement trainers who love to teach, are committed to their own learning and are passionate about helping their officers perform at their best. If you’re in the law enforcement profession and haven’t done so already, please check out Brian’s Excellence In Training Academy. I also encourage you to watch Brian’s TEDx talk: The Most Dangerous Weapon in Law Enforcement. LinkedIn@BrianRWillisWinning Mind Traininglifesmostpowerfulquestion.comWINx and register to attendThe Crisis Intelligence Podcast with Brian Willis I’d like to extend a big thanks to Brian for welcoming me into his Excellence in Training Academy by means of this podcast. Our discussion is an important one and I look forward to continuing it and helping where I can.