Course : Crisis Communication (1512CC15)

elearning.lspr.edu
Master of Arts in Communication : Corporate Communication Studies

LSPR eLearning Program

Session Topic : Summary of Week 1-14

Course: Crisis Communication

By Syafiq B. Assegaff, MA, MD, CBM, IAPR

Content

Part 1

Crisis Management

Part 2

Nature of Crises

Part 3

Crisis Communication Plan & Crisis Makers

Part 4

Media & Social Media

Part 5

Other Important Notes

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S.3

Part1: Crisis Management

Crisis: Crisis Management

Crisis Management
Defn:
The preparation & application of strategies &
tactics that can prevent or modify the impact of major
events on the company or organization.
Crisis Management begins with the answers to 2 important
questions:
1. What is a crisis ?
2. When did the crisis start ?

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S.5

Crisis: Impact

a. Crisis Management,
crosses all organizational boundaries to have an impact on
every stakeholder, either
1) as direct result of the problem, or as
2) a potential supporter of the solution.
b. Think:
Strikes or plant closings.
Product defect

investor, local car dealers.

stock price, brand equity.

c. Remember: A crisis affects people first, then organizations.

d.
employees, customers, & shareholders are,
the early losers in a crisis,
especially one that is out of control.
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S.6

Crisis: Trends that Impact Crisis Management

1. Changes in corporate & community climates:

Many corporations now emphasize the importance of quality, ethics &
respect for employees.
Communities look beyond economics at the environment, crime, & child care.
2.

Evolution of the approach to handling a crisis:

Decades a go (1960s) the approach merely towards legal formal,
these days companies see crisis as potential marketing issue,
with long impacts, & not just a separated issue.

3. Trials by media:
lawyers, for instance, using media to prepare the jury:
use the press to tell the story & nurture public opinion. (e.g. Malpractice
cases).
4. Sue the media:
The alleged one will sue back.

5. Give something back:

Such as dinner coupons,
free lunch for apology.
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S.7

Crisis: 3 Sequential Objectives

Crisis Management has 3 sequential

objectives
1. To prevent a crisis when possible.

2. If a crisis should occur

Modify the negative effect on
the company or its products.
3. Through its behavior is,
to provide a platform for
the companys future.

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S.8

Crisis: The Key is Planning

Q: What is the key to Crisis Management ?

A: PLANNING
knowing what can happen to you or your industry, &
what can you do about it.
Most crisis,
can be anticipated & preparations can be made,
even though the timing & magnitude remain in doubt.
The stated objective,
must be to prevent the crisis, although,
in most cases, what happens is out of the companys hands.
But, all crisis can be at least partially anticipated.

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S.9

Crisis Types: Attribution of Crisis Responsibility

Crisis Types by,

Attribution of Crisis Responsibility as described by Coombs.
What does a crisis look like to your

a. Victim Crises: Minimal Crisis Responsibility.

b. Natural disasters: acts of nature such as tornadoes or earthquakes.
c. Rumors: false & damaging information being circulated about you
organization.
d. Workplace violence: attack by former or current employee on current
employees on-site.
e. Product Tampering/Malevolence: external agent causes damage to
the organization.
f. Accident Crises: Low Crisis Responsibility.
g. Challenges: stakeholder claim that the organization is operating in
an inappropriate manner.
h. Technical-error accidents: equipment or technology failure that cause
an industrial accident.
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S.10

Crisis Types: Attribution of Crisis Responsibility (Cont.)

i.

Technical-error product harm: equipment or

technology failure that cause a product to
be defective or potentially harmful.
j. Preventable Crises: Strong Crisis
Responsibility.
k. Human-error accidents: industrial accident
caused by human error.
l. Human-error product harm: product is
defective or potentially harmful because
of human error.
m. Organizational misdeed: management
actions that put stakeholders at risk
and/or violate the law.

W. Timothy Coombs Ph.D

Professor AdvertisingPublic Relations, Univ. of
Central Florida

Source: Coombs (2014) Crisis Management & Communications.

Web: instituteforpr.org.
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S.11

Crisis: Strains During a Crisis

a. In crisis,
much fewer vital resources
(reputation, leadership, integrity
as well as customer and
employee loyalty)
than previously believed.
b. During a crisis, all of these factors
are put under enormous strain.
c. Thus the survival of an
organizations reputation during a
crisis depends on:
1. Its internal culture,
2. Strength of its communications
&
3. Integrity of its leadership.
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d. So before we can examine,

how to measure the
effectiveness of communications
in a crisis,
we need to set down some
basic foundations for what
constitutes crisis communications.
e. Of course, the best type of,
crisis communications is that
which
avoids the crisis all together.

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S.12

Crisis: The Differences

1. Issue
A topic of discussion, a matter in
dispute or
a sensitive subject within an
organization, industry or society
2. Accident
An unexpected & undesirable
event,
usually one resulting in damage
or injury

4. Crisis
A critical or decisive point at
which an organizations response
to an issue,
accident or emergency threatens
the reputation &/or future
standing of the organization
5. Goal
Prevent issues, accidents &
emergencies from becoming
crises

3. Emergency
A serious situation or unexpected
occurrence that
demands immediate action &
communication
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S.13

Crisis: Tactical Approach

A Tactical Approach The Crisis Plan

1. Start with an Approach.
2. Build a Strong Reputation.
3. Create a Crisis Team
who will be in it ?
4. Establish a Crisis Center
what needs to be inside ?
5. The Network Alert System.
6. Prepare Materials in Advance.

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S.14

Crisis: Tactical Approach (Cont.)

Process of MBO focuses on desired results (NOT activities):

1. RACE: Research, Action (or Adoption), Communication,
Evaluation.
2. ROPE: Research, Objectives, Program, Evaluation.
In as crisis,
an organization is frequently forced to perform the third step,
which is:
a. Communication (in RACE) or
b. Program (in ROPE);
Without having gone through the other steps.

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S.15

Crisis: What is it ?

Q: What is crisis communication ?

A:
1. Crisis by definition presents a great
deal of uncertainty & immediacy.
2. You, the PR professional,
may not make the decision of when to
take action, outside forces demand it.
3. You cant tell the media or other key
publics,
We are doing our objectives now, we
will call you back.
4. There are,
other outside influences affecting what is
& is not done,
even if there is a pre-crisis plan.
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Kathleen Fearn-Banks
Associate professor at
School of Communications,
Univ. of Washington.

S.16

Crisis: What is it ? (Cont.)

5. The research data changes constantly.

New research or findings done by outsiders can come crashing
down on you.
Issues & adversaries (that you may not have never expected) may
appear.
6. Strategies & tactics may change from day to day, or even hour to
hour.
7. You hope that a day will come when you can evaluate your plan,
it may not.
Therefore: a study of organizations in crisis cannot be a simple matter of
describing the steps in,
a. RACE or
b. ROPE.
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S.17

Part2: Nature of Crises

Nature of Crisis: Management & Communications

Nature of Crisis
1. Interrupts normal business transactions.
2. Sometimes threatens the existence of the organization.
Crisis Management

Crisis Communications

What is the
difference ?

Source: Fearn-Banks (1996)

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S.19

Nature of Crisis: Management & Communications (Cont.)

Communication between
organization & public during:

Crisis Management

includes

Crisis
Communication

Effective Crisis Management includes Crisis

Communications,
that not only can alleviate or eliminate the
crisis,
but can bring the organization a more
positive reputation than before the crisis.
Negative Occurrence

Pre Crisis
On Crisis

Post Crisis
The communications are
designed to minimize
damage to
the image of the
organization.

Positive Results

Process of Strategic Planning for

a crisis or negative turning point
Source: Fearn-Banks (1996)
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S.20

Nature of Crisis: Management & Communications (Cont.)

Organizations with
1. on going 2-WAY
Communication often:
a. Avoid crisis, or
b. Endure crisis of shorter duration, or
c. Lesser magnitude.

4. If company doesnt have a crisis

management plan,
a crisis communications plan is still
advisable,
even urgent.
Better less than
nothing.

2. Crisis Management Plan come

out from a crisis with more positive
image.

a. Media that usually avoid you, now

come to you,
they call on you in a crisis.
b. Boss (CEO) whos been
untouchable now may listen to the
PR guy.

3. Crisis communication plan is,

Preferably part of a company-wide
crisis management plan that
would include sections on,
a. Evacuation,
b. Work sites,
c. Equipment.
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S.21

5 Stages: De-Pre-Co-Re-L
1

Detection
2

Prevention Preparation
3

Begin with noting the warning signs = prodromal stage.

To stop at that stage, before it develop into a full-blown crisis.
Some crisis have noticeable prodromes, some dont just like fever symptoms
in typhoid.
Good ongoing PR programs, &
regular 2-way communication can prevent crisis, lessen the
blows, or at least limit the duration.
tactics to prevent, including 11 tactics suggested: read
the book. (Fearn-Banks, # 6).

Containment

Effort to limit the duration, or keep it from spreading to other

areas affecting the organization.

Recovery

Learning

Efforts to return the organization to business as usual ASAP.

E.g. Exxon persuade tourists to visit Alaska.

Examine: what was lost, what was gained, & how the organization performed in
the crisis.
No guarantee: Organization can plunge into similar crisis.

Source: Fearn-Banks (1996)

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Preparation = if
can not be
prevented,
the Crisis
Communication
Plan is
the primary tool
of preparedness.

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S.22

Crisis: Public & Organizations

a. In Crisis: public perceives truth to be whatever public opinion

says.
b. Organizations must prove (in a crisis) that the prevailing opinion
is NOT factual.
Court of
1. Public: Guilty until proven innocent.
2. Law: Innocent until proven guilty.
On any given time, people find themselves:
a. In favor of (the news about the crisis)
b. Against it
c. Neutral
d. Disinterested silent majority (most people).
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S.23

Crisis: Essential Role of Crisis Communication

1.
2.

To affect the public opinion process,

To prove that The Prevailing Truth is:
Not factual, or
Not wholly factual

Use News
Media

Not factual

Not wholly factual

But dont depend on

news release only

Needs Writing Skill,

& other skills.

Also need:
a. Community relations
b. Consumer relations
c. Employee relations

Source: Fearn-Banks (1996).

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S.24

Crisis Communication Theory: One of the Theories

Press
Agentry

2 Public
Information
Model
3
2-Way
Asymmetric

4 2-Way
Symmetric

Publicity

Model. All are permissible, falsehood, incomplete

facts.
All publicity is good publicity. Dangerous.
With

little or no research is
required.
Truth is essential.

Usually,
some companies
combine these 4 models

Scientific

Persuasive Model.
There are feedback, but organization doesnt change as a
result of communication management.
E.g. informing public of a new policy, or recorded phone
message, but no technology for returning messages
(feedback).
The

best ideal model.

Dialogue, not monologue. see next slide.

Source: Fearn-Banks (1996).

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S.25

Crisis Communication: 2-Way Symmetric

2-Way Symmetric Grunig & Grunig

1. Mutual understanding model.
2. PR is real intermediary between organization & its publics.
3. Either management or the publics may make changes in behavior as a result
of the communications program.
4. Research & social sciences theories used, not to persuade, but to
communicate.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Negotiate
Compromise
Bargain
Listen
Engage

In
Dialogue

Result:
1. Organization knows what the
publics wants & needs.
2. Public understand the
organization needs & desires.

In crisis,
organizations are frequently forced, by circumstances,
to practice this (symmetrical communications) model with adversarial publics.
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S.26

Crisis: Crisis Communications Plan

Crisis Inventory
Determine which crisis (or crises) we
are likely to face
Before
developing,
1) a Crisis management Plan (CMP) or
2) a Crisis Communications Plan (CCP).
For maximum effectiveness of CMP
or CCP: need to various info for
each type of crisis.

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Example:
Restaurant: have 2 probable crises
Items should be available
1) Food poisoning:
its recipes, list of ingredients
stocked, list of vendors used,
kitchen precautions &
procedures, names &
contact numbers of chefs, list of
medical experts for consultation
and list for spokespersons.
2) Fire:
evacuation procedures, policy of
using inflammable dcor items
(window covering & table cloths,
floor plan of the structure, fire
experts for spokespersons).
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S.27

Crisis: Frequent Types

1. Acquisition; alcohol/drug abuse;

2. Bankruptcy; boycott; bribery;
3. Chemical spill (leak); earthquake;
explosion;
4. Fire; lawsuits; layoffs; murder;
5. Product failure; protest
demonstrations; racial issues;
6. Strikes; tax problems;
transportation accident
a) Can be one or combination of the
above.
e.g.: boycott + sex discrimination.

b) Need involvement of entire

company or department reps.
we-ness penting.
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b) Each employee has unique

perspective on things that can
go wrong.
e.g.: janitors more aware on
heating, or possible gas leaking.
c) Crisis identification program is
crucial.
d) If not, minimum should have staff
meetings: determine possible
crises.
e) Questions must be answered:
How likely is this crisis ?
How devastating can the crisis
be ?
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S.28

Crisis: Questions Must be Answered

How likely is this crisis ? rank them

How devastating can the crisis be ?

0 Impossible: no chance to happen.

1 Nearly impossible
2 Remotely possible
3 Possible
4 More than possible probable
5 Highly probable: have occurred,
evidence of warning signs

0 No damage: not a serious

consequence.
1 Little damage: can be handled,
media (- )
2 Some damage: slight chance
media will be involved
3 Considerable damage: but not
be a major media issue
4 Considerable damage: media
++
5 Devastating: media +++
front page news,
can put company out of
business.

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S.29

Crisis: Assess of Probability & Damages A Sample

Tax problem
Demonstration

Probability

Fire

Damage

Violence
0

Reading the graph:

1. The possibility of,
Company X suffering a crisis resulting from violence &
fire seem both likely, but the damage from violence looks more critical.
2. On the other hand, protest demonstration is critical, although not very likely.
3. What else can you see from the graph ?
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S.30

Part3: Crisis Communication Plan & Crisis Makers

Crisis Communication Plan: Developing

a. Crisis Communications Plan can be

either:
1) Part of larger Crisis Management
Plan (CMP) with various
instructions, big volume.
2) Or as a stand alone as a document
to help PR: more manageable,
easier to read.
b. Make 3 different CCP if Crisis
Inventory determines three (3)
likely crises:
A plan for earthquake different
from a plan for product failure:
publics, media, & key messages
(for each crisis) are different.

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c.
1)
2)
3)
4)

CCP States:
Purposes
Policies
Goals
Assign employees to various
duties.

d. Generally CCP makes

communication with public faster
& more effective;
e. Should help (to) end the crisis
more swiftly than without a plan.
f. Remember:
CCP is not a manual
guaranteeing success;
dont just do by the book
activities, but must be flexible.
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S.32

Crisis: 16 Components of a CCP

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Cover page
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Rehearsal dates
Purpose & Objectives
List of Key Publics
Notifying the Publics
Identifying the Crisis
Communication Team
9. Crisis Directory

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10. Identifying the Media

Spokesperson
11. List of Emergency
Personnel, Local Officials
12. List of Key Media
13. Crisis Control Center
14. Equipment & Supplies
15. Pre gathered Info
16. Key Messages.

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S.33

Crisis: Types/Categories

a. Based of the attributions of crisis responsibilities

or the degree to which the organization is
perceived to be responsible for the crisis.

b. Increased attributions of crisis responsibility

generate stronger feelings of anger & low
reputational scores
c.

By identifying the crisis type,

the crisis manager can anticipate how much
responsibility stakeholders will
attribute to the organization at the onset of
the crisis;
thereby establishing the initial crisis
responsibility level.

Coombs & Holladay (2002)

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W. Timothy
Coombs Ph.D
Professor,
Advertising-Public
Relations, Univ. of
Central Florida

Sherry J. Holladay,
Ph.D
Professor, Nicholson
School of
Communication,
Univ. of Central
Florida, Orlando

S.34

Crisis: Types/Categories (Cont.)

Based on the attributes of crisis

responsibilities
9 Basic Categories
a. Natural disasters,
b. Malevolence,
c. Technical breakdowns
d. Human breakdowns,
e. Challenges,
f. Mega-damage,
g. Organizational misdeeds,
h. Workplace violence,
i. Rumors.

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5 Clusters
On the basis of the
organizational responsibility
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

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Rumors
Natural disasters
Malevolence
Accidents
Misdeeds

S.35

Crisis: 3 Clusters

Situational Crisis Communication Theory

Taxonomies in relations to the response
13 Types
3 clusters with similar level of responsibility.
a. The victim cluster (4):
The organization is a victim,
Minimal responsibility.
3) Workplace violence,
1) Natural disaster,
4) Product tampering
2) Rumor,
b. The accidental cluster (3):
Unintentional (not intend to create crises),
Moderate responsibility.
1) Challenges,
Technical-error
2) accident,
3) product harm.
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S.36

Crisis: 3 Cluster (Cont.)

c. The preventable cluster (6):

Purposefully placing stakeholders at risk, or knowingly taking
inappropriate actions,
Or human error that could have been avoided.
Produce strong attributions of crisis responsibility
severe reputational
threat to an organization.
Human-error
1) accident,
2) product harm,
Organizational
3) misdeed with no injuries,
4) misdeed,
5) misdeed with injuries,
6) Management misconduct.
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S.37

Crisis: Rumor

Crises often begins with negative rumors.

1) Usually passed by word of mouth;
2) No verification facts,
3) No credible source.
Can be
a. Positive or negative.
b. Absolutely false, or partly false.
c. Undeniable true, or premature facts.
Expression:
There is a ring of truth in every rumor.
=> Because people know & believe that expression, they tend to
believe there is truth in rumors.
d. As in the childrens game: from child01whispers to child02.. to child10.
=> Becomes unrelated to the original message.
e. Can spread innocently, but can be malicious & intentional.
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S.38

Crisis: How Rumors Start

a. Victim rarely knows how a

rumor started, or who has heard
it.
Makes it difficult to curtail its
spreading,
which happens quickly & often
with disastrous consequences.

c. Ralph Rosnow : Those who

Believed the rumor, will pass it
on,
Did not believe it, did not pass
it on.
Ralph L. Rosