After the shooting of Trayvon Martin in late February, the public was in an uproar as to how the case was being handled. Crisis communications executives with public relations firms from South Florida and across the nation shuddered at the seemingly bungled events that followed, whether by the Sanford (Florida) Police Department or the local district attorney. From TV news shows to social media outlets, the case continues to be watched closely.

For business owners and executives, it offers a valuable lesson in crisis communications management.

After seven weeks, George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch captain who shot Martin, 17, was charged with second degree murder. Yet, from a public relations standpoint, the reputation of the Sanford Police Department suffered. Many believe the department could have done more to avoid the public scrutiny it faces today.

From the beginning, Chief Bill Lee appeared dismissive when asked about the investigation. He could have released statements that focus on what his department was doing to help with the investigation; instead he focused on how there was nothing to rebut Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense.

Then, on March 22, Lee “temporarily” stepped down from his post.

His lack of communication with the media and the public may have potentially lost him his job.

Less than a week later, the department released a statement warning members of the media to “refrain from approaching, phoning or emailing city employees when they are in their roles as private citizens…Law enforcement officials will not hesitate to make an arrest for stalking.” Crisis communication professionals balked. Threatening the media with arrest, except in situations where their presence could cause harm, generally is ill-advised. Sure enough, a day later, Sanford Police issued another statement rescinding the previous statement.

But the Sanford Police Department did manage to do one thing right. When a group of local students demonstrated outside the department, the police made no arrests. Instead of adding fuel to the fire, the police allowed the public to exercise its First Amendment rights. In the end, the students got their message across, and the police department earned some credibility for treating them respectfully.

Much remains to be done before the Trayvon Martin case comes to the close. From this point forward, though, it’s advisable for the Sanford Police Department to be responsive and transparent, to stick to the facts, and never to dismiss the chance to communicate openly and honestly with the media and the public. Such an approach certainly would have saved face for the department, and could well have saved one chief’s job.

Florida’s strong Cuban community is gung-ho for two things quintessentially American — the first, of course, capitalism, and the second, baseball. So when Time Magazine quoted Marlins Manager Ozzie Guillen saying, “I love Fidel Castro” this past weekend, things got a little fishy.

The Cuban community has made their voices loud and clear on this one, demanding that Guillen be fired from his post. The comment is not only insanely offensive, but it comes after the inauguration of the brand new Marlins stadium built in Little Havana this year. Who’s tax money do you think helped get that job done?

Today, Guillen inaugurated a crisis communications plan in attempt to make up for his hurtful words. “This is the biggest mistake of my life,” he said to a press conference. “When you make a mistake this big…I will learn from it.”

But honestly, Guillen is going to do have to do a tad bit better than that to win back the respect of the Latino and South Florida community at large. Suspended for five games, Guillen will have some time away from the ballpark to hopefully enact a smarter plan of action.

Guillen needs to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. He should take pause to truly educate himself on why it was that his words were so painful and ignorant, and share his reflections with the public. In his return on April 17th — ironically, the anniversary of the Bay of Pigs Invasion — hopefully Guillen will address us with wise words on the day. He should look at this coincidental date as a public relations miracle, and correctly preparing for it may be the best way  to recover from the scandal.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal attacks the media for its latest mistake since handing out free content on the Web in the 1990’s. The author makes a clever analogy to professional sports teams writing, “Ask the community to contribute players. For instance, instead of using only highly paid pros on the baseball diamond, try adding a citizen shortstop. And how about enlisting bloggers to serve as coaches?”

This analogy works because unlike your typical law or medical profession where it takes years of schooling and formal training to gain recognition in society, journalists and athletes are judged by their skill level. Does that mean we should let them play the field?

Due to recent newspaper budget cutbacks and confusion among publishers about their role, some newspapers are turning to “citizen journalists” to fill space. The term “coffee shop journalism” has also been coined as quite a few papers are closing their doors and instructing displaced and disgruntled reporters to their local coffee shop to get a sense of what the caffeine-crazed citizen thinks is news worthy…

Locally focused reporting is key to any publications’ success, however the way to achieve this is not to take on unqualified sources, instead these pubs should be hiring more trained journalists and ensuring they have adequate time for reporting. The author ends the article saying, “News organizations can use all the citizens they can get – in the bleachers, not on the field of play.”

To read the full article, click here.

While the partnership has invested and managed dozens of hotels for the past 30 years, this is their first project developed from the ground up. Recently, the Miami Herald took notice of the new Comfort Suites and did a story for the Business Section. Click here to read the entire article.

The holidays created a time for giving. On New Year’s Eve, we reflected on past mistakes and resolved to be better for 2012.

Here at Boardroom, the protocol of the season got us thinking about the protocol of networking. When we network, our objective is simple  — we want something.

But the holidays remind us that relationships, networking ones too, are about a give-and-take exchange. Remembering that spirit of the season, forget about what you can get out of the relationship. Focus on what you have to give.

Here’s a simple tip that can help you revamp your networking strategies, whether on the web or at the next annual New Year’s cocktail party: be interested, not interesting. Yes, keep your business card in tow; but rather than focus on yourself, really listen to the other person.

The best networks are those of mutual benefits where everybody wins. It’s time to tap in! Find out what makes the other person tick. Sincerely inquire on how you can help foster and support their needs.

That’s our New Year’s resolution.

