Podcast appearances and mentions of melissa agnes

Try breathwork free: https://www.brendawinkle.com/breathe In this podcast episode, host Brenda Winkle interviews Melissa Agnes, a crisis management expert and founder of Crisis Ready Institute. Melissa shares her insights on the necessity of being prepared for crises in various organizations. She discusses the concept of a "crisis penalty" and the importance of quick, effective responses to minimize damage. Melissa emphasizes the need for a crisis-ready culture and leadership that puts people first. The conversation also covers the challenges of communicating authentically during crises and aligning personal values with organizational goals. Melissa recounts her journey into crisis management and the pivotal moments that shaped her career. Brenda and Melissa also touch on the emotional aspects of crisis response and the importance of a strong sense of self. Here are the takeaways... Melissa illuminated the concept of "crisis response penalties" and how swift, effective action can mitigate the damage. We explored the parallels between managing crises in organizations and navigating personal trauma. The importance of a crisis-ready culture and putting people first was a recurring theme that can't be overstressed. Crisis Management Insights include Leadership and Communication: Authenticity in leadership communication is key. Melissa shared practical tips for leaders to express genuine emotions and connect with their teams during tough times. We discussed the challenge of aligning personal values with organizational directives and the courage it takes to find the right fit for your core beliefs. The Digital Age and Crisis Management: A fascinating story about how Melissa's quick thinking saved a company's stock price during a Twitter rumor crisis highlighted the need for digital savvy in today's world. About Melissa Agnes... Recognized globally as an expert, thought leader and visionary in the field of crisis management, Melissa Agnes has worked with global players, including NATO, the Pentagon (DoD), Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, aviation organizations, global non-profits, and many others. In 2020, Melissa founded Crisis Ready Institute, a public benefit corporate dedicated to creating a crisis ready, crisis-resilient world by elevating industry standards; providing training and certification programs to professionals that better protect people, brands, the environment, and the economy in times of crisis; and promoting and incentivizing organizations and leaders to invest in effective crisis readiness. Her book, Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, is taught in dozens of universities around the world, including at Harvard University; is ranked amongst the leading crisis management books of all time, by Book Authority; and was named one of the top ten business books of 2018 by Forbes. Melissa is the creator of the Crisis Ready® Model, which is recognized and being taught as leading industry best practice in the fields of crisis management and crisis communication. As an in-demand international keynote speaker and a TEDx alumna, Melissa has traveled the world helping organizations and leaders further strengthen their crisis ready mindset, skills and capabilities. In 2019, Melissa founded the Crisis Ready® Community, a space for professionals to come together to support one another, collaborate and strengthen their crisis-ready skills. Melissa sits on the Board of Trustees for D'Youville University, a private University in New York, where she also serves as a visiting scholar for the course she co-created and co-teaches on Crisis Leadership. Melissa also sits on the Board of Directors for ZeroNow, a non-profit organization committed to ending harmful events in schools. Passionate about serving law enforcement and bridging the trust divide between agencies and the communities they serve, Melissa is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). In 2021 she co-chaired a committee that was tasked with developing a strategy and plan of action to begin managing and overcoming the trust crisis in the U.S. In 2019 and 2020, Melissa sat on the panel tasked with developing the International Standard for Crisis Management— ISO 22361, Guidelines for developing a strategic capability. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec (Canada), Melissa currently lives in New York City and enjoys traveling, rollerblading, sailing, and working out when she isn't working. Connect with Melissa... LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ Website: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ Learn More about Yes Academy - The Retreat https://www.brendawinkle.com/retreat Learn More about Yes Academy https://www.brendawinkle.com/yesacademy Contact Brenda Website: https://www.brendawinkle.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendawinkle/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brenda.winkle111 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brendawinkle111 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendawinkle/ Pause Breathwork App - 1 Month FREE Trial - https://www.pausebreathwork.com/affiliate-app-one-month/?ref=brenda&el=Affiliate&tap_a=115239-993745 Keywords: crisis management, crisis ready, communication strategies, leadership, crisis response penalties, natural disaster, emotional intelligence, trauma response, crisis penalty, crisis communication, crisis management timeline, crisis readiness, crisis ready culture, crisis ready mindset, crisis ready skill set, crisis ready capabilities, crisis response, crisis management certification, emotional awareness, emotional understanding, crisis management course, crisis management values, crisis management mindset, crisis management actions, crisis management results, crisis management impact, crisis management emotions, crisis management vulnerability, crisis management leadership, crisis management communication, crisis management values alignment, crisis management organizational values, crisis management digital and social media, crisis management risks and opportunities, crisis management authentic communication, crisis management crisis response.

