We were lucky to catch up with Dave Oates recently and have shared our conversation below.

Dave, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Ten years ago, while I knew others who offered crisis communications as a service, I didn’t believe that enough organizations existed who wanted or needed this service.

Social media and smartphones changed all that. Now, any organization of any size and its executives can find their hard-earned reputation called into question. Anyone and everyone can transform their mobile device into a broadcast system to promulgate accusations with fantastic visuals and great emotion in seconds. Whether a multi-national organization, local “mom-and-pop” shop, or do-gooder non-profit entity, individuals and activist groups can quickly and effectively disrupt operations with one TikTok video or Instagram post.

This came to light for me about six years ago when I started receiving a bunch of requests from a wide array of folks in my network for help in a reputation matter. My network knew of my crisis communications background from my days as a U.S. Navy Public Affairs Officer and other corporate entities. As this grew, I realized that an unmet need existed that I could serve. So, after a few months of soul searching, I retooled my consulting practice and launched PR Security Service. I only regret not doing so a decade ago. I love what I do!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

You name the type of crisis, and I probably worked on something in that arena. In the last three decades, I guided organizations through a litany of situations. These activities included experiences involving major league sports teams, mass shootings, employee and executive misconduct, cybersecurity attacks, product recalls, large-scale layoffs, widespread accidents, criminal investigations and civil litigation matters.

No matter what the incident, I’ll approach each matter the same, sometimes within moments of getting involved, especially if we see the story going viral on social media platforms. I start by answering the fundamentals:

What audiences do you need to address?
What do we need to say to them?
How best can we engage each audience group?
Do we need to wait for inquiries or actively engage them?

From there, I’ll employ the appropriate spokespersons, the best methods to monitor developments, the most efficient processes to update plans, and proven ways to prevent such a Crisis Communications event from occurring again.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

My clients help boost my reputation, and I take pride in that. I work hard to help organizations and individuals achieve the best possible outcomes, even when the story remains bad, with the client clearly to blame for it. In those matters, I persuade the organization and its executive to express empathy and then take action to correct the issue. Audiences will give others a second chance if they feel heard and respected. In many cases, I can show clients how to turn a crisis into a positive one by fixing the matter and then taking steps to keep the communication lines open with employees, customers, partners, donors/investors, and others.

In addition, I always look to support my clients and partners by making introductions to potential deals. I subscribe to the “give to get” strategy, where you look out for the interest of others first. Doing so will show a servant-minded approach to business that generates goodwill and, as importantly, solid referrals. I spend about a third of my month networking and making connections for others. I love this aspect of work almost as much as I love practicing the crisis communications profession.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Don’t hesitate to act if needed. As I mentioned, I wish I converted my service model over to focus exclusively on crisis communications about four years earlier than I did. I saw the value in doing so but hesitated too long. I lost some business because of it and stifled opportunities for myself and others. I now trust myself more to move forward, knowing that I can always adjust as the situation warrants. No “perfect time” exists to launch a new gig. Waiting too long can mean giving up on a dream.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://publicrelationssecurity.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oatescrisispr/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.oates.73/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidoates/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/oatescrisispr
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PublicRelationsSecurity