October 2020 began with a surprise.

Today we begin a new weekly column by crisis management expert and professor of leadership and communication Helio Fred Garcia. The column will excerpt passages from his new book on the failed U.S. response to COVID-19 and lessons for leaders: The Trump Contagion: How Incompetence, Dishonesty, and Neglect Led to the Worst-Handled Crisis in American History.

The recent unanimous decision by a New York jury finding Donald Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to influence the 2016 presidential election has laid bare the stark perception gap between the left and the right in the United States.

Amidst this dynamic environment, Media.com empowers communicators to regain control of their reputation, swiftly respond to misinformation, share their stories free from interference, and stay informed about topics of interest.

It is time for the C-suite to build trust and excel at two-way communication, especially compassionate listening.

How global companies are communicating about Israel.

With climate emergencies and damaging weather events on the rise, communicators at every organization must be ready when unexpected moments turn their employees’ and customers’ lives upside down.

Tom Brady's recent endorsement deal with FTX highlights the mixed perception of athlete endorsements among consumers and journalists, with some recognizing the paid spokesperson role while others may take endorsements more seriously.

Many new valuable “not to do” PR lessons will emerge, as they have since the beginning of the various civil and criminal investigations of Mr. Trump began.

How are leaders expected to navigate the fine line between managing differing views and expectations across their employee, customer, and consumer base? How do you ensure you are prepared to mitigate issues so they don’t become crisis?

After years of experience doing crisis management, something I’ve learned is that at its heart is common sense.

President Biden’s cardinal mistake was to use the phrase “no comment” in three of his four replies, a PR 101 “no no” when ducking reporter’s questions on an issue of importance to the country.

We’re talking about former President Donald Trump and his looming indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Only Trump could turn things upside down and want to have a perp walk!

A lot of businesspeople ridicule communication as a low priority, nice-to-have soft skill. It’s likely these same people missed how large a role communication played in the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

It is indeed no blessing to know the future, but it is a gift, particularly in times of crisis, to have a pretty good idea of what is coming next.

Ever since I can remember I have been interested in two subjects –sports and politics. I have been fortunate to spend a large portion of my working days in those two areas.

In May the head of the Food and Drug Administration warned that misinformation has become the leading cause of death in the United States.