Extreme weather, cyber attacks, and disruptive technology pose growing threats worldwide. And energy companies are at higher risk. In Episode 121 of thinkenergy, we discuss the urgent need for crisis readiness in Canada's energy sector. Guest Melissa Agnes, CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, is an authority in crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. With experience spanning NATO to global non-profits, tune in for her insight on how to fortify your brand for turbulent times.   Related links   Crisis Ready, by Melissa Agnes: https://melissaagnes.com/crisis-ready/ Melissa Agnes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/   Melissa Agnes on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/melissa_agnes  Crisis Ready Institute: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ To subscribe using Apple Podcasts:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405   To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl   To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/ --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video: https://www.youtube.com/user/hydroottawalimited   Check out our cool pics on https://www.instagram.com/hydroottawa   More to Learn on https://www.facebook.com/HydroOttawa   Keep up with the Tweets at https://twitter.com/thinkenergypod -------------- Transcript: Dan Seguin 00:06 This is Think Energy. The podcast that helps you better understand the fast changing world of energy through conversations with game changers, industry leaders, and influencers. So join me, Dan Seguin, as I explore both traditional and unconventional facets of the energy industry. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the think energy podcast. Within the energy sector, we've seen numerous companies rise and fall in the eyes of the public when confronted by crises for which they were unprepared. As climate change, cyber attacks and other threats wreak havoc, energy companies from around the world are finding themselves more susceptible to dealing with crises on a regular basis. Here in Ottawa, we've seen our city hit with major weather events, including tornadoes, floods, freezing rain, major thunderstorms, and durational. windstorm in the last few years alone. So, take it from a company that knows - a crisis communication plan cannot be drafted and filed away on a shelf to collect dust. It's a living document that has to be integrated across the entire organization. However, emergencies and crises are unpredictable and rarely unfold as rehearsed. So our crisis program has to be flexible and practical. In a fast moving event, it is important to make sure processes are as smooth as butter. How a company communicates during a crisis has changed dramatically during my career. From the rise of the Internet, social media, smartphones and voice technology to name just a few. These new channels present opportunities to connect with your audiences, we are now able to communicate instantly directly to the public in the event of a crisis. In our space, Hydro Ottawa is seen as an authority which enables us to frame the conversation appropriately. At the same time, during a crises, all eyes are on us. And we better shine. As Warren Buffett said, it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. The Internet, and the communication channels that come with it also present challenges, namely, information overload. Everyone is now vying for your attention. Given all the information out there, you don't want to just be more noise, you need to stand out. So here is today's big question. If 1 Transcribed by https://otter.ai your phone rings tomorrow, and you're suddenly confronted with a major crises, are you and your business prepared to handle it? Do you know what steps to take to mitigate that damage? So joining me today, I have a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management and brand protection. She is the founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute and the author of Crisis Ready Building an Invincible Brand in an uncertain world. My very special guest today has worked with NATO Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense financial firms, technology companies, health care organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, the global nonprofit, and many others. She is a guest lecturer at universities around the world and also sits on the Global Advisory Council for the Institute for strategic risk management. Dear listeners, please welcome Melissa, Agnes. Melissa, maybe you could start by sharing with our listeners your journey into crisis management, what's a crisis management strategist? And how did you get where you are today? Lastly, what does it mean to be crisis ready? Melissa Agnes 04:34 Okay, the three part question and I'm going to do my best to be as succinct as possible. So crisis management strategist- I view it that way. Crisis communication strategist, crisis leadership. Like I view the strategy part of it to say that it's not just reactive, right? You're not being simply reactive where you're being hit with something and you're reacting to something. You are- you need to be strategic in the way that you respond to crisis, as well as in the way that you prepare to respond to crisis. So that's the whole premise of being crisis ready, which was the third part of your question. So that's what a strategist comes in. And I'll add that it's not about, you know, PR people might look at or if people might associate it with PR and spin. It's not that at all. It's not about manipulation. It's about looking at the long term of what's happening, and essentially the relationships that matter to the organization, and looking at a crisis through a lens that says, 'What's the best way for us to respond now and over the long term", which I'm sure we'll dive more into intense conversation in a way that keeps us building strengthening trust. With your question in regards to what is does it mean to be crisis ready? The answer is right there. So crisis ready is a term that I coined well over a decade ago, because I was dissatisfied with the status quo of crisis preparedness, which is pretty much a through line throughout my entire career, as my career is based off of frustration and I don't like to complain, so I don't like complain about something and not provide a solution. So my career is always around, like what's happening in the world, what really, really doesn't just doesn't sit right with me. And then what can I do in my way to contribute right to make things better? So the crisis ready came from the frustration that crisis preparedness, quote, unquote, crisis preparedness, which the was the more common kind of terminology for it within our profession, or within the industry was about having a plan, checking that box off, that leadership could say, like, Okay, we've got a crisis management plan, or we've got a crisis communication plan, we're set. And I knew 15 years ago, 14 years ago, when I started this, that made no sense to me. So I turned the coin crisis ready to give it a specific definition, which is it's a cultural approach. It's not just about having a plan. It's about building out programs and ingraining them into the culture of the organization. So that every single member of every single team in every single department and every single division and every single region, has the skill set has the mindset and has the capabilities to identify risk and its onset, to then figure out what to do with it, like categorize it, know what to do with it. So is it an issue? Is it a crisis? What do I do? And then effectively responding to the 2 Transcribed by https://otter.ai incident or the situation in a way that, yes, it de escalates it quickly, yes you mitigate long term material impact, but more over that piece with crisis ready, that's very unique and very important, is you respond in a way that strengthens trust. Dan Seguin 07:45 Okay. Sorry. Now, this is another two part question. Melissa Agnes 07:50 Let's do it. Dan Seguin 07:51 When a crisis hits, the last thing we want is for a company to bury their heads in the sand. Having said that, is there such a thing as a manageable framework for effective crisis communications? Next, here's my other question. When might that framework help an organization deal with an actual event? communicate in real time and deal with stakeholders like elected officials, the media, employees and constituents? Melissa Agnes 08:25 Okay, so the first part of that question is, is there such thing as a manageable framework for effective crisis communication? Absolutely yes, because I teach it. That's what we do we help. So essentially, are Crisis Ready Institute exists, because there is a lack or there's a void of actually teaching the essentials for crisis communication and crisis leadership, in any aspect of our academic lives. We're not taught these things no matter what, you know, it's very, very, very rare. And if you have been taught, it was likely very recently, and probably not even to the level that I would really give it that stamp of approval, unfortunately. So yes, all of that to say that that is what Crisis Ready Institute does, that is a big part of what I do is I see complex subject matter and skills, and I'm able to kind of put them into formulas and frameworks and different things that make it make them just more comprehensible. Is that a word? That's a word, right? That's an English word. Easier to understand, easier to truly conceptualize and giving a formula for okay, it's like until that skill level is at the point that we want it to be, where its intrinsic, and it's reflexive and it's just like, something happens and you know how to respond. That you want to have those 1-2-3 steps that are actually applicable. So yes, and then this second part of your question was, I mean, the crisis ready framework is designed to be scalable from issue straight through to crisis. So obviously, we teach for the worst case scenarios. But if you can respond to the worst case scenarios in a way that, again, de escalates the situation quickly, mitigates long term material impact, and strengthens trust within the organization, both internally and externally. So essentially, strengthening brand equity, building brand equity as a result of the crisis management. Then if you can do that, in the worst times, you can do that - you can apply all of the same tactics, all of the same techniques, all of the same strategies, in issue management. And in doing that, so like the lesser degree type of situation, materially impactful type of situation. So taking that, and when you are able to do that, first of all, obviously, you nip issues in the bud, like really quickly. And secondly, the organizations that are really truly crisis ready they are less vulnerable, to crises and to risks and to, you know, the things happening because they know they have, again, it's the mindset, the skills and the 3 Transcribed by https://otter.ai capability to respond. And the frameworks that we have at Crisis Ready Institute are designed to be one scalable, but also building blocks. So you learn the fundamentals. And you learn how to apply them in different types of situations and scenarios with different types of mindsets and emotions and all of these different facets that play into crisis management. Dan Seguin 11:32 Okay. How vital is it for an organization to maintain their social licence to operate? How does one safeguard its reputation? Melissa Agnes 11:43 Okay, well, I think that you are the perfect person to answer that question. I mean, how vital is your social licence to operate, right? Like, that's reputation. That's trust. That social licence to operate, it's in the name, you can't really have a successful business in certain industries without it. And it's all about trust. It's all about - you and I were just talking about this right before we hit record, right? It's all about how much trust do you build prior to a crisis? And how well do you know how to respond to that trust remains and hopefully even strengthens as a result of effective crisis management? When it comes down to, for me, with the way that I see it to, like, simplify it as much as possible, is that strong business, solid business, successful business is built and developed on like, strong relationships. Right. So that's the social licence to operate, if you want to look at it that way. Crisis Management is about doing right by those very relationships. When it matters most when you're put to the test. It's all about trust. Dan Seguin 12:53 If the communications plan is a living organism that helps you navigate through any disruption. Is it safe to say that it's not about dusting off that plan that just sits on that bookshelf? Melissa Agnes 13:11 Absolutely. Things happen too fast. Things happen too fast things happen outside of the realm of what we planned for, or what we may have imagined it to be, or unfold as anybody who had a crisis management plan. And I'm saying plan, like, I'll use the words program and culture and skill set and mindset capabilities to talk about crisis ready, right. But if we're looking at it through the crisis, preparedness, going back to the start of our conversation, lens of like, let's check off that box. And let's just have that plan. Plans are linear, they're siloed. They're theoretical, more than they are practical, they become obsolete pretty much the second you put them on the shelf. And they're not ingrained. Things happen so quickly, they escalate so quickly, that to be looking around going like, oh, where's where's the plan that I think that one day, once upon a time we created, like, let's look at that and try to see. Already you're suffering Crisis Response penalty as a result of that, because you're not being effective with your time in terms of response. So anybody who had that type of plan prior to COVID, as an example, quickly, unfortunately realized and learned the hard way. How ineffective that mindset that approach is, so we really, really want to look at crisis ready as a program as a skill set as the mindset is capability that's ingrained into the culture of the organization. 