Reviewer: Megan Carroll
Masters of Disaster: The Ten Commandments of Damage Control was written by people who manned the frontlines of scandal patrol for more than 20 years. They helped lead the team who represented Bill Clinton as well as other White House scandals. Since leaving DC in 2000, they created a crisis communication firm, Fabiani & Lehane, which has represented Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, elected officials, celebrities and athletes.
The book is broken down into three sections: “crisis as a state of nature,” “the principles of survival” and “the 10 commandments of damage control.” It begins by defining a crisis as something that is putting you or your organization’s trust at risk with your shareholders, consumers, employees, etc. It also states that a crisis is not an issue of “if but when” and the best way to handle a crisis is to be prepared. Before introducing the 10 Commandments of Damage Control, the book emphasizes three principles for damage control that must be applied with each commandment: do no harm, take a disciplined approach and preserve your credibility.
The 10 Commandments of Damage Control are:
1. Full Disclosure—since everything will come out, it is important that all the information comes from your organization spokesperson and not other sources
2. Speak to Your Core Audience—this will allow to present information they want to receive, while avoiding unwanted information that could do more harm than good
3. Don’t Feed the Fire—don’t allow the pressure of the situation to take actions that increase harm
4. Details Matter—knowing the details can be the difference between losing or gaining control of the story
5. Hold Your Head High—don’t be embarrassed by the negative information
6. Be Straight about What You Know, What You Don’t Know, and What You Are Going to Do to Fix the Problem—provide only accurate information and avoid speculation
7. Respond with Overwhelming Force—stick to one message to avoid confusion
8. First In, First Out—limit your time in the spotlight
9. No Swiftboating—reveal the unclean hands of a self-interested person or entity responsible for exposing a story
10. They Dissemble, You Destroy—fight back against opposition to create a favorable compare-and-contract dynamic and strengthen your own credibility
This book would be a great read for a crisis communication class. It presents principles and commandments to apply to your organization’s crisis plan and preparation. The details in the book provide practical, straightforward applications of these rules and would be a great additional resource for students learning about how to handle crises.
Megan Carroll
Masters of Disaster: The Ten Commandments of Damage Control was written by people who manned the frontlines of scandal patrol for more than 20 years. They helped lead the team who represented Bill Clinton as well as other White House scandals. Since leaving DC in 2000, they created a crisis communication firm, Fabiani & Lehane, which has represented Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, elected officials, celebrities and athletes.
The book is broken down into three sections: “crisis as a state of nature,” “the principles of survival” and “the 10 commandments of damage control.” It begins by defining a crisis as something that is putting you or your organization’s trust at risk with your shareholders, consumers, employees, etc. It also states that a crisis is not an issue of “if but when” and the best way to handle a crisis is to be prepared. Before introducing the 10 Commandments of Damage Control, the book emphasizes three principles for damage control that must be applied with each commandment: do no harm, take a disciplined approach and preserve your credibility.
The 10 Commandments of Damage Control are:
1. Full Disclosure—since everything will come out, it is important that all the information comes from your organization spokesperson and not other sources
2. Speak to Your Core Audience—this will allow to present information they want to receive, while avoiding unwanted information that could do more harm than good
3. Don’t Feed the Fire—don’t allow the pressure of the situation to take actions that increase harm
4. Details Matter—knowing the details can be the difference between losing or gaining control of the story
5. Hold Your Head High—don’t be embarrassed by the negative information
6. Be Straight about What You Know, What You Don’t Know, and What You Are Going to Do to Fix the Problem—provide only accurate information and avoid speculation
7. Respond with Overwhelming Force—stick to one message to avoid confusion
8. First In, First Out—limit your time in the spotlight
9. No Swiftboating—reveal the unclean hands of a self-interested person or entity responsible for exposing a story
10. They Dissemble, You Destroy—fight back against opposition to create a favorable compare-and-contract dynamic and strengthen your own credibility
This book would be a great read for a crisis communication class. It presents principles and commandments to apply to your organization’s crisis plan and preparation. The details in the book provide practical, straightforward applications of these rules and would be a great additional resource for students learning about how to handle crises.
Megan Carroll