Gerard Braud

Gerard Braud, CSP, Fellow IEC (Institute of Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication), is an international crisis communications expert, coach, trainer, author and professional speaker who has worked with organizations on five continents. Braud is recognized for his expertise in crisis communications and media relations.

Braud has been active in the communications field since 1979. For 15 years, he worked in print, radio and television as a frontline journalist, covering a wide range of disasters. His affiliate reports have appeared globally on NBC, CBS, CNN and BBC.

Since 1994, Braud has specialized in helping organizations improve their communication strategies through media training, crisis communications planning and employee-manager training. He is known for developing crisis communication plans, conducting crisis drills and delivering media training programs for clients in industries such as energy, healthcare, education, finance and government.

Braud was commissioned to write the crisis communication plan for the Internal Revenue Service and its 800 offices across the United States. His plans are also used by the Library of Congress, the U.S. Army Missile Defense Command, various city, state and county governments, international corporations, national retailers, global nonprofits, hospitals and educational institutions. Braud frequently serves as a keynote speaker and breakout session leader at conferences focused on business continuity, emergency management and public relations.

Braud has addressed crisis preparedness through case studies, including his award-winning reports, “When the Big One Hits,” which predicted catastrophic destruction in New Orleans years before Hurricane Katrina. He also warned about insufficient crisis communications plans at universities prior to the Virginia Tech shootings. These examples are used in his presentations to help leaders communicate effectively during critical incidents.

Braud holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Louisiana Tech University. He has earned the Certified Speaking Professional designation from the National Speakers Association and is a Fellow of Environmental Communications from the Institute of Environmental Communications at Loyola University New Orleans, where he serves as adjunct faculty. In addition to consulting and training, Braud writes and comments on crisis communication best practices and is regularly engaged by organizations seeking to enhance their crisis readiness and reputation management.