4 Transcribed by https://otter.ai Dan Seguin 14:34 Okay, Melissa, now, let me ask you this. How can an organization transform crisis readiness into a competitive advantage? Melissa Agnes 14:46 That's a really great question. This is one of those things that like it's really hard to sell what I do - Crisis Ready - because effectively what you're doing is you're trying to sell insurance to people who, who aren't obliged to pay purchase insurance right and human nature states that we don't want to look we want to avoid, we don't want to look at what's challenging or what's scary, or what makes us really uncomfortable, especially if we're not thrown into it and like being faced with it in the moment. So like, life is good, business is good, why would you want to look for it? Or look at what makes you uncomfortable? And the what if the downsides of the what ifs? That's really hard. And one of the ways that I've learned to do that to to sell it essentially, isn't answering that question is looking at what is the value of being crisis ready? What does it do to the team, to the culture to the morale internally, what does it do with regards to trust. And just having that culture that you know, something minor goes wrong, but you have this culture that sees that as an opportunity to strengthen relationships and to evolve as an organization as a service provider, or, you know, a product creator. So all of these different facets of like, what it means to be crisis ready with the core values assigned with crisis ready are and how they lay out day to day, not just to effectively manage crisis when it happens, or even mitigate crisis from happening. But what's the value that it brings internally and externally to increase? We'll go back to the word brand equity of your organization, there's a massive competitive advantage in those answers. Dan Seguin 16:35 Okay, now, a little while back, I attended your amazing, it is truly amazing, a 10 week course on honing your crisis communication and leadership skills, where you stated, if I recall, that you cannot put emotion over logic. What is the role and power of emotion within issue and crisis management. Melissa Agnes 17:00 So you can't let's let's let's flip it, you can't put logic over emotion. So the crisis ready rule is, you cannot beat emotion with logic. So just to make that clear. Emotion plays a major role in any type of crisis for every person involved, whether you're the leadership team, whether you're, you know, the members of the team who are doing different roles within managing the crisis, whether you're an outside impacted party by the crisis, you don't have a motion, you don't have crisis for that emotion. Meanwhile, you cannot beat emotion with logic. So you're speaking to as a leader, as a communicator, in times of crisis, you stand up, you rise up, and you communicate with your stakeholders who are being affected by the crisis in one way or another. Those people who are affected by the crisis in one way or another, are highly emotional, right? They have emotion and probably very deep, very real, very deep seated emotion running through them. What happens to us as human beings is emotion then comes to the forefront we're emotional beings, as human beings, no matter how logical or cerebral or rational we believe ourselves to be, we're still emotional beings, because we're human beings is the nature of how and who we are at what happens is when those high intensity, quote unquote, negative emotions kick 5 Transcribed by https://otter.ai into gear they come forefront, and they kind of they cloud judgment. I see it as the heart kind of coming up harping emotion coming up, and like putting this cloud around the brain, where you can't just speak or spew out logic, because the emotions are blocking it. It's clouding judgment, it's doing all kinds of things that a lot of leaders stand up and in those times, they just, they think that they just have to keep hammering out the truth and hammering out the facts that keep repeating the same things over in a very logical way. But they're missing the emotion, the emotional relatability, or the emotional, intelligent effect of it. And so in order to be able to communicate and lead effectively through crisis, you have to understand, know how to, first of all, understand emotion, the different types of emotions that that we have as an experience of being human. Understand how those like most emotions reside in our bodies, how they work, understand how to anticipate the emotions of your stakeholders, to the most extent possible. And then you have to be skilled in the ability to communicate in a way that puts the emotion first so that you can dissipate that cloud that is clouded like that's in front of the brain. I'm like doing this you can't see me when I'm like doing this visual in front of my face. But you want to dissipate that cloud that's blocking that's clouding judgment so that then you can speak to the rational, then you can speak to the logical. But trying to stand upon times of crisis when everybody is hyper emotional, and just spew out facts, you are going to miss the mark, you're not going to succeed the way that you can and should succeed. Dan Seguin 20:11 Now Melissa, to ensure crisis readiness, how critical is it for companies to identify high risk scenarios? And pushing this further? Should we be looking at defining the different triggers and thresholds of impact? Melissa Agnes 20:30 I would say so, first of all, identifying high risk scenarios is a part of the framework for crisis ready. So yes, so for anybody who may not understand that terminology, it's really what we're looking at is your most likely high impact types of events, situations that can put your organization into a crisis. We all have them as human beings, we all have them as organizations, as companies, as brands, whatever, however you want to word that. So yes, very, very, very important part of being crisis ready as you go through the motions. So let's say you identify just, you know, five high risk scenarios, the most likely high impact types of events to that you are susceptible or vulnerable to as an organization. Let's say you identify five. Go through the motions and part of being crisis ready is to go through the motions and becoming crisis ready for each of those five. Now, yes, absolutely. A sixth event can come out of nowhere and blindside you. But the whole going back to mindset skill set capability and culture is because you've gone through or asked. Once you've gone through the motions of truly becoming crisis ready for all of those five high risk scenarios. When the sixth one comes in, you know, turns around and hits you, or blindsides you and hitting you, you are so ready, your team is so skilled, you have everything that you need, and that it takes to be able to effectively respond to that sixth scenario, in the best timeframe as possible. So yes, identifying them doing the work to better understand them. And then in that answer the second part of that question, in that you will be looking at what would be indicators? So, so yes, triggers and indicators? And what are the thresholds of impact? So you're looking at a situation, say such a situation A, and you're saying 'At what point would situation crisis 6 Transcribed by https://otter.ai Scenario A be an issue for our organization? And at what point would it be a crisis?' You're really defining painting a picture of what those differences are? And then you're doing a deeper dive with the with the team and saying, Okay, what's the difference there? What are the criteria? What is the criteria that really made that customer past the threshold of issue to crisis? So you're trying to understand to the most extent possible, what are you know, what are the different aspects that make something a crisis for your organization, remembering that a crisis for one does not necessarily translate into a crisis for all. Dan Seguin 23:07 Now, in times of major disruptions, like a power outage, or maybe even a cyber event, scanning your landscape is critical. Any recommendations on how companies should look at monitoring the social landscape and mainstream media? Melissa Agnes 23:28 I think it should really go back to you, Dan. I think you guys do a phenomenal job at this. I mean, there's a lot to look at, and making sure that you have your baselines set up so that you know what a peak or valley looks like. You can detect it. I'd also say it's not just, you know, people go like, should we monitor every platform? Should we monitor, there's so many platforms, there's so many this, there's so many that, there's so many hashtags, so many, etc. It's really understanding your stakeholders and where you're where you have presence, right, and where that presence has impact because just because something - so one, just because something goes viral does not make it a crisis. That's not the criteria that makes it a crisis. That can be a viral issue, and not a viral crisis, right? Or a viral issue and not a crisis. And then too, just because something gets negative attention in one platform, if you don't have your course for stakeholder like the people who really mattered to the success and vitality of your business, on those platforms, and those people never hear about it, you might just have a whole bunch of haters that just aren't getting any traction. This is also about understanding what you're monitoring where, you're monitoring and why you're monitoring those, what in those squares. And then I think a third piece, I think that was two things. A third piece that I would add that is really understanding and I think this is a lot of where companies are getting it wrong right now - is understanding what is happening in the world that you transformations, the evolutions that are happening in the world and how they may or may not impact your relationship with your stakeholders, your relationship with your brand, the reputation of your organization, and to look at and be like, Oh, that's, you know, this conversation, this societal conversation or this Hot Topic doesn't apply to us to just look at something and be like, No, it doesn't apply to us without doing a deeper dive into how it might actually apply to you and how it might actually be important to the people who are important to your business is something that a lot of leaders, a lot of companies are missing the mark on right now. Dan Seguin 25:39 Cool. Melissa, can you share with us some simple takeaways, for example, what are some of the biggest and most common mistakes an organization should avoid? Melissa Agnes 25:52 7 Transcribed by https://otter.ai One of them is what we just said. Some other ones, I'll go to what we call at Crisis Ready Institute with call the CRP- the Crisis Response Penalty. So that term came out of my book, as I was writing my book, and what we're looking at there is, the longer you take to effectively respond, and I'll define what effective response is in a second. So the longer you take to effectively respond to a crisis, the more pressing credibility, you destroy the more ownership of the narrative you lose, and the more material impact you suffer. So that is the crisis response penalty, it is the penalties or the consequences of not responding properly. And effective response requires the right actions to be taken to actually fix remedy sold for you know, stop the bleeding, right the wrongs, etc, while you simultaneously communicate the way that you need to communicate and with whomever you need to be communicating with. And all of that has to happen. So actions and communications have to happen in the right timeline, and simultaneously. So if you falter on any one of those, then you're going to fail in your crisis management. And one of the biggest, most common mistakes to avoid so specifically to answer that it happened specifically to answer your question is the communication piece, because for the reasons that we've kind of already just highlighted, which are the vulnerability, the the fact that it's so uncomfortable, the fact that it's so vulnerable, the fact that people haven't been taught how to communicate with high EQ so that you can communicate through the emotions and actually resonate with the people you need to resonate with, so that they trust you and they follow your leadership? So yeah, I mean, we could go on and on and on, and on and on talking about the pitfalls to avoid. But even just looking at it as a framework of that crisis response penalty, what that means, what is involved in making sure you don't suffer a crisis response penalty, and making sure that your team has, again, the mindset, the skill set and the capability to not make those mistakes. Dan Seguin 28:06 Cool. That's a great segue, Melissa. Before signing off here, I'm hoping you can maybe share what are some of the requirements for a strong and effective narrative during a crises, but also ways to ensure we maintain that consistent tone, and stay on message. Melissa Agnes 28:29 I mean, we there's a formula that we use at Crisis Ready Institute, which is an it would take about, yeah, we could go into detail in it if we wanted to, but we teach it, it takes a while. But we really want to look at validate understanding emotions, validating those motions, relating to those emotions, and then coming in with your logic. And when you come in with your logic or your rationale, and you know, the directives and all the things that are very cerebral versus emotional, you want to make sure that you're having this balance of providing reassurance, providing hope, and having the courage to hold that space, that uncomfortable space, where the emotion sets. So as a framework, super high level, that's what you want to be making sure you're hitting, and I want to make sure that I answer your question properly. So strong narrative. So having that, having that framework will help to keep you addressing the things that are important to address that a lot of times leaders and communicators don't feel comfortable doing so they avoid them, which creates CRP Crisis Response penalty. And when you're doing that, you're doing that balance of risk providing reassurance, and hope and courage you're looking at. So just say, where you said I had to help maintain a consistent tone and stay on message. That's where you make sure that you're always checking in you're doing that you also want to make 8 Transcribed by https://otter.ai sure, so part of that is understanding what actually want what actually matters to people and making sure you're hitting those points, but also anticipating, anticipating the questions, anticipating the concerns, anticipating the fears and all of these, you know, things that we can anticipate if we take the time and put the attention to doing that, and making sure that you're getting ahead of the things that you can get ahead of, so that you're not always playing catch up. Dan Seguin 30:27 Okay, very cool. Melissa, we always end our interviews with some rapid fire questions. Are you ready? Melissa Agnes 30:35 I'm ready. Let's do it. Dan Seguin 30:37 Now, maybe you could start us off by sharing with our listeners. What are you reading right now? Melissa Agnes 30:44 I actually just finished reading it. It's called The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and I highly, highly, highly recommend it. Dan Seguin 30:50 Okay, next one, Melissa. Who is someone that you admire? Melissa Agnes 30:55 I admire a lot of people. My significant other I admire him greatly. People on my team I admire greatly. There's a lot of people that I admire. Dan Seguin 31:05 Okay. What is your favorite movie or show? Melissa Agnes 31:09 On right now? Oh, man. I mean, I would say like Friends to me is like my all time favorite. What have we watched recently? We watched - I'm so bad with names and remembering this stuff. Silo was good. Shrinking was good. There was one recently there's one with Amanda Seyfried that I really enjoyed. I was sick last week and I like binged it over the weekend because I just got better. That one was called the Crowded Room. Yeah, I think there's a bunch of good things out right now. Oh, we just watched over the weekend we watched it's a movie about dogs, what's it called - Strays! With their like the voices of ...I don't know but strays, however, I will say that it looks like it's it's family friendly. But it is not. Don't let your kids watch it. It's very adult friendly. But it's hilarious. Dan Seguin 32:03 Okay, next one, aside from necessities. What one thing could you not go without in a day? 9 Transcribed by https://otter.ai Melissa Agnes 32:12 Okay this sounds so corny but emotional connection with my significant other. We travel a lot so I think checking in with each other, like just tapping in and making sure that - he's different from me in that I kind of get my good mornings and my good nights and things like that. I don't think I could go without those. Dan Seguin 32:30 Lastly, what is exciting you about your industry right now. Melissa Agnes 32:35 Oh, exciting, and that frustrated me. Um, the thing that I'm working on right now I'm working on, you know, I'm calling it my quote unquote, next big thing. That's really exciting to me. So new content, new things that are coming, that I think will, again, stemmed from a frustration in the world. And we touched a little bit on some of it during this conversation, but the, um, it'll be my next book. It'll be my next TEDx Talk. It'll be a whole bunch of things. And that's, that's kind of keeping me fired up. I'm very excited about that. Dan Seguin 33:06 Well, Melissa, this is it. We've reached the end of another episode of the Think Energy podcast. Now if our listeners want to learn more about you, your organization, how can they connect? Melissa Agnes 33:19 Melissa Agnes, I'm on social. I'm primarily on LinkedIn, definitely. IG definitely. That's pretty much it. Where I'm like, actually active and then crisisreadyinstitute.com Or just crisisready.com. You can find all kinds of stuff there as well as to connect with me. Dan Seguin 33:36 Again, Melissa, thank you very much for joining us today. I hope you had a lot of fun. Melissa Agnes 33:41 I did. Thanks, Dan. Thanks for having me. Dan Seguin 33:44 Cheers. Thanks for tuning in for another episode of The Think Energy podcast. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review where ever you're listening. And to find out more about today's guests or previous episodes, visit thinkenergypodcast.com I hope you will join us again next time as we spark even more conversations about the energy of tomorrow.

