Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back From Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies

by Edward Segal

How many splashy scandals and crisis situations have befallen companies and public figures in the past week alone? How did the organizations and people at the center of those crises manage the situation? Did they survive with their reputations intact or are they facing an ongoing public nightmare that keeps building on itself in the era of social media?

This new book from veteran public relations expert Edward Segal is based on the following it's not a matter of IF a scandal or crisis will hit, it's WHEN. How a company deals with it will have lasting impact on their reputation, profits, and more. But for most organizations, when a crisis hits, they're caught off guard and ill-prepared. While essential, crisis plans are worthless unless properly executed, as the stories and examples featured throughout Crisis Ready attest. Edward Segal's vivid and memorable accounts underscore the benefits of practicing and updating crisis plans at least once a year. The book also provides a template for creating a customizable crisis management plan.

Crisis Ready is for CEOs, senior staff, corporate communication professionals, HR and legal teams, boards of directors, and front-line employees who need to know what to do in the what levers to pull and what moves to make in real time when faced with a crisis, scandal, or disaster. This book is written with the need for speed in mind. It's concise and practical with a light touch and occasional humor to help people on the front lines prepare for, survive, and bounce back from a crisis. It includes dozens of anecdotes, stories, and lessons about how companies, organizations, and individuals - ranging from Amazon, Apple, and the European Union, to Disney, Starbucks, and entrepreneur Elon Musk - have prepared for, created, managed, and communicated about crisis situations.

Genres: Nonfiction

411 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 11, 2020

About the author

Edward Segal has more than 30 years' experience as a crisis management expert. He managed crisis situations as the CEO of two trade associations; advised and helped organizations survive disasters, scandals, and emergencies, including the arrest and firing of corporate officers; and conducted crisis management and communication training for hundreds of executives and staff. Segal is the former marketing strategies columnist for The Wall Street Journal's StartUpJournal.com and senior media relations consultant for Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. He has provided expert PR advice and counsel to more than 500 corporations and organizations.

Segal is author of the new book "The Crisis Casebook: Lessons in Crisis Management from The World's Leading Brands," as well as the bestselling and award-winning book, "Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies," and "Whistle-Stop Politics: Campaign Trains and The Reporters Who Covered Them." He hosts the Crisis Management Minute on Apple Podcasts and the Federal News Network. The show is rated the #4 crisis management podcast by FeedSpot. Segal is also a Leadership Strategies Senior Contributor for Forbes.com.

Reviews

[Jaakkk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author make this book as a practical guidebook about crisis and how to mitigate any kind of crisis. Edward also integrate this book with some of worksheet that we can use to practice about what we've learnt. At the end, a lot of real crisis from any level are displayed and he also give the critics and suggestion about how every example of crisis should be handled.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a PR professional, I was disappointed in this book. I was so excited to learn from a veteran and build a foundation of knowledge for my own career after handling a few clients' crises. This books feels like crisis 101 - very basic. It feels more rushed or thrown together, a checklist of sorts than helping you build a crisis plan.

I read 5/7 chapters which is only about 1/3 of the book and just couldn't continue. It took my 6 months to get this far I finally decided to stop pushing.

[Fabtasmagoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a PR pro, marketing expert or CEO you need this book.

Crisis Ready provided valuable insight into the world of crisis management, something everyone, not just PR pros need to be prepared for because crises come when you least expect it.

It did read a little bit like a textbook which made it a bit hard to absorb as an actual book, but I do love that it has an index with every which crisis so you can read about the crisis that most closely resembles yours. The key is to prepare BEFORE it happens, but to err is human!

[LimeCream · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eye-opening glimpse into the world of public relations with good advice on how to deal with a crisis.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark Jewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What could be timelier and more appropriate than this? It's a deep dive into a variety of ways you can avoid certain consequences or hamper any further damage. It’s current and forthcoming, which is exactly what anyone in business needs.

[Crna Ovca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mnoštvo korisnih informacija za one koji su novi u oblasti PR-a. Oni iskusniji vjerovatno neće saznati ništa novo. Da li bi i oni trebali pročitati ovu knjigu? Da. Zašto? Zbog mnogobrojnih i nadasve korisnih primjera navedenih u knjizi.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another meaningful school text! I really appreciate all the real life experiences included in this. Easy to read and impactful.

[Darya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very detailed guide on crisis management with plenty of templates and case studies. Crisis management is an event we might not think of in the first place when running a business. I have definitely changed my mind after reading this book. There are many events in business we need to be ready for.

[Amit Verma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very useful. If you become a successful and big institution and you deal with lots of people then, crisis and emergencies will sometimes occur.
And if you don't have plans for it then they can hurt really hard.
Book tells most accepted and best practice guidelines to follow wherever you are on this earth.
It gives lots of case studies and examples to clarify this.
It covers topics like data theft, accidents, employees death, gas leaks, discrimination, racism, natural disasters and many crisis.

And once you read the book you wonder that best practices are the very basic simple ones like accept, acknowledge, be truthful and try to improve over your mistakes.
There is no other way like hiding, manipulation and telling lies.
Recent events and examples makes reading enjoyable and interesting.
A very good book for top management of companies as well as anyone who owns a business.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.