So here’s to making 2012 a time of giving and connecting, whether it be in our networks of co-workers, family or friends.

It’s great to generate good news about our clients!  An outstanding event celebrating pioneering Jewish families was created and launched by the Jewish Federation of Broward County.  It was a ‘mitzvah’ to see great media coverage in the Jewish Journal, describing the event, with great photos and quotes.

When there’s a story worth telling, there’s usually someone who will tell it.    This event was a labor of love for the Federation and the families that have made South Florida their home for more than 50 years.   The Jewish Journal did it justice, providing insight and a understanding of what it was like to be Jewish in South Florida those many years ago.

We’re proud of our clients and the good work they do.  We’re proud to reach out to the media with these stories.

Click on the image to read the story.

Here at Boardroom we know the importance of company morale both on and off – line. We use Facebook to interact with each other, our clients and our network of contacts. We post pictures, links to articles, fun facts and tips. One thing you’ll never catch us doing – talking negatively about each other or our work place. With an intimate group of 14, we interact like a family and have no need to lash out on Facebook or other social networking sites.

In a world consumed by social media and technology, few companies can say the same.

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlights employees who are fighting back after being  fired or disciplined for bad-mouthing their employers on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. In recent months, disgruntled employees have started to recognize their rights and are actively seeking to solve their very modern predicament by using the law that kick-started the U.S. labor movement: the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.

This law protects employee’s freedom of speech when complaining about pay, safety and other working conditions. It does NOT protect against simple gossip and griping. The NLRB, a federal agency that enforces the law and decides whether employees’ complaints have merit, has jumped on board to represent these employees.

Of the 113 complaints the NLRB has received from employees regarding social media issues since May, about half have sufficient merit for them to intervene.  Intervene, yes. Overturn the original decision, not so much. There is no guarantee that the NLRB will be able to save your career, below are a few examples of recent employee’s rants on Facebook and their outcome:

A Frito-Lay warehouse employee was fired after writing on Facebook he was ‘a hair away from setting it off in that b—-,’ apparently referring to the warehouse – the NLRB stated that his language was not protected.

A paramedic was fired after calling her supervisor a ‘scumbag’ on Facebook from her home computer – the NLRB stated that this was protected language because the employee was venting during an online discussion among other employees about supervisory action.

(more…)

What’s worse than being a liar? Falsely – and knowingly – accusing someone else of being one.

Completely unconnected yet intrinsically linked, both Penn State and Syracuse universities are under fire for child molestation charges surrounding athletic coaches.  While the charges against former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky have been hovering publicly over the university for weeks, the allegations against Big Orange’s associate head basketball coach, Bernie Fine, surfaced just Sunday night.

Both universities have done a poor job handling media relations – and both have used possibly the worst public relations move in the books: Accusing the accusers, without a shred of supporting evidence.

When the charges against Fine initially were brought to light, Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim was anything but sympathetic to the three alleged victims who came forward. He called them “liars” in the media and accused them of just being out for the money. Similarly, now-former Penn State University President Graham Spanier implied in his media release that the victims in Sandusky’s case were lying: “I am confident the record will show that these charges are groundless,” he wrote.

Besides being boldly insensitive, it was a big mistake.

In both situations, the price is high for covering-up information and completely disregarding victims’ legitimate allegations. Yet one school is learning from the other’s blunders. While Penn State foot-dragged and cancelled press conferences, Syracuse has been proactive in its crisis communications plan. For that, it should be commended.  In an effort not to repeat the serious lapses of Penn State — and after seeing Spainer lose his job — Syracuse Chancellor Nancy Cantor has taken the right steps to uncover the cover-up.

In a release Sunday night, the school announced upfront and outright, “At the direction of Chancellor Cantor, Bernie Fine’s employment with Syracuse University has been terminated, effective immediately.” No games. No deflections of blame. No cover-ups. And Cantor wants you to know this is under her order.

As a Sports Illustrated column so eloquently explains, “Syracuse is learning a lesson from Penn State, a lesson that every university and major institution needs to learn: When an accusation like this hits you, don’t hit back.  And the best way to protect yourself is not to look like you’re protecting yourself at all.”

And that’s no lie.

Only 72 days after her televised  $10 million dollar fantasy wedding, Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Ryan Seacrest tweeted the news Monday morning, and E! News issued a confirming statement some hours later.

But don’t worry, Kim K will be more than a-okay.

Forbe’s Magazine column, “Kim Kardashian’s Divorce Could Be Good for Business” makes it clear that the divorce won’t just leave the Kardashian brand untarnished, it will even enhance it. With her fame rooted in reality drama (after all she got her start with a sex tape!), you better believe that every media source is doing their best to keep up with this Kardashian.

People tune in for the drama, and Kim will undoubtedly make bank crying all over the sets of E! News, Ellen, and People Magazine.  This media traffic will ultimately drive more viewers back to the show, which will, again, drive more dough back into Kim’s back pocket. Pun intended.

So don’t feel bad for Kim, who ends her marriage with no kids, no mutual assets, and a prenuptial agreement. Forbes estimates that she made $12 million dollars just last year, while her ex-hubby Kris Humphries has made a total of $16 million over his seven-year basketball career.

Kim has no reason to instate a crisis communications plan.  All she needs to worry about is who keeps the $2 million dollar ring and the teacup dog.