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   Justin visits with two guests today to discuss the RIMS Canada Conference 2023 on September 11th–14th in Ottawa! The first guest is the National Co-Chair of the RIMS Canada Conference 2023, Valerie Barber. Justin and Valerie discuss her risk career, her role with the government of Manitoba, and how Canada's provincial government is a good place to establish a risk management career. Valerie discusses some of the Plenary and educational events to expect at the RIMS Canada Conference. Valerie talks about Plenary Speakers Sinead Bovell and Melissa Agnes.   Melissa Agnes joins the episode as the second guest. Melissa is a world-renowned expert on crisis management and is the Founder and CEO of Crisis Ready Institute. She discusses consulting for agencies and large organizations, and how “Crisis Ready” beats managing a crisis as it happens. She talks about her Plenary talk for RIMS Canada Conference 2023 and what hampers people from being ready for a crisis. She shares some steps to being ready before a crisis comes and managing it when it does.   Listen in and learn to be Crisis Ready and protect your brand.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMScast and the RIMS App, an exclusive benefit for RIMS members. [:32] About today's episode, where we will talk about RIMS Canada Conference 2023 and hear from one of the plenary speakers about crisis management. [:55] All about exciting, upcoming RIMS events! Registration is open for the RIMS Canada Conference 2023, which will be held September 11th–14th in Ottawa! Visit RIMSCanadaConference.ca for more information. [1:16] For those of you based in Canada, Justin needs to hear from you about a game show he will be hosting on September 13th. A link to a survey is in this episode's notes. He needs your honest feedback, so he can say, “Survey says: …” Please check out the links in this episode's notes! [1:39] On September 14th, the Spencer Educational Foundation returns to New York City for its Annual Funding Their Future Gala. The event will be held at the Cipriani on 42nd Street. A link is on this episode's notes. You can also visit SpencerEd.org. [1:56] The RIMS Western Regional Conference will be held October 4th–6th in Vail, Colorado. Visit RIMSWesternRegional.com for more information and to register. [2:08] Head to the RIMS.org/Advocacy page to find information about The RIMS Legislative Summit, which is returning to Washington, D.C. on October 25th and 26th. [2:22] We are very excited about the RIMS ERM Conference 2023, which will be held November 2nd and 3rd in Denver, Colorado! The theme is Elevate and Evolve. Registration is open, as is a call for nominations for the ERM Award of Distinction. Those submissions are due September 1st. [2:43] The first guest on today's episode is the National Co-Chair of the RIMS Canada Conference 2023. She has also been a risk leader for the government of Manitoba for more than 20 years. She will share her risk philosophies and then we will talk about RIMS Canada Conference 2023. [3:01] Justin welcomes Valerie Barber to RIMScast! [3:18] Valerie started in accounting, for an insurance agency and company. After five years, she worked in claims at a brokerage office for several years. She took a position next with the government of Manitoba in claims and loss prevention, then insurance and risk management, and later, the director of the insurance and risk management branch. [4:18] Her background in working with losses as they happened and preventing future losses was a good foundation to move into the risk management side. Valerie is going on 24 years of working with the government of Manitoba, [4:53] Valerie's employer is a small but mighty branch of the government. There are four individuals, an increase. They are now fully staffed. It was incredibly relieving for Valerie to get the third and the fourth person hired. Since she started, she has done three of the four positions in the branch. [6:40] In Canada, there are significant numbers of pubic sector risk professionals in RIMS, attending the conferences and other educational opportunities. Risk professionals that Valerie has met are quick to share knowledge and experiences they've encountered that may help others going through similar situations now. [7:46] Among the RIMS provincial membership there is an informal group called GovRIMS, that meets before the conference every year. [9:32] The theme of the RIMS Canada Conference 2023 is Risk Evolution...Be a Part of It. Risk continues to evolve in Canada, as everywhere else, as old risks develop and new risks emerge. Risk managers today have to reimagine and adapt. What worked before may not work today. [10:15] Valerie notes numerous challenges: cyber, political, financial, weather-related events, fires in Hawaii and Canada, flooding, artificial intelligence, and pandemics. In 2020 RIMS was to have Vision 2020 in Ottawa which did not occur because of COVID-19. Three years later we are finally getting there! [11:32] RIMS Canada Conference 2023 will be held on September 11–14 in Ottawa, the beautiful capital city of Canada, named by CNN Travel as one of the best destinations to visit in 2023. There are many local attractions. Shops, the ByWard Market, Parliament buildings, and National Museums are close to Shaw Convention Centre. [12:50] The Shaw Convention Centre is exceptional, with stunning views of the canals and city skyline. The Conference Centre is very spacious to accommodate all aspects of the conference, including the opening night reception, the plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, and the exhibit hall, which we are pleased to say was sold out in space. [13:54] The Plenary Sessions feature speakers who are making an impact on the risk landscape with their followers. Day 1's plenary is Melissa Agnes, who is recognized as a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. There are many crises out there for which we need to be prepared. [14:45] It will be interesting to learn the types of strategies and the secrets to successful crisis management. The next big event is potentially around the corner, globally, nationally, or in our backyards. [15:28] The second featured Plenary Speaker, Sinead Bovell, is a future-of-work expert. She will discuss the future of AI in her address. AI is a prime example of risk revolution. An AI-related age discrimination case has been filed recently. AI hiring software was rejecting candidates over certain ages. [16:49] Valerie is interested in learning about the good things that will be happening with AI in risk management. [17:06] Closing out RIMS Canada Conference 2023 on September 14th is Lt. General Roméo Dallaire, an international champion of human rights, a mental health advocate, and a leadership & crisis management expert. Lt. General Dallaire is a Canadian national treasure not only for his military background but also for the work he's done afterward. [18:27] The RIMS CRMP Exam Prep will be a pre-conference workshop on September 10th and 11th on-site. See the link on this episode's notes. Save $100.00 Canadian when you register for both the conference and the workshop. There were 75% more sessions submitted for consideration. [18:50] There are 68 exceptional educational sessions. Sessions are either 60-minutes long or there are 20-minute thought leadership sessions. Tracks include career development, claims management, cyber risk management, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, emerging risks, and more. Select educational sessions on the registration page. [20:15] Justin is hosting a Family-Feud-style gameshow on September 13th. You can see details in this episode's notes. Justin thanks Valerie for being on today's episode, [20:46] RIMS plug time! Sponsor an episode of RIMScast! Contact us at pd@rims.org. For upcoming virtual workshops visit RIMS.org/virtualworkshops for the calendar. Managing Data for ERM is a three-module course that begins September 21st. [21:31] Optimizing Risk Management with Artificial Intelligence will be led on September 28th by Pat Saporito. Recent RIMScast guest Chris Hansen will be leading Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability, and Employment Practices in the US on November 7th and 8th. Be sure to register for that course! [22:04] Information about these sessions and others is on the RIMS Virtual Workshops page. Check it out and register! [22:12] For anyone attending RIMS Canada on September 10th and 11th, we will host an in-person RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep In-Person Workshop in Ottawa, and it will be led by former RIMS President Chris Mandel. [22:32] Visit RIMS.org/Certification for these and future workshops. A link is also in this episode's show notes, as is a link to the full Virtual Workshop calendar. [22:45] There is a new RIMS webinar called A Decade of Disconnect: Understanding Multi-Generational Mental Health in the Workplace. It is sponsored by Travelers and Constitution State Services on September 7th, 2023 at 12:00 noon Eastern. Visit Rims.org/webinars or the link on this episode's show notes to register. [23:12] On September 26th, Gallagher will present A Road Less Challenged? An Outlook on the Management Liability Market at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Visit RIMS.org/Webinars to learn more about these webinars and to register! [23:29] Links are on the show notes. Webinar registration is complimentary for RIMS members. [23:37] Our next guest, Melissa Agnes, is a world-renowned authority on crisis management and the Founder and CEO of Crisis Ready Institute. She will kick off the RIMS Canada Conference 2023 on September 11th with the Plenary Session. Melissa joins us today to provide a brief preview and talk about her risk management career. [24:03] Justin welcomes Melissa Agnes to RIMScast and introduces her. Melissa has advised people around the world from all walks of life. She has worked with NATO and other notable agencies and organizations to help them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events. [25:01] Global agencies and governments are slow to create change. One of the great things for Melissa is to work with the individuals who recognize the slowness of the change process and continue to advocate internally to uplevel the organization's skillset in crisis response. [25:49] Around the world in governments and agencies, Melissa finds incredible people with thankless jobs where even their stakeholders don't understand the complexity of their roles and there are a lot of negative viewpoints, yet they continue to work to level up their skillset and bring the cultural component of “crisis ready” to the organization. [26:38] Melissa coined the term “crisis ready” about 14 years ago. It came out of her frustration with the status quo of crisis preparedness. Melissa didn't agree with the status quo. She created a definition for “crisis ready” that is similar to but more than crisis preparedness. She started it as a hashtag, #CrisisReady, and it became a brand. [27:23] Crisis ready is about having a culture. It's not about having a crisis management plan document that sits on a shelf but about developing a program that permeates the organization. It consists of the mindset, skillset, and capabilities designed to respond to crisis in a way that strengthens trust. [28:07] Melissa explains about measuring trust. You can feel it. It's just not easily quantifiable. That's part of the struggle. In organizations, getting buy-in support for the “crisis-ready” culture is universally the biggest challenge that I experience. [28:51] No matter how “crisis ready” an organization is, there's constantly the obstacle of gaining buy-in and support. It's against human nature to talk about the negative. They don't understand what a strength-building positive it is to get past viewing “crisis ready” as a negative. [29:33] In her future presentations and book, Melissa will be talking about the five hindrances people face in getting “crisis ready” or dealing with crises as they occur. It's against our human nature to get ready. The five hindrances are avoidance, ego, fear, ignorance, and politics. [31:23] Melissa's advice for non-profits: First, go through your core values and make sure that they are your foundation, what you stand for, and why you exist. Make sure that you're living by them. Second, in alignment with the first, know how to respond to controversy. Controversy is a big part of the world, There is a tactic for responding. [32:24] When responding to controversy, be thoughtful, decisive, clear, and quiet. Being thoughtful means looking at the controversy, understanding what it is, and understanding the emotion and how it drives the controversy and complicates things. [33:26] Understand why it is controversial and divisive. Understand where it aligns with your core values. If you think you can appease everyone, you will have a hard awakening. Don't try to make everybody happy. [34:31] Being decisive means taking a stance. If you don't, it looks like you are trying to appease everyone. Instead, you will lose everyone. State your core values and the stance you are taking in alignment with your core values. [35:13] Being clear means being as clear and concise as you can in your response to the controversy. Talk about your core values. Do not leave room for ambiguity. Talk about why you're taking the stance that you are in alignment with those core values. It needs to be concise and clear. People may not like it, but they can respect it. [36:08] Being quiet comes when you have been thoughtful, decisive, and clear; there will be nothing left to say. Let the conversation unfold by itself. Let your advocates come to your defense. Let those who are upset have the space to validate how they feel and then they'll move on. Then you can move forward with recovery. [36:59] Often it takes an unfortunate situation for people to wake up and see they're not ready. At the beginning of her career, Melissa learned that she wanted her brand to be Crisis Ready, not crisis management. Crisis is an emotional time. Unless Melissa has a relationship with the leadership team before the crisis, her job is 100 times harder! [38:00] Without a prior relationship, it's hard for Melissa in the moment to help the organization cross that border of fear and ego. People get in their own way, and Melissa feels that she didn't do as well as she could have for them because they blocked it. [38:35] Melissa decided that she would build relationships before clients were hit with a crisis, so when they got in crisis, Melissa could kick into gear and serve them instead of fighting against their human nature of self-protection. She never wants to waste energy selling something to somebody who isn't ready. She started her brand with a clear blog. [40:04] A crisis can stem from social media or a physical event. We live in a complex world. A crisis has to hit certain criteria to be a crisis. If you call every social media issue a social media crisis, some people will not take it as seriously. [41:13] Melissa sat on the panel that developed the updated International Standard for Crisis Management, or ISO 22361. That was pre-pandemic, in 2019. It was a UK committee but Melissa Canadian, based in the U.S. Melissa says it was a huge honor to be put on this panel. It's always interesting to work by committee, but it was great. [42:59] Melissa can spot her influence in the standard. No one person can create all of that alone. She feels proud of the collective efforts and collaboration of the committee and their lived experiences that contributed to creating that whole. [44:06] Melissa is very excited about RIMS Canada Conference 2023! She will be bringing to the stage something that she can't find anywhere else. The message is so important so she has so much passion for sharing what she's going to share and engaging and interacting with the audience. She feels very honored to be able to do that. [44:47] Without ego, Melissa says she hopes the audience will listen in. She is passionate about this message in the talk she's been giving this year. It lights her up. Melissa doesn't believe we've been set up for success in our society, from kindergarten straight through, and that will be part of her message. [44:25] Justin looks forward to meeting Melissa Agnes at RIMS Canada Conference and thanks her for joining us on RIMScast! [45:38] Special thanks to my guests for joining me. I'm looking forward to Melissa Agnes's Plenary Session on September 11, 2023, at the RIMS Canada Conference in Ottawa. Register now at RIMSCanadaConference.ca. [45:52] Be sure to tune in next week to RIMScast. We have another Plenary Speaker from RIMS Canada Conference 2023, Sinead Bovell. [46:01] We cover crisis management in Risk Management Magazine. You can find it at RMMagazine.com but RIMS members can access it instantly via the RIMS app. This is a special members-only benefit. Everybody loves the RIMS app! [46:23] You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in our show notes. RIMScast has a global audience of risk professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [47:03] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. The RIMS app is available only for RIMS members! You can find it in the App Store. [47:26] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [47:41] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com and in print, and check out the blog at RiskManagementMonitor.com. Justin Smulison is Business Content Manager. You can email Justin at Content@RIMS.org. [48:02] Justin thanks you for your continued support and engagement on social media channels! We appreciate all your kind words. Listen every week! Stay safe! Mentioned in this Episode: NEW FOR MEMBERS! RIMS Mobile App RIMS Canada 2023 — Sept. 11–14 in Ottawa! RIMS Canada 2023 — Game Show Survey! RIMS ERM Conference 2023 | Nov 2–3 in Denver, CO! Spencer Educational Foundation — Funding Their Future Gala — Sept. 14, 2023 RIMS Western Regional — Oct 4–6, Vail Colorado RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) Dan Kugler Risk Manager on Campus Grant RIMS Webinars: A Decade of Disconnect: Understanding Multi-Generational Mental Health in the Workplace | Sponsored by Travelers | Sept. 7, 2023 A Road Less Challenged? An Outlook on the Management Liability Market | Sponsored by Gallagher | Sept. 26, 2023 RIMS.org/Webinars Upcoming Virtual Workshops: Fundamentals of Insurance | Sept 12–13 Optimizing Risk Management with AI | Sept. 28 Managing Worker Compensation, Employer's Liability and Employment Practices in the US | Nov 7 See the full calendar of RIMS Virtual Workshops RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep at RIMS Canada 2023 September 10–11, 2023 9:00 am–4:00 pm EDT Ottawa, ON, Canada All RIMS-CRMP Prep Workshops Related RIMScast Episodes: “Turning Tides: Live from RIMS Canada 2022” “Rising Risk and Insurance Professional Ana Lage, 2022 Fred H. Bossons Award Winner” “Safety and International Risk Leadership with Franck Baron” “Strategic Moves with RIMS CEO Gary LaBranche” “RIMS President Jennifer Santiago: R.E.A.D.Y. for 2023” Sponsored RIMScast Episodes: Subrogation and the Competitive Advantage | Sponsored by Fleet Response (New!) Cyberrisk Outlook 2023 | Sponsored by Alliant (New!) Chemical Industry: How To Succeed Amid Emerging Risks and a Challenging Market | Sponsored by TÜV SÜD “Insuring the Future of the Environment” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Insights into the Gig Economy and its Contractors” | Sponsored by Zurich “The Importance of Disaster Planning Relationships” | Sponsored by ServiceMaster “Technology, Media and Telecom Solutions in 2023” | Sponsored by Allianz “Analytics in Action” | Sponsored by Alliant “Captive Market Outlook and Industry Insights” | Sponsored by AXA XL “Using M&A Insurance: The How and Why” | Sponsored by Prudent Insurance Brokers Ltd. “Zurich's Construction Sustainability Outlook for 2023” “Aon's 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season Overview” “ESG Through the Risk Lens” | Sponsored by Riskonnect “A Look at the Cyber Insurance Market” | Sponsored by AXA XL “How to Reduce Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Risks” | Sponsored by TÜV SÜD “Managing Global Geopolitical Risk in 2022 and Beyond” | Sponsored by AXA XL RIMS Publications, Content, and Links: RIMS Membership — Whether you are a new member or need to transition, be a part of the global risk management community! RIMS Virtual Workshops On-Demand Webinars Risk Management Magazine Risk Management Monitor RIMS Risk Leaders Series RIMS-Certified Risk Management Professional (RIMS-CRMP) RIMS-CRMP Stories — New interview featuring Roland Teo! Spencer Educational Foundation RIMS DEI Council RIMS Path to the Boardroom RIMS Events, Education, and Services: RIMS Risk Maturity Model® RIMS Events App Apple | Google Play RIMS Buyers Guide Sponsor RIMScast: Contact sales@rims.org or pd@rims.org for more information.   Want to Learn More? Keep up with the podcast on RIMS.org and listen on Apple Podcasts. Have a question or suggestion? Email: Content@rims.org.   Join the Conversation! Follow @RIMSorg on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.   About our guest, Valerie Barber: Valerie Barber National Co-Chair of the RIMS Canada Conference Government of Manitoba   About our guest, Melissa Agnes: Melissa AgnesCrisis Ready Institute   Tweetables (For Social Media Use):   “If you're encountering a situation, someone else has encountered it before. … Individuals are very free with providing and sharing information that they have and different strategies and solutions that they've used to deal with similar situations.” — Valerie Barber   “There are numerous challenges that we face, including cyber, political, financial, weather-related events, … just this week with Hawaii, very unfortunate, … wildfires, flooding, … artificial intelligence, … and of course, pandemics.” — Valerie Barber   “One of the great things is working with people, individuals, who even admit that kind of slowness, that snail-paced progression [of a large agency]. They continue to advocate  internally for the need to uplevel their skillset in crisis response.” — Melissa Agnes   “In these large organizations, … getting buy-in support [for a ‘crisis ready' culture] is universally the biggest challenge that I and anybody in my shoes, whether they're consultants or they're internally advocating for this, experience.” — Melissa Agnes

As social media emerged in the early 2000s, many top corporate executives and business leaders wrote it off as a passing trend. Frustrated by crisis management professionals' hesitancy to embrace digital communications, Melissa Agnes saw an opportunity to serve a developing industry. Nearly 15 years later. Agnes is a leading voice on all things crisis management and communications. She joins SalterMitchell PR Founder and CEO April Salter to share her story and discuss today's communications challenges.

Melissa Agnes of the Crisis Ready Institute joins me to discuss how brands can be ready for crisis before it happens. This is not about crisis management once something happens but how brands can be more proactive. Join us and grab Melissa's book on the topic here: https://amzn.to/3XHuvwa Learn more about the institute here: https://lnkd.in/gP56H67q Don‘t miss these previous episodes: How to use LinkedIn newsletters Announcing a new job on LinkedIn How executives can build their brand

As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events.Melissa sits on the Police Professional Standards, Ethics, and Image Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Melissa teaches crisis management courses at NYU, Columbia, and McGill University. https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/Email - Melissa@crisisreadyinstitute.comTwitter - https://twitter.com/melissa_agnes

In today's episode I'm talking with Melissa Agnes, she is the Founder of the Crisis Ready Institute, author of the book Crisis Ready, TEDx speaker and internationally known expert on crisis management. Melissa shares that Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don't occur and even if they do, they're instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. Join our next 5-week group coaching program: https://www.worshipsecurity.org/group-coaching Become a member of our video library: https://www.worshipsecurity.org/videocoach Podcast sponsor - Bullis Insurance: http://www.bullisagency.com/ Crisis ready institute https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ Melissa's book Crisis Ready Click here

Melissa Agnes, Author and founder and CEO at the Crisis Ready Institute discloses the way to define a crisis. These incredibly valuable insights will better prepare you and your team for any situation. Melissa is THE EXPERT in this area. About Melissa Agnes: - Founder and CEO at Crisis Ready Institute - Author Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaag... Crisis Ready Institute: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com BE OUR NEXT GUEST: https://bit.ly/2CZmKNU About B: Bruno Lindia has been referred to as the “Professional People” expert. He has professionally interviewed over 150,000 professionals in all walks of life. Linkedin: https://bit.ly/2ZrzOmz Dream Reach Achieve: www.dreamreachachieve.com “&B”: www.andb.ca Contact Bruno to learn more about his online/onsite programs: - Professional Peak Performance Coaching (Teams and one-on-one) - Pre-Transformation Team Workshop - 10 Habits of Leadership Workshop - Professional Sales Execution Workshop - Hall of Fame Coaching Sports Team workshop - Entrepreneur Coaching and Training - Franchise Consultation - Executive Search Services' Consultation Filmed and Edited: Artin Rahim The views and opinions expressed in the video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MegaPixxMedia Ltd and their Affiliates Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

Melissa Agnes Author and founder and CEO at the Crisis Ready Institute shares her amazing story about how her passion got her to where she is today. Melissa is an inspiring professional and is an amazing person to collaborate with. Thank you Melissa for everything. About Melissa Agnes: Founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, creator of the Crisis Ready Model, and author of "Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World", Melissa Agnes is a recognized 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. Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaag... Crisis Ready Institute: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com BE OUR NEXT GUEST: https://bit.ly/2CZmKNU About B: Bruno Lindia has been referred to as the “Professional People” expert. He has professionally interviewed over 150,000 professionals in all walks of life. Linkedin: https://bit.ly/2ZrzOmz Dream Reach Achieve: www.dreamreachachieve.com “&B”: www.andb.ca Website: https://yyccalgarybusiness.ca/ Filmed and Edited: Artin Rahim The views and opinions expressed in the video are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MegaPixxMedia Ltd and their Affiliates Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

Today's guest on the One Away Show is Melissa Agnes! Melissa is the creator of the Crisis Ready® Model, which is recognized and being taught as a leading industry best practice in the field of crisis management. Recognized globally as an expert, thought leader, and visionary in the field of crisis management, Melissa has worked with global players including NATO, the Pentagon, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others. In this episode, Melissa and Bryan discuss: - The importance of letting ourselves feel our emotions, because burying them hurts our relationships as well as ourselves. - How our past informs and shapes who we become. - Why it is ultimately up to us to determine what happens in our lives. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Links below in the comments.

Melissa Agnes is the creator of the Crisis Ready® Model, which is recognized and being taught as leading industry best practice in the field of crisis management. Recognized globally as an expert, thought leader and visionary in the field of crisis management, Melissa Agnes has worked with global players, including NATO, the Pentagon (DoD), Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, aviation organizations, global non-profits, and many others. In 2020, Melissa founded Crisis Ready Institute, a public benefit corporation dedicated to creating a crisis-resilient world by elevating industry standards; providing training and certification programs to professionals that better protect people, brands, the environment, and the economy in times of crisis. Her book, "Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World", is taught in dozens of universities around the world, including at Harvard University; and is ranked amongst the leading crisis management books of all time by Book Authority; and was named one of the top ten business books of 2018 by Forbes. Read the show notes here: https://arcbound.com/podcasts/ Links: Homepage: Arcbound.com Services/Work with Us: https://arcbound.com/work-with-us/ About: https://arcbound.com/about/ Founders Corner: https://arcbound.com/category/founders-corner/ Connect: https://arcbound.com/connect/

Is there anything more important than the brand of your organization? Building trust in your brand can take a long time to create and an instant to lose. In today's environment, we can reach people very quickly through numerous digital mediums. This can be an incredible advantage, but when things go wrong or appear to have gone wrong, it can be very damaging to our brand. This is a significant challenge 21st Century Leaders face. In this episode, crisis and brand expert Melissa Agnes how to be "Crisis Ready (TM)", how to proactively increase trust in our brand, and how to make it invincible. Interested in the 12 Laws of Leadership Excellence? Go to www.dannylangloss.com and scroll to the bottom of the page to download them. Additional Crisis Ready (TM) Resources: Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World Crisis Ready Issue Management Flowchart Crisis Ready Formula for Detecting Emotional Escalation Crisis Ready Formula for Responding to Emotional Escalation Crisis Ready Formula for Responding to Controversial Issues Connect with Melissa Agnes: Website: https://melissaagnes.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ Are you looking for a keynote speaker for your next event? Check out Danny's presentation, "OwnerShift: 7 Pillars to Unleash the Champions in Your Organization." Connect with Danny Langloss: Website: www.dannylangloss.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannylangloss/

Melissa Agnes, Founder & CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, talks about organizational crisis management. Host: Marie-Line Germain, Ph.D. Mixing: Kelly Minnis

On this episode of The Massimo Show, Rod sits down with Melissa Agnes - Founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, Melissa Agnes is a recognized leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is the creator of the Crisis Ready® Model and author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World. She is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today's leading organizations faced with the greatest risks.    Getting Out of the House and Becoming an Adult Melissa grew up in Montreal, traveled the world when she grew up, but lived in Montreal her whole life until she moved to New York for work. Melissa describes her passions in high school as “ just trying to figure myself out. And I was very passionate about getting out of the house and becoming an adult and leading my own life.” Something I am sure we can all relate to!  With ambition on her side, Melissa soon found herself working as a brand strategist and entrepreneur with a keen eye for what was coming down the pipeline when it comes to the change that technology was bringing to the world, and what that meant for businesses and potential risk.  “So I saw the risk that social media, the real-time news cycle, and the fact that every single consumer had a voice and could raise that voice against brands. I saw the risk. I didn't understand why people, nobody was talking about it at the time.” Melissa explains to Rod.  “And I also saw how if we confront the risk, if we mitigate the risk, all of a sudden, we have this unprecedented opportunity for connection and communication in times of crisis that can do wonders for the organization and its business, its brand value element.”  In Melissa's mind, this was revolutionary - and she was right! - but she wasn't one to jump into something without doing her research. “I started by doing so much homework. Once I kind of had that epiphany, I realized that crisis management was a thing…” Melissa explains.  “And when I realized this, I spent about a year studying everything that I could on the subject, because it just kind of fed the wiring of how I made it really, really resonated with me.”  Melissa continued to get frustrated with the fact that nobody was talking about the way the world is today, not the way that the world was yesterday but her opportunity to prove herself was just around the corner.  “All of a sudden, we had a client, we just launched their website, they became in crisis. They called us because it started on Twitter, and they related Twitter with a website because it was digital and just happened to pick up the phone and call me.” Melissa says.  Within a half an hour Melissa and her team had the clients' investors getting the right information, the media correcting their story, essentially, everything flowing the way that it needed to, even though - - and here's the real kicker - they needed to basically rewire the communication strategy because the investors and their stakeholders weren't even online yet.   A miscommunication that happened online and had the potential to spread like wildfire had been stamped out before any outlet that would reach key decision-makers ever had a chance to be misinformed.  The president of the company called Melissa the next day and said that not only did the stock price of the company not go down from the day before, but it had actually gone up by a cent. That was a direct result of how Melissa and her team managed the incident. “That was my, oh my goodness, I can serve. This is what I'm supposed to do.” Melissa tells Rod.  What does one do when they are young and inexperienced but full of ideas and frustration? They start a blog, of course! “I blogged five days a week for several years, it turned into a blog and podcasts and videos and collaborations and amazing clients and a great career,” Melissa explains.  After years of blogging and practicing crisis management for business, Melissa launched the Crisis Ready Institute to help leaders and their teams develop the skills, capabilities, and confidence to successfully navigate and thrive through challenge and adversity. Melissa describes a crisis as “anything that touches bottom line and reputation” and explains that her passion is communication and understanding emotion. This unique and empathic perspective guides her work in every way.    An Issue vs A Crisis  When it comes to being an independent contractor, solopreneurs, or small business owner, it may seem like you are always in crisis. But Melissa suggests that an issue is not a crisis.  Melissa suggests understanding and defining for your organization what an issue is versus what a crisis is. And then defining the criteria or the thresholds that take an incident from issue level to crisis level.  By having those definitions and those understandings and doing a simple exercise, where you can identify your high-risk scenarios - issue versus crisis - and those thresholds, you've already alleviated a lot of stress that comes with identifying an issue and its scope.  The second step is to better understand or to seek to better understand your stakeholder groups. Because successful business is built on relationships, Crisis Management is about doing right by those relationships when it matters most. It is important to understand who you serve, how you serve them, and what the relationship is, in your business and in your brand.  Consider what their expectations are of you and how a certain specific situation relates to them, and how it impacts them.  What are the questions that they'll have, that if you answer those questions before they come to you with those questions, you can get ahead of the story and own the narrative, and continue to build and foster trust even amidst adversity?  Rod and Melissa spend the rest of the show swapping stories and examples of crisis vs issue, setting up a framework to define a crisis, and how to communicate the difference between a crisis and an issue to your clients and stakeholders. Listen in to hear the rest of this amazing and timely advice! 

