News Radio 850 KOA's Alex Stone turned to Absolutely PR's Maggie Chamberlin Holben for her thoughts on crisis management in light of the ever-unfolding scandal at CU
The Denver Post this week is reporting the estimate for "crisis cleanup" of the CU scandal to now be up to $450,000 (of which, "$100,000 is for a liaison between the president's office and the athletic department, and another $100,000 is for university public relations and media inquiries related to the scandal"). Now more than ever, the situation at CU demonstrates how lack of proactive media relations and skilled crisis communication strategies can be both reputation damaging and costly.
Denver, CO, March 07, 2004 --(PR.com)-- News Radio KOA's Alex Stone interviewed Maggie Chamberlin Holben last month about her "expert viewpoints" concerning crisis PR techniques in light on the ongoing scandal at the University of Colorado that has become a news story of national interest. Stone turned to Holben as a local expert for public relations information and backgrounding.
Holben, who has been an accredited member of the Public Relations Society since 1985 and a member of its Counselors Academy, founded Absolutely Public Relations in Denver in 1999. Her profile is found at the Expert Information For Journalists website (www.expert411.com/_wsn/page2.html).
The verbatim of the interview follows:
"No doubt there is some serious crisis management going on behind the scenes at CU right now. Maggie Chamberlin Holben is president of Absolutely PR in Denver. She's not working for CU, but says this type of damage control can be exhausting," Stone said.
"The first thing, just like they did back with the covered wagons and such, would be to circle them. Meaning circle your management team. And anybody else involved in your organization directly affecting the situation so that you can very rapidly get people speaking with one voice. It could be one spokesperson," Holben explained.
"Maggie says even though attorneys will sometimes frown upon it, as a PR specialist, Maggie tells clients to tell the truth. Even if it's bad, it's probably going to come out at some point," Stone said.
"The truth will set you free. So often you're doing a lot of back peddling because somebody may have either lied, God bless it we wouldn't that to happen, or just plain misspoke in some manner that gets everything confused," Holben said.
"What can companies do to look better in the public eye?" Stone asked.
"Start projecting your best foot forward and your best news items forward, if you have any. As the news business goes, a bad event will always get repeated - even up to five, ten years. You can be doing good deeds for all that period of time and then that two of three paragraphs that repeats the incident or the beleagured/whatever organization, kind of haunts you," Holben replied.
"Maggie says she tells her clients to get an open and friendly PR staff as well. Closed and angry PR people: 1) can make the media angry and 2) makes it look like the company or organization is trying to hide something," Stone concluded.
Holben has more than 25 years of public relations consulting experience. She has taught both advertising and public relations on the university level.
Absolutely PR most recently announced a new client relationship with Light Force Therapy in Elizabeth, CO. Other consulting clients include: Baxa Corporation, Englewood; Adventures in Color Technology, Golden; and Holben Building Corporation, Denver. Awareness Package clients include: Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Vancouver; C I Host, Dallas; Dr. George Cassidy, Denver; and Dr. Martha Lucas, Denver. She has also worked with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation (now called Tetra Tech FW, Inc). and Arcadis, Inc., through Lakewood's Consensus Communications; McKinley Marketing Partners, InfoNow Corporation, ICG Communications, Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group, LLC; Early Music Colorado; the Joint Initiatives Sign Blind System since starting her company here five years ago.
In May 2003, Holben was interviewed by NBC-affiliate/9News in Denver for PR perspective concerning media interest following Aron Ralston's climbing accident that resulted in self-amputation in the wilderness.
For more information, go to www.absolutelypr.com. Or, call Maggie Holben at 303-984-9801. Her e-mail address is maggie@absolutelypr.com
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Holben, who has been an accredited member of the Public Relations Society since 1985 and a member of its Counselors Academy, founded Absolutely Public Relations in Denver in 1999. Her profile is found at the Expert Information For Journalists website (www.expert411.com/_wsn/page2.html).
The verbatim of the interview follows:
"No doubt there is some serious crisis management going on behind the scenes at CU right now. Maggie Chamberlin Holben is president of Absolutely PR in Denver. She's not working for CU, but says this type of damage control can be exhausting," Stone said.
"The first thing, just like they did back with the covered wagons and such, would be to circle them. Meaning circle your management team. And anybody else involved in your organization directly affecting the situation so that you can very rapidly get people speaking with one voice. It could be one spokesperson," Holben explained.
"Maggie says even though attorneys will sometimes frown upon it, as a PR specialist, Maggie tells clients to tell the truth. Even if it's bad, it's probably going to come out at some point," Stone said.
"The truth will set you free. So often you're doing a lot of back peddling because somebody may have either lied, God bless it we wouldn't that to happen, or just plain misspoke in some manner that gets everything confused," Holben said.
"What can companies do to look better in the public eye?" Stone asked.
"Start projecting your best foot forward and your best news items forward, if you have any. As the news business goes, a bad event will always get repeated - even up to five, ten years. You can be doing good deeds for all that period of time and then that two of three paragraphs that repeats the incident or the beleagured/whatever organization, kind of haunts you," Holben replied.
"Maggie says she tells her clients to get an open and friendly PR staff as well. Closed and angry PR people: 1) can make the media angry and 2) makes it look like the company or organization is trying to hide something," Stone concluded.
Holben has more than 25 years of public relations consulting experience. She has taught both advertising and public relations on the university level.
Absolutely PR most recently announced a new client relationship with Light Force Therapy in Elizabeth, CO. Other consulting clients include: Baxa Corporation, Englewood; Adventures in Color Technology, Golden; and Holben Building Corporation, Denver. Awareness Package clients include: Gabriel Mark Hasselbach, Vancouver; C I Host, Dallas; Dr. George Cassidy, Denver; and Dr. Martha Lucas, Denver. She has also worked with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation (now called Tetra Tech FW, Inc). and Arcadis, Inc., through Lakewood's Consensus Communications; McKinley Marketing Partners, InfoNow Corporation, ICG Communications, Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group, LLC; Early Music Colorado; the Joint Initiatives Sign Blind System since starting her company here five years ago.
In May 2003, Holben was interviewed by NBC-affiliate/9News in Denver for PR perspective concerning media interest following Aron Ralston's climbing accident that resulted in self-amputation in the wilderness.
For more information, go to www.absolutelypr.com. Or, call Maggie Holben at 303-984-9801. Her e-mail address is maggie@absolutelypr.com
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