Crisis Communication Strategies

How to Prepare in Advance, Respond Effectively and Recover in Full

Amanda Coleman

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781789662900
• eBook ISBN: 9781789662917
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Communication
• Index: Business

Crisis communication is high stakes work. For communications managers and PR professionals, it's likely to be the most stressful time of their working life. Crisis Communication Strategies is a must-have handbook which covers the whole span of the crisis from preparing and laying the groundwork before it occurs, during the incident, and the aftermath, including the move to recovery. It guides readers through each phase, providing details of what to consider, what should be done, and tips and checklists for improved responses. Crisis Communication Strategies equips readers to deal with any kind of crisis - whether caused by internal error, customer action, natural disasters, terrorism or political upheaval. Supported by case studies and examples from responses to events including the 2011 Norway terror attacks, the 2018 British Airways data breach, the 2017 Pepsi advert and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina New Orleans floods, the book explores the role of leadership in a crisis and developing a crisis communication response that has people at the heart of it. Crisis Communication Strategies is the essential guide for PR and communication professionals to protecting your company and building true, long-term resilience.

Index

NB: page numbers in italic indicate figures or tables

affected people 57, 68, 123–41, 154, 184

affected people lead 11

communication with 71–72, 134–39

attentiveness 138–39

continuity of 138

focus on victim 137, 146

honesty 137

independence 138

openness 136–37

supportiveness 137–38

trigger points 139

emergency services approach, the 61–62, 64

‘gagging’ victims 135

gaps in support, addressing 140

human impact, of a crisis 29, 56–57, 104

move to recovery 62, 168, 180

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) 148–49, 163

recognizing the signs 149

sensitivity to, in recovery 156–57, 163–64

victim support role 133–34

‘victim’, use of term 132

Victims Commissioner 139

visibility of the CEO 105, 107

see also employees, communicating with; stakeholder management; wellbeing, organizational

Alton Towers 104, 179–80, 185, 186

apologies, issuing 174

Ardern, Jacinta 104, 120–21

Barcelona Principles 94

bias, avoiding 18

Black Lives Matter movement 72

Boxing Day tsunami, 2004 28, 29

BP 115, 171, 186

Breivik, Anders 21–22

British Airways (BA) 23–24

Bush, George W 119, 120

case studies

Alton Towers 104, 179–80, 185, 186

British Airways (BA) 23–24

Dunblane 161–62

HMV 31

Hurricane Katrina 119

KFC 142–44

London Bridge terror attack, 2017 31

New Zealand terror attack, 2019 104, 120–21

Norway attacks, 2011 2, 21–22

Oxfam 73, 74, 106

Pepsi 28, 72–73, 74

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) 144

Starbucks 96–97

TalkTalk 45–46

United Airlines 33–35

CEO, role of the 2, 35, 121–22

accountability 101, 107–08

authenticity 110, 111, 190

communication skills 108, 110–11

compassion 104

consistency 103

crisis communication plan, role in developing 19

decision to leave 116–17

decisiveness 103–04

duty of care 86

empathy 116

ethics 105–06

expectation management 108–09

first hours checklist 117–18

future activities c...

Table of contents

• Praise for Crisis Communication Strategies
• Title Page
• Contents
• About the author
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 01 Are you ready for a crisis? Creating and testing a crisis communication plan
• 02 Recognizing a crisis: What it is and how to spot it
• 03 The operational response: The approaches and how they relate to communications
• 04 Remembering the people: How employees should come first
• 05 It’s tough at the top: The role of leadership in a crisis
• 06 The impact on the community: Managing the consequences
• 07 It’s OK to not be OK: Ensuring support is in place
• 08 Stepping on the road to recovery
• 09 So, what happens next?
• Index