How do you define a “crisis” versus just an “issue”?Business continuity depends not only on a well-crafted response plan but also on your ability to determine when that plan should be implemented. In this episode, Melissa Agnes, Founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, joins to discuss the relationship between crisis management and business resilience. With over a decade of experience in crisis management in various industries, Melissa shares the five hindrances to being crisis-ready and the role culture plays in determining your preparedness.

Crisis Ready Institute Founder Melissa Agnes discusses how campuses and schools can prevent harm by being ready for a crisis in advance. ABOUT ZERONOW ZeroNow was formed to drive innovation, best practices, and policy to make our campuses safer. Desensitized is the video series where students interview safety leaders on solutions for safer campuses. As stakeholders in school safety, let's keep the conversation going so we don't become desensitized to safety issues

Joining us this month is Melissa Agnes, Founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute and author of “Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World.” You may also remember Melissa from her keynote presentation at our first Crisis Comms Mastery virtual summit from earlier this year. -- Head over to https://www.agilitypr.com/prprofiles/ for the full show notes -- Join the Crisis Ready Institute in redefining communication best practices: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/communication-culture/ To learn more about the Crisis Ready Institute head over to: https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ Follow the Crisis Ready Institute on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crisis-ready-institute/ Follow the Crisis Ready Institue on Twitter: https://twitter.com/crisisreadyinst Follow Agility PR Solutions on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgilityPRS --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/agility-pr-solutions/message

Melissa Agnes is crisis ready and she's helping leaders and organizations to be ready too. Melissa is the founder of the Crisis Ready Institute. She joins Patrick to discuss understanding the difference between a crisis and an issue, avoiding the 5 crisis-ready hindrances, and doing the right thing by the people you serve. Learn more about Melissa's work at https://www.melissaagnes.com

How can you manage your reputation and protect your brand in an always-on, controversial online landscape?  Building a brand that can withstand shocks and handle crises is more important in these tumultuous times than ever. Instead of putting out fires AFTER they happen, it helps to have a clear strategy to deal with potential curveballs […] The post Build Your Invincible Brand with Melissa Agnes appeared first on erinking.com.

We constantly face adversities. But when adversity turns into a full-blown crisis, are you and your organization prepared and confident enough to face it? Whether they admit it or not, most organizations are not crisis-ready. The generic crisis preparation plan most companies have wouldn't work on the real battlefield. Thus, a clear-cut roadmap to business invincibility with the help of a reputation defender is necessary. In this episode, reputation defender Melissa Agnes is back for the second part of our conversation about crisis readiness. She talks about how she discovered her purpose in educating and holding organizations accountable for crisis readiness. Melissa emphasizes how crucial crisis readiness is in making the world a kinder place. She also shares the lessons from her entrepreneurial journey and how it has shaped her outlook. Tune in to the episode to learn about the impact of crisis readiness in creating a better world from a renowned reputation defender. 3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Learn why crisis readiness is more critical than crisis management. Discover the connection between being crisis-ready and creating a kinder world. Find out why you should self-reflect instead of blaming other people. Resources Connect with Melissa: https://melissaagnes.com/ (Website) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ (LinkedIn) | https://www.facebook.com/melissaagnes/ (Facebook) https://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Ready-Building-Invincible-Uncertain/dp/1684014131 (Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World) by Melissa Agness https://www.simonosamoh.com/who-i-became-podcast/whatitmeanstobecrisisreadypart1 (Episode 20: What It Means To Be Crisis Ready, Part 1 With Melissa Agnes) About Melissa Melissa Agnes is the brains behind the Crisis Ready® Model. She is also the founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute. She is a recognized thought leader in crisis preparedness, brand protection, and reputation management. Furthermore, Melissa is also the author of Crisis Ready, one of Forbes' Top 10 Business Books in 2018. In 2019, she founded the Crisis Ready® Community as a space for professionals to hone their crisis-ready skills. Melissa is a sought-out keynote speaker, commentator, strategic advisor, and reputation defender. Throughout her career, she has worked with several well-known institutions. These include NATO, the Pentagon (DoD), US Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and more. If you want to reach out to Melissa, you can visit her https://melissaagnes.com/ (website), https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ (LinkedIn), https://www.facebook.com/melissaagnes/ (Facebook), and https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ (Instagram). You can also visit Crisis Ready Institute's https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ (website). Enjoyed this Episode? If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends! Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, please leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will inspire them to follow their calling and be crisis-ready. Have any questions? You can connect with me onhttps://www.facebook.com/simonosamoh1 ( Facebook),https://twitter.com/SimonOsamoh ( Twitter), orhttps://www.instagram.com/simonosamoh/ ( Instagram). Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, visit myhttps://www.simonosamoh.com/ ( website) orhttps://mailchi.mp/79a93fb461d9/simonosamoh ( join) the community. You may also tune in onhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-i-became/id1514104061 ( Apple Podcasts) orhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmu-CaQ10DJk7Y1uAfk_f_MJkwt1m2441 ( YouTube).

Part 2 of what it means to be crisis-ready with Melissa Agnes the founder of the Crisis Ready Institute and author of the book Crisis Ready. Now if you haven't listened to part one I highly recommend that you go back to where ever you consume your content and take a listen, it's a short 20-minute conversation as Melissa shares how she looks at Crisis readiness and provides insight on what this means for organizations. Notes and Links Melissa's Book Crisis Ready https://amzn.to/2Upsg1QLearn More About Melissa https://melissaagnes.com/ Simon's Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3et1u08 Who I Became Facebook: https://bit.ly/3eD90pa Who I Became YouTube: https://bit.ly/3elrZo5 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/who-i-became/support

In today's episode, I'm joined by Melissa Agnes who is the founder of the Crisis Ready Institute, and author of the book Crisis Ready which provides you with a roadmap to implementing a crisis-ready culture. Now I think we will all agree that 2020 has been an interesting year and many organizations have found that they were simply not crisis ready when it came to protests, COVID-19, and tension around the presidential election. If you're wondering if you or your organization is crisis ready, then this podcast is for you! This is going to be a two-part conversation, with episode two aired next week. In this episode, Melissa shares what it means to be crisis ready, and part of her personal journey that helped find her calling. Notes and Links Melissa's Book Crisis Ready https://amzn.to/2Upsg1Q Learn More About Melissa https://melissaagnes.com/ Simon's Books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3et1u08 Who I Became Facebook: https://bit.ly/3eD90pa Who I Became YouTube: https://bit.ly/3elrZo5 --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/who-i-became/support

2020 has undoubtedly been one of the most challenging years of our lives. It felt as if the world was gleefully throwing curveball after curveball. Everything that has transpired this year has put many organizations in a difficult position. This is particularly true when it comes to handling crises. Thus, 2020 showed us how crucial crisis readiness is with someone like a reputation defender. Reputation defender Melissa Agnes joins us to talk about what it means to be crisis-ready. She shares the term's coinage and how it has honed their mission at the Crisis Ready Institute. She also imparts the process behind delivering a complex message through a compelling TEDx Talk. Finally, Melissa shares how her personal journey and relationship with her sister helped her find her calling. Discover the Importance of adopting a crisis-ready culture and being a reputation defender! Tune in to the episode to learn more. 3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Find out what it means to be crisis-ready. Learn the most critical aspect that makes up a successful business. Discover the importance of mindfulness and being a reputation defender in crisis readiness. Resources Connect with Melissa: https://melissaagnes.com/ (Website) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ (LinkedIn) | https://www.facebook.com/melissaagnes/ (Facebook) | https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ (Instagram) https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ (Crisis Ready Institute) https://youtu.be/VQGEPEaEWtg (TEDx Talk: The Secret to Successful Crisis Management in the 21st Century - Melissa Agnes) https://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Ready-Building-Invincible-Uncertain/dp/1684014131 (Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World) by Melissa Agnes https://www.simonosamoh.com/who-i-became-podcast/whatitmeanstobecrisisready (Episode 21: What It Means To Be Crisis Ready, Part 2 With Melissa Agnes ) https://www.theviolenceproject.org/ (The Violence Project) https://youtu.be/UyaYMOCt_Ug (TEDx Talk: Violence in the Age of Social Media - James Densley) About Melissa Melissa Agnes is the brains behind the Crisis Ready® Model. She is also the founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute. She is a recognized thought leader in crisis preparedness, brand protection, and reputation management. Furthermore, Melissa is also the author of Crisis Ready, one of Forbes' Top 10 Business Books in 2018. In 2019, she founded the Crisis Ready® Community as a space for professionals to hone their crisis-ready skills. Melissa is a sought-out keynote speaker, commentator, strategic advisor, and reputation defender. Throughout her career, she has worked with several well-known institutions. These include NATO, the Pentagon (DoD), US Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and more. If you want to reach out to Melissa, you can visit her https://melissaagnes.com/ (website), https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissaagnes/ (LinkedIn), https://www.facebook.com/melissaagnes/ (Facebook), and https://www.instagram.com/melissaagnes/ (Instagram). You can also visit Crisis Ready Institute's https://crisisreadyinstitute.com/ (website). Enjoyed this Episode? If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends! Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, please leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will inspire them to follow their calling and be crisis-ready. Have any questions? You can connect with me onhttps://www.facebook.com/simonosamoh1 ( Facebook),https://twitter.com/SimonOsamoh ( Twitter), orhttps://www.instagram.com/simonosamoh/ ( Instagram). Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, visit myhttps://www.simonosamoh.com/ ( website) orhttps://mailchi.mp/79a93fb461d9/simonosamoh ( join) the community. You may also tune in onhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-i-became/id1514104061 ( Apple Podcasts) orhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmu-CaQ10DJk7Y1uAfk_f_MJkwt1m2441 ( YouTube).

-Episode livestreamed Tuesday, August 11, 2020, on Facebook and YouTube.This episode is going to be a targeted discussion on current events that have been in the news in the last week and focus the show on some guests and their stories. We have Melissa Agnes, a recognized leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection that will help us have a conversation regarding our current state of affairs. We also have Emily Robbins who is a modern day empowerment specialist and Curve Model who is passionate about the education of human trafficking and finding self-worth.This episode is going to continue the hard conversation on how to have the uncomfortable conversation regarding politics, pandemics, race, and the differences we all have. We have Curtis Harkness, Aaron Smalls and Kash Lee Kelly for this Tuesday's show. We will give an update on #StreetlightsUnityMovement and #BeTheChange.Today's potential discussion items:-Chicago Shooting and Riots-Self Empowerment-Body image in relation to health and self-worth-Brief touch on human trafficking and Football Season if we have time.The concept about this hour on politics is to create open dialogue. We have made ourselves well versed in politics, with a willingness to research every bit of information that comes my way and separating fact from "media fact," based on exhaustive research and common sense in the English language. This will be an open forum for discussion. The first few have been incredibly productive as we try our best to show every side so that we better know to have a conversation in the end. We are going to share our thoughts, and do our best to answer a couple questions. I'll be keeping this show to one hour (ish) and again, looking to continue this regularly. We will talk about the issues in Atlanta, why it's important to listen to different viewpoints, what this division is causing and why this is so dangerous as a society... the hangings, the elderly woman pushed in the street in NY, we have to maintain civility, and we want to help you with that voice.Here's the "Event" - this starts at 6 pm EDT and will go for about an hour to explain the danger in all the hateful posting going on with political posts. Right now, as a country we are in this together and I want to separate opinion from facts, logic from emotion, and what happens when we start to share our "opinions" as fact. Also, I want to challenge some people on their beliefs that may have been rooted in half-truths. We talked in detail about awareness last week, but didn't talk about important parts of created change this week, including self responsibility from all people.At the end of the day my belief is with the company I started to -- #bethechange you wish to see in the world and the spreading of division and hate going on in a time of turmoil that we as a planet are going through is unacceptable.Don't be a #socialmediawarrior - instead be a #changeagent with an #openmindI want both my liberal and conservative friends alike to join me and I will be coming at this conversation from strictly a point of logic and hope. We are allowed to differ in opinions, but we have to separate emotion from logic. I can also invite people on to the stream to have a discussion live instead of just via comments so please feel free to join me, discuss, debate, argue, whatever. I just want to create an open forum to discuss the concept of truth and how dangerous the spreading of judgement and hate without true information can be. #bethechange.Why is this important to me? I'm a free citizen that has a very open mind and self-educates exhaustively, and it is my right and my wish to do so. Also, with that though process I consider myself a voice of logic and kindness looking to constantly promote positivity despite all the division and hate.Let's learn together. I will do my best to be searching different articles to determine what really is the truth, so we can all learn, including me, but at the end of the day I suggest tolerance, love, kindness over spreading hate and issues.Jump on at 6 pm, as Anthony starts the stream with some basic thoughts and then I'll get to work fielding concepts and thoughts!This time is subject to weekly time shifts based on guest availability. https://www.facebook.com/BeTheChangeUSAhttps://www.youtube.com/c/bethechangeusahttps://www.hashtagbethechange.com/#politics #love #unitedwestand #dividedwefall #stopthehate #logic #emotion #differentlenses #spreadtruth #fakenews #stoplisteningtothemediaasgospel #truthwillsetyoufree #republicans #democrats #GOP #DNC #GeorgeFloyd #SUM #Unity #StreetlightsUnityMovement #WeCan #BreakingtheBarriers #jointheconvo #dontfightunite #regularhero

Founder and CEO of the Crisis Ready Institute, creator of the Crisis Ready Model, and author of "Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World", Melissa Agnes is a recognized 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.As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events.A university guest lecturer, Agnes teaches crisis management in university courses around the world, including at NYU, Columbia and McGill. Her book and Crisis ReadyTM Model are globally recognized as having elevated industry best practice and are currently taught in dozens of higher education courses around the world, including at Harvard University and by Homeland Security.Agnes currently sits on the panel tasked with developing the International Standard for Crisis Management— Guidelines for developing a strategic capability, ISO 22361. She also sits on the Police Professional Standards, Ethics and Image Committee for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); and on the Global Advisory Council for The Institute for Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), an entity established to help world leaders understand, evaluate and strategically prepare for rising global risks.In 2015, Agnes gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. She is also the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, the host of the Invincible Brand Podcast, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, Vox, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others.

It's in times like these that our values and ethical standards are put to the test. COVID-19 emergency and its aftermath will call for empathy, compassion, and generosity. If business leaders don't rise to the occasion, they'll put their companies at risk. In this audio postcard, crisis expert, Melissa Agnes, encourages us to put ourselves in our stakeholders' shoes and ask: how can we serve them to the best of our capabilities?

Thanks for joining us for today’s panel on Communication During Crisis. I have been fortunate to chat with over 150 remarkable people on my Intentional Performers Podcast. These people have overcome adversity, thought deeply about leadership, and have setup intentional lives for themselves to perform at their best. The coronavirus has created challenges for so many throughout the world and it is my hope that these panel discussions will help those in need. While everyone on the panel has tremendous expertise, I also want to note that what we are going through is truly unprecedented and there may be questions that the panelists don’t have the answer to. That’s ok. This isn’t designed to give you the answer to every question you have, instead, it’s designed to have you think deeply about how you can handle this challenging time. Bio’s Below. Melissa Agnes Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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. Website: www.melissaagnes.com Twitter: @melissa_agnes Betsy Butterick At first glance, communications training and basketball coaching may not seem that similar. But as Betsy Butterick knows, each requires the perfect mix of technique, repetition, playfulness, and trust. As a Coach with Own The Room, she loves helping people discover new skills and reach their full potential in a fun and meaningful way. Website: www.betsybutterick.com Twitter: @betsybutterick Daniel Stillman Hey there! I'm Daniel, and I design conversations for a living, to help people work together better.  I wear many hats: teacher, workshop leader, coach, mentor, facilitator, writer and always, a designer. Before getting a Masters in Industrial Design at Pratt in Brooklyn, I got a degree in Physics and did crazy things like manage a secret lab on the roof of the Natural History Museum and lead university research acquisitions outreach for a medical venture fund. Website: www.theconversationfactory.com Twitter: @dastillman  Bram Weinstein Bram Weinstein is the founder of Ampire Media and can be heard weekdays from 3-6 PM EST on "The Bram Weinstein Show" on ESPN 630 DC. As part of his 24 year (and counting) on air career, he spent 7 years at ESPN mainly as an anchor of "Sportscenter" and has appeared on a  variety of programs including "Like it or Not" on Fox 5 in Washington DC, "The Bram Weinstein Show" on The Team 980, as well as analyst roles on NBC Sports Washington.  Website: www.ampiremedia.com Twitter: @RealBramW

Until you address the emotion in a volatile situation with compassion and respect, you will not diffuse a situation and may do more damage raising the intensity to a blistering crescendo. This is the continuing conversation that started a couple of weeks ago with Melissa Agnes. In this episode, we deep dive into one aspect of our response to a crisis, confrontation, and conflict as our brands and key people are bombarded with heavy emotion. Some of what is covered is how to get ahead of high emotional relatability when you can never overcome emotion with pure logic. 1. Validate the emotion.2. Relate to them on that basis.3. Proof and logic to support your position and facts. The tips Melissa gives us will help us protect our brands, but also have more success diffusing situations in our everyday lives. You will want to take notes here. If you missed the first episode with Melissa, Crisis Readiness Equals Freedom, you can listen here > About Susan's guest: Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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. In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand. Order Crisis Ready on Amazon  Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.

Crisis Management Strategist Melissa Agnes Understanding what it takes to be crisis-ready is essential for any organization, but in the hospitality industry, we are especially vulnerable to crisis and must proactively train our teams to be prepared for any and all foreseeable events. In this episode, Susan is joined by crisis management strategist Melissa Agnes.… The post EP #40 – Crisis Readiness for the Hospitality Industry appeared first on Hospitality Academy.

Our guest today is Melissa Agnes. Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection.  Melissa’s area of expertise is something that most of us don’t enjoy thinking about. She works with organizations to explore questions such as: What will happen if things go off the rails and we find our business in a major crisis situation? Are we ready for the worst? Do we have what it takes to handle a crisis in an effective manner? Can our brand and our reputation survive a major crisis? And most importantly: Is there a way to prevent what’s preventable? After a recent crop of scandals—including Uber, Volkswagen, Wells Fargo, and Boeing, just to name a few—companies and boards have started to emphasize shaping a healthy culture as a way to reduce risk. If you and your company want to create an invincible brand, make sure you don’t miss this conversation. Episode Highlights In this interview, Melissa and I discuss: Melissa’s early cultural influences How she found her calling and where she found the strength to pursue it What helped Melissa persists through the most challenging stages of building her business How she defines crisis and the key differences between an issue and a crisis What is crisis readiness and why you can throw your crisis management plan away How to identify your high-risk scenarios What were the first telltale signs of Uber’s culture crisis Examples of a crisis well managed and how to emerge from a crisis stronger than before

When I think of peace of mind in business, it comes from being prepared for the expected, as well as the unexpected. It's not all sparkle ponies, unicorns and laughter. Bad stuff happens. What we do to respond in those moments as leaders and team members can change the course of a company and set into motion a chain reaction of positive outcomes or a Coyote/Roadrunner death spiral into dust. A bit dramatic I know, but I wanted you to have a visual as I introduce you to an expert in crisis readiness, Melissa Agnes. You don't have to put this off. You and your company can immediately take steps to build your crisis readiness. You may have more in place than you think you do. Learn from Melissa Agnes who is the author of Crisis Readiness on Amazon.  About Susan's guest: Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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. In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand. Order Crisis Ready on Amazon  Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.

  Brand invincibility isn’t something that happens instantaneously. It takes a culture that values crisis management on which this month’s guest is an expert. Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. She sits down with host Rhoan Morgan, to discuss how companies can build an invincible brand that can withstand crisis in all forms. Here is the link to the free guide Melissa mentions in this episode: https://melissaagnes.com/crisis-ready-formula-for-responding-to-emotional-relatability/ About Rhoan's guest: Melissa Agnes, Crisis Management Advisor and Keynote Speaker, Agnes Day   Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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.

Brand invincibility isn’t something that happens instantaneously. It takes a culture that values crisis management on which this month’s guest is an expert. Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. She sits down with host Rhoan Morgan, to discuss how companies can build an invincible brand that can withstand crises in all forms.About Our GuestAuthor of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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.

This episode is devoted to avoiding and fixing retail crisis. Learn how to deal with a retail crisis that can change your brand forever on this episode of Tell Me Something Good About Retail.  -----Key LinksMelissa Agnes LinkedIn ProfileCrisis ReadyField Agent: https://www.fieldagent.net/Define an Issue vs a CrisisWill it have a negative impact on your brand? Determine What You’re Most Vulnerable ToYou can’t predict every crisis, but you can catch most of them.  Understand Your StakeholdersThe best way to attack a crisis is at an understanding angle. -----More details at: https://www.retaildoc.com/podcast/312melissa-agnes-on-managing-retail-crisis-in-a-digital-age Signup for our weekly newsletter here https://www.retaildoc.com/newsletter-signup-old Tell Me Something Good About Retail is a product of The Retail Doctor and is produced by Simpler Media Productions.

Add the ASHER Sales Sense skill to your Alexa capable device to play the most recent or choose from a list. Your employees are working hard, your customers are delighted, and all’s well. Or is it? Are you and your management staff just a moment away from a crisis? Are you prepared for what can come at you in the blink of an eye and wipe out the value you’ve worked so hard to build? Or do you have a roadmap to business invincibility? ----more---- This Asher Sales Sense Podcast, “Build Brand Invincibility by Being Crisis Ready” with host Kyla O’Connell features Melissa Agnes, President and Co-Founder of Agnes+Day Inc. and a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them to understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating events. Business leaders and management professionals, especially in companies depending on sales revenue, owe it to their people, customers, and stakeholders to be prepared for emergency action. What does it mean to be crisis ready? Is it a plan or a mindset? What’s the difference between a “crisis” and an “issue?” How can you increase trust, credibility, and goodwill in your brand rather than depreciating from it? Who in the organization is responsible for this? Tune in on December 19th to hear Melissa Agnes, author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World respond to these and other questions. Learn how to protect the organization and brand and you’ve worked so hard to build. About Kyla's Guest: Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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. As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstandeven the most devastating of events. In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. Agnes sits on the Global Advisory Council for The Institute for Strategic Risk Management (ISRM), an entity established to create a global center where practitioners, academics, and policymakers come together to share information and help progress and promote the underlying understanding and capabilities associated with strategic risk and crisis management. She is the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, the host of the Invincible Brand Podcast, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others. ___________________________________________ Asher Sales Sense is hosted by John Asher and Kyla O’Connell of ASHER Strategies which is a program on the Funnel Radio Channel.  ASHER Strategies is the sponsor of ASHER Sales Sense.     

I had the pleasure of having Melissa on my show during a very busy week! She is so talented in this subject as she should be because she has built her business off of this method and it works! A little bit about her: Melissa Agnes is an author, keynote speaker, and strategic advisor to some of the world’s leading brands. She has worked with organizations from NATO to Hilton and just about everything in between. Her book “ Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World ” is taught in higher education courses around the world, including in Harvard University and Homeland Security courses. About Crisis Ready (Melissa’s book): No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready was designed to provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re INVINCIBLE. Crisis Ready is the ultimate roadmap to business invincibility. To find out more, go to here site: https://melissaagnes.com www.slicktalkthepodcast.com

  With the ease in which a negative event can go viral these days, effective crisis management is a valuable skillset that marketing needs. In this session, Melissa Agnes, a globally recognized and leading expert in crisis management, shares some of her experience in working in the field as well as how she helps professors bring crisis management best practices into their classrooms to help their students build and hone this critical skillset. Her immensely popular book, Crisis Ready is available where fine book sold. ----more---- CRISIS READY. Building an INVINCIBLE Brand in an Uncertain World The potential risks in modern-day business are greater, more dynamic, and less predictable than ever before. And yet, the greatest exposure does not lie within these risks. Rather, it lies in having a team that is not prepared to anticipate, foresee, or respond to a rising threat, and its impact on your reputation, revenue, and relationships in real-time. No matter your level of security, due-diligence, or control, the reality is that we live in uncertain times. Organizations are prone to a multitude of risks that can attack from every angle. When your team is crisis ready, your organization is prepared for anything and everything that the modern world can throw at it. In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand. Order Crisis Ready on Amazon  Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.  ___________________________________________ WVU Marketing Communications Today by West Virginia University which is a program on the Funnel Radio Channel.     

Melissa experienced a big pivotal moment twelve years into her marriage, when she realized that she was no longer in love with her husband. She knew there was something off, but did not have clarity initially. Melissa used her skills as a crisis readiness strategist to assess her own relationship. She chose to follow her truth and divorced her husband. Melissa feels that she crisis managed her divorce to a place where they are not romantically linked anymore, but still have respect and admiration for each other. She was able to do it with grace, respect and love. Melissa shares these powerful nuggets of life wisdom: - understand the whys - know your truth - find strength in accepting your truth - we deserve to live our best lives - don't shy away from difficulties - be kind to yourself Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an 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. As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events. In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. Agnes is the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, host of the Invincible Brand Podcast, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others. Agnes's book and Crisis Ready Model continue to be adopted into undergraduate, graduate, and MBA programs around the world, and as a university guest lecturer, Agnes teaches crisis management in university courses around the world, including at NYU and McGill. https://melissaagnes.com/  https://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Ready-Building-Invincible-Uncertain/dp/1684014131/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8  tags:  Melissa, Agnes, crisis, management, strategist, brand, trust, creditability, speaker, advisor, consultant, coach, storiesthatempower.com, stories that empower, empowering stories, empowerment stories, stories of empowerment, stories of empowering others, self empowerment stories, stories empower, inspire, inspiring, inspiration, uplift, uplifting, upliftment, hope, light, Sean  

If your phone rings tomorrow, and you are suddenly confronted with a crisis, are you and your business prepared to handle it? Author of Crisis Ready, @Melissa_Agnes, sits down with us to discuss the role she plays in crisis management and how to build trust and credibility with stakeholders during and after a crisis. Links: https://hydroottawa.com/ https://melissaagnes.com https://twitter.com/melissa_agnes   --- To subscribe using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinkenergy/id1465129405 To subscribe using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7wFz7rdR8Gq3f2WOafjxpl To subscribe on Libsyn: http://thinkenergy.libsyn.com/ --- Subscribe so you don't miss a video https://www.youtube.com/user/hydroottawalimited Check out our cool pics on https://www.instagram.com/hydroottawa More to Learn on https://www.facebook.com/HydroOttawa Keep up with the Tweets at http://twitter.com/hydroottawa #thinkenergy #energysector #crisiscommunications 

With the ease in which a negative event can go viral these days, effective crisis management is a valuable skillset that students need to bring into the workforce with them. In this session, Melissa Agnes, a globally recognized and leading expert in crisis management, shares some of her experience in working in the field as well as how she helps professors bring crisis management best practices into their classrooms to help their students build and hone this critical skillset.  Her immensely popular book, Crisis Ready is available where fine book sold. ----more---- CRISIS READY. Building an INVINCIBLE Brand in an Uncertain World The potential risks in modern-day business are greater, more dynamic, and less predictable than ever before. And yet, the greatest exposure does not lie within these risks. Rather, it lies in having a team that is not prepared to anticipate, foresee, or respond to a rising threat, and its impact on your reputation, revenue, and relationships in real-time. No matter your level of security, due-diligence, or control, the reality is that we live in uncertain times. Organizations are prone to a multitude of risks that can attack from every angle. When your team is crisis ready, your organization is prepared for anything and everything that the modern world can throw at it. In Crisis Ready, Melissa Agnes draws from her remarkable experience in helping global brands, government organizations, and world leaders prevent and overcome a range of real-world, high-impact crises. She uses this experience to provide your organization with a clear roadmap to implementing a crisis ready culture–and thus building an INVINCIBLE brand. Order Crisis Ready on Amazon  Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don’t occur—and even if they do, they’re instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you. Organizations that are crisis ready are more than just resilient. They’re invincible. Crisis Ready is your roadmap to business invincibility.  ___________________________________________ WVU Marketing Communications Today by West Virginia University which is a program on the Funnel Radio Channel.     

Melissa Agnes joins the show today.  Melissa is the author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World. She is also a celebrated keynote speaker, a crisis management strategist, and an expert in mitigating risks in organizations. Melissa shares the key components of proper crisis management.  She also highlights the importance of clear communication, transparency, and honesty in the midst of high-stress situations. From Melissa you can learn the right steps to take that will help you handle a crisis situation.   In this Episode A discussion about honesty and transparency during a crisis. The difference between an issue and a crisis. What customers and clients expect in a crisis. How these same expectations have evolved over the past few years. How to communicate to the public in an effective way after a crisis. Why the press release is dead. A discussion on self-inflicted, individual crises that affect a company's brand and future. Resources Melissa's Website - www.melissaagnes.com Melissa's Crisis Ready Rules Poster - www.melissaagnes.com/crisis-ready-rules-poster To listen to this interview on your phone, visit the B2B Revealed podcast on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast player. As always, we'd love for you to take a minute to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

On today's episode, we are joined by the amazing Melissa Agnes. Melissa has revolutionized exactly HOW a business can truly expect the unexpected, and even more than that, be extremely prepared for it. Melissa has worked in countless industries- NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, governmental agencies, global non-profits and many more. A leading voice in the risk management industry, she has hosted a Tedx talk and appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, and USA Today. Her book Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World highlights “The Crisis Ready Model,” a step by step implementation to create the strong foundation your business needs for ultimate brand protection. In today's episode, we discuss the 5 steps of the model to ensure your business is prepared, no matter how extreme the circumstances. So go ahead and listen to all the knowledge Melissa has to offer! Running time: 41:55 Subscribe on iTunes and leave us a review…we'd love to hear from you. SHOW NOTES: What should businesses know about “The Crisis Ready Model?” (4:40) Understand that mindset is EVERYTHING. It is not something you can create and put on a shelf for emergency use. Your crisis ready plan needs to permeate throughout your entire business, day in and day out. So, what are the steps to actually create this framework? (5:33)  There are five steps to the model: 1. (6:37) Designing an audit. Understanding the culture of your organization is everything. This means thinking about WHO your brand is, its place in the world, and what it stands for. In this case, an audit is a simple conversation- a way to get to know your organization's mindset. Ask yourself the questions: How does your brand view and handle current negative events? How does your brand view itself? 2. (10:52) Understanding variables and impacts. This step is all about education. It requires developing alignment between every individual in your business in understanding the fast paced world that we find ourselves, in which a crisis can develop in seconds. It also involves creating a streamlined plan, getting everyone on board with their role in your business and the accountability required for what will be delivered. 3. (11:58) Identifying high-risk crisis scenarios and stakeholders. This is when the data collection starts happening. It requires you to think deeply about your business and its relation to risk management: What are the high risk scenarios your business is most vulnerable to? Who matters most to your business? Collect the information to tackle the next step based on your answers to these questions. How do you start collecting data? (14:34) Collecting data means starting to understand any possible impacts you can possibly foresee for your business based on any scenario you can think of. Questions to consider: What is a crisis vs. an issue for your organization? Which are most likely to affect your brand? What is a worst case scenario for your business? What are the current strengths and weaknesses within your business currently? What is the difference between an issue and a crisis? (16:34) A crisis is a situation that stops business as usual because it requires full attention in order to combat. It threatens a long-term material impact on one or all of the following: -People -Environment -Business operations -The organization's reputation -The organization's bottom line 4. (24:04) Develop strategy and create a program. Use your now recorded knowledge of your business to create two things: a crisis ready playbook with specific action plans and resources and crisis communication handbooks, which have scenario-specific strategies ready to go. In order to create these, ask yourself these questions

A crisis can happen to any organization. But history judges a company and its leaders on how they respond. This week, I had a chance to speak with Melissa Agnes, a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management and brand protection. We talked about why some companies get it so wrong, the keys to managing a crisis and we chatted about her book: Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World.

There's always more to the story, and police officer body-worn cameras have been revealing the truth more and more frequently. What we're finding, however, is that crisis is inevitable. How we respond to the crisis makes all the difference. In this episode, Jonathan talks about Melissa Agnes' Crisis Ready™ Formula for managing controversial issues, and points out that humility is a key leadership ingredient for building trust and relationships with the community even when the video evidence reveals justified actions.

Welcome to episode #625 of Six Pixels of Separation.  Here it is: Six Pixels of Separation - Episode #625 - Host: Mitch Joel. I've had the pleasure of having countless coffees and breakfasts with Melissa Agnes. This happened long before she has become know as one of the world's brightest thinkers in crisis management and communications. Melissa is the author of Crisis Ready - Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World. Along with being a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection, Melissa is a coveted speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today's leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. She has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others. Melissa is also the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press. If your business crisis ready? Is your brand invincible? Listen in and enjoy the conversation... Running time: 53:01. Hello from beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at iTunes. Please visit and leave comments on the blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on Twitter. Here is my conversation with Melissa Agnes. Crisis Ready - Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World. Crisis Ready Blog. Follow Melissa on Twitter. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'. Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels of Separation - Episode #625 - Host: Mitch Joel. Tags: advertising advertising podcast   brand brand protection business blog business book business conversation business podcast communications crisis communication crisis management crisis preparedness crisis ready crisis ready blog digital marketing digital marketing blog digital marketing podcast disruption forbes innovation invincible brand leadership book leadership podcast management podcast marketing marketing blog marketing podcast melissa agnes mitch joel mitchjoel nato non fiction book podcast reputation management six pixels six pixels group six pixels of separation

Your personal brand is everything to your career. Are you doing the things you need to do to ensure that it's invincible? 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.

Colleen chats with crisis management expert and all around awesome lady Melissa Agnes about gender equality, her experience often being the only woman in the room, and ways gender equality is needed for both sexes.

It's bound to happen at some point. Your superstar PM abruptly resigns. Your firm's rating takes a major downgrade. Or, heaven forbid, a scandal plasters your name across the front page of the industry trades. How will you handle it? Even more importantly, how can you position yourself today for what may come tomorrow? Melissa Agnes is a sought-after international crisis management keynote speaker.  Fluent in English and French, Melissa continues to travel the world speaking to organizations and audiences including NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of Foreign Defense, Ministries of Health, as well as a wide range of private and public companies, universities and nonprofit organizations.  A go-to source for the press, Melissa's recent press coverage includes Forbes, WSJ, VIBE Magazine, USA Today and more. Melissa is also a regular guest on the leading morning radio talk show, CJAD, where she is referred to as “the official crisis manager of the Tommy Schnurmacher show”. Click here to get more information about Melissa Agnes. To inquire about Richard for your next event through Wholesaler Masterminds Speakers Bureau contact us at info@wholesalermasterminds.com Ask us about our Conference Success Plans - We're Helping Distributors Maximize Their Conference ROI

Melissa Agnes shares insights on how to handle a crisis and why social media might not be the best platform to do it. Learn the top questions to ask to handle a crisis. ThinkLikeAJournalist.com See the show notes.