Improve Your Presentation Skills: Crisis Communication in Emergency Situations

Crisis communication is a vital part of not only our presentation skills, but of our leadership skills as well. A crisis situation creates uncertainty, leading in some cases to panic. So you need a crisis communications plan to deal with anyone who will be concerned if your group has a major problem, and those problems can range from an unexpected drop in stock prices to a bad production run, product recall, environmental spill, legal problem, critical accident, bankruptcy or natural disaster.

While each of these emergencies benefit from unique handling, the idea in this article is to give you some general approaches which will help you to develop and improve your presentation skills for a crisis situation.

Essential Elements

First and foremost, your role is to reassure your immediate listeners and others who may be significantly affected by the emergency. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Get the word out as quickly as you can to as many affected people as you can.

That means that for at least one person, this has to be top priority when disaster strikes. It is useful to have a backup person somewhere else or with another organization if there is a small staff on the scene.

The Air France crash in Toronto is an example of where this could have been useful. The entire local staff went out to help rescue passengers, but it meant that people waiting to greet people who were on the plane had no one to turn to for information or reassurance. Despite the positive outcome of the situation, the company received a strong negative reaction for the lack of a spokesperson.

Most crisis situations are fraught with a lack of information, or worse, a mix of real and disinformation. So when we say “Get the word out,” don’t jump into the latest rumour you have heard.

Even though your listeners may be frantic for facts, they still appreciate you telling them what you are doing to find those facts if you don’t yet have them. “We are looking into it” is more likely to incense than reassure. Tell them, “Our hydraulics engineer is testing the pressure to determine a safe level,” or “The vice-president will meet with all managers and union leaders on October 1 to determine a back-to-work strategy.” Now they have something to sink their teeth into.

Be empathetic.

This is truly the time to “walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins.” Whether it’s a random case of product-induced illness or a full-scale natural disaster, people are fearful. They are often exhausted, uncomfortable and angry.

Use a lot of inclusive language (we, us, our). Indicate that you are aware of their collective uncertainty, discomfort or loss, and that your primary intent (along with that of your organization) is to ease their concern as much as you can and as soon as you can.

As part of the overall corporate, association, governmental or political risk management plan, select the people who can best convey reassurance and empathy. Is that you?

If you have nothing else to offer, provide basic human compassion.

Patience, at this time, is truly a virtue.

Give your statement and then allow people to ask questions, even if you have already answered what they ask or are not able to supply the answer they need.

Unless the resolution of the crisis is something your organization can control and knows exactly how to do it, don’t outline specifics of what you plan to do. Simply indicate time frames for steps to resolve it.

Be flexible.

Every situation is unique. An experienced presenter, you know that each audience member deserves a tailored approach. This is especially true in crisis situations.

Plan ahead.

Even if your organization has no formal crisis communications plan, take a look at the possible situations which would call on you to reassure people, then plan ahead.

Improve your presentation skills and your ability to cope with unexpected situations by following our tips for crisis communication. Such situations give you the opportunity to either cause outrage or to display your formidable leadership and presentation skills. Choose the latter options, and with a solid crisis communications plan, your team should be able to handle any situation.

Fathers Day Presents – Intel Wireless Gamepad

Brief Description Of This Gamepad Accessory

The Intel Wireless Gamepad is great for your gaming needs and will make a great Father’s Day gift for your dad if he loves playing games on the computer.

However, before you get this gamepad, do take note that it requires the 900 MHz Intel Wireless Series Base Station in order for this gamepad to work and it is sold separately. So, you may want to also get that (you can get it on Amazon.com as well) for your dad too if he does not have one.

The Intel Wireless Gamepad features a unique design that is sleek and is able to fit nicely in your handing allowing your dad to play games comfortably for long periods. It has an excellent range of 9 foot and still works even if there is no direct line of sight to the base station.

On the gamepad are 8 buttons, 2 triggers, 1 shift button, as well as a Dpad that is very sensitive. Your dad can even customize the gamepad by assigning the control buttons with up to 28 moves or profiles.

Customers’ Critiques About This Intel Wireless Series Gamepad Accessory

In terms of customers’ satisfaction toward this Intel Wireless Series Gamepad Accessory, a majority of them are pretty satisfied with their purchase (the product has received an overall of 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com).

Some of the positive feedback as reported by the customers include the fact that they are very delighted to find out that the range of this Intel Wireless Gamepad is much more than advertised (which is 3 yards). And when it comes to the installation of this gamepad, many have said that it was a breeze due to the fact that the installation guides were extremely helpful.

Many of the customers have also added that this Intel Wireless Gamepad was also very nice to hold, and very functional as well (in that the response rate was fantastic).

The only downside about this product, as reported by some of the customers, is that the button to enable the mouse feature was probably placed a bad spot – As they sometimes will press it accidentally during a game, which makes it turn into a mouse cursor.

Our Final Verdict

In conclusion, after taking a look at this Intel Wireless Gamepad for ourselves, as well as taking into considering the customers’ feedback about it, we feel that, especially if your dad is an avid gamer, then this gamepad will probably be one of the most perfect Father’s day present you can get for him.

What’s nice about this gamepad is that it not only functions as a gamepad, but it can also be used as a mouse with a computer and surf the net with it.

Therefore, surprise your game-loving dad by getting him the Intel Wireless Gamepad for your dad this Father’s Day. He’ll love you for it!

Are You Presentable From All Sides? The Art Of Building A Trade Show Display In The Round

You’re used to analyzing your trade show display from the front. You can hide many things in back, like a disorganized pile of literature or a staff schedule. Yet this kind of design makes a very important assumption: that you’ll be able to put it against a wall and that three of the four sides will be enclosed. While space allotment often works out such that those conditions apply, there are many venues where the design permits, or even favors, trade show displays that can be viewed from any angle.

A Trade Show Exhibit Inspired By Theatre In The Round

For many years, some of the most artistic and innovative theatre companies have been putting on performances in the round. In the round means that there is no ‘back’ to the stage; your audience is all around, so you have to be certain that you’re always presenting an appealing visual from every side of the stage. This becomes even more complicated because the design must be a good setting for the telling of a story.

Remembering the roots of the total visibility trade show exhibit often helps first-time designers with their initial conceptualization. Your information is like the plot of the play, unfolding against the backdrop of your trade show displays. When you have the unit out in the open, the stakes of good display practice are higher, but there’s a lot more potential reward as well. Like the set designer for a major production, you must always remember that you’re promoting a product or the unit itself can take over.

Square Or Round Trade Show Display?

The first choice you will make will be to decide what shape you’d like the unit to take. Theoretically (and budget permitting), you could make it any shape you desire. Some of the companies with the largest budgets will create highly personalized shapes that further represent their company or offer particular advantage for showcasing their products. While this might be a good option for your next trade show display, your first exhibit in the round can be a bit more simplistic. Simply decide whether you’d like the strength and hardness of a squared-off unit, or the curved form of a circular version. Like with so many other questions, there isn’t a wrong answer; it’s simply a matter of which you feel best suits your company.

Remember That Your Trade Show Exhibits Have No Back

Whenever you design one object for an exhibit, you need to plan what will be put in back of it. When you have true total visibility, people will literally see things from every angle. If you’ve chosen to put a sign high above your exhibit, you need to think about how you’ll hide the supports so people passing on the other side can read it as well. In some cases, adjusting for this is as simple as creating a mirror image of the front on the backside. In other cases, it can be much more difficult. One way or the other, the key to success here is to simply plan out all sides of the unit and its components.

Creating a cohesive and visually dynamic freestanding display is an art that takes time and practice to master. Once you have some experience under your belt, you’ll have a substantial advantage because this type of unit looks like no other. Many companies and visitors consider it to be the pinnacle of modern trade show displays. Your first attempt might not win any awards, but with additional experience you’ll be able to create even more outstanding designs that will impress visitors at every angle.