In light of the destruction caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Daniel Keeney is informing people of the precautions and preventive measures companies can take through the use of crisis communication.
Keeney''s upcoming speaking engagement, a half-day seminar sponsored by the Fort Worth chapter of the public Relations Society of American (PRSA), is scheduled for Wednesday at the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, 777 Main St. in Fort Worth.
"We are going to be focusing on giving organizational communicators, people who are representing corporations, as well as nonprofits and government entities the tools necessary to begin crafting their own individual crisis communications plan," Keeney said.
Keeney, president of DPK Public Relations of Southlake and four-time winner of the Silver Anvil award, the highest honor bestowed by the PRSA, is a 21-year veteran of the communications field.
"We will help businesses identify internally what processes they need to put in place and what tools and tactics they should use to employ in the event that something catastrophic were to happen," Keeney said.
Involved in crisis communication since 1994, Keeney said the title of the seminar, "How to Managed Crises Smarter," is a bit of a misnomer.
"You cannot manage a crisis," Keeney said. "You can seek to recover from a crisis, but the very definition of a crisis is not something you are going to necessarily be able to manage. How you can do it smarter is that you plan well in advance, and you are fully aware of all of your vulnerabilities."
Heather Senter, president of the Fort Worth chapter of the PRSA, said that although the seminar was planned months in advance, the program''s current applicability could not be better.
"I think the timeliness of the topic...and the fact that it is a subject that Daniel Keeney is very well-versed in seemed to come together at the right time," she said.
The seminar is open to the public, and admission is $57 per person for the seminar and $75 per person for the seminar and a luncheon.
Keeney said he hopes attendees learn two things.
"I hope they leave with an understanding that they can weather a terrible situation," Keeney said. "People have the ability to do that, if, as I said, they have planned in advance."
"Number two, I hope that everyone has a general confidence in their skills as a communicator to gather the facts quickly and to communicate to those interested communities in a timely fashion."
Added Senter, "I would hope people get a better preparedness on how to handle a crisis in their own workplace, whether it is big or small."
Visit www.keeneypr.com.