A crisis is usually not the real crisis but a symptom of what the real problem. Meredith discusses with Deanna Tiemann the nature of a “crisis” that Deanna had and what the solution was.

Got a table and a piece a of paper? You have everything you need to start a crisis management plan. Frank and Meredith explain how to use table top exercises to create simple, practical crisis management plans for almost no cost - and how they help you find hidden blind spots in your plans.

Meredith explains an epidemic hurting young professionals and undermining their credibility. Learn what it is, why it happens, and how to stop it from happening in your own organization.

People ask us - a lot - if we get lied to a lot. And the answer is YES. ALL the time. But we've learned that most people don't lie for malicious reasons. They lie because they're scared. Truth is the foundation for all correct responses, so most of what we do as crisis managers is try to eliminate fear and the causes of that fear.

When a scandal hits the news, the story you're reading is never the whole story -- and that's not an accident. Information leaks for a reason. Learn how you're missing the rest of the story with this current events case study of celebrity Paula Deen and her business in crisis - and how someone used her (very real and very wrong) racial slurs to distract America from the real crisis.

Learn the five ways people, media outlets, and politicians try to hide bad news and distract you from learning the truth in a crisis. Once you recognize them, you'll be able to solve problems in your life and business faster and more efficiently - and spend less time getting fooled.

Remember that time Benjamin Franklin convinced thousands of people that one of his competitors was dead just to boost sales of Poor Richard's Almanac? Except the guy was very much alive? No? Well... he did. Yup. Some of our founding fathers were kind of jerks. Learn what he did, and how someone may be doing the same thing to you or your business today.

Spin hurts. It undermines your credibility with customers and coworkers. It can lead to unbelievable consequences. In this episode, Frank and Meredith explain how spin can cost your business customers - and cost you worse. Learn the best possible response you can give to build trust when you don't know an answer. Part 3 of 3

You're especially vulnerable to using spin when you feel like you've lost control of a situation or your emotions - and you probably don't even realize you're doing it. Learn what makes you vulnerable to spin, and how to calibrate your own internal B.S. Detector. Part 2 of 3

Spin isn't just for talking heads and politicians - it's anything you say or do to influence another person or control their opinions. Ever given a vague answer to a hard question? Or insisted "everything's fine!" when it definitely WAS NOT fine? Congratulations! You're a spin doctor. And you need to be aware of it - because spin is always a symptom of a crisis. Here are the sneaky ways spin creeps into your daily business life - and how to make it stop so you can build real trust with your customers and coworkers. Part 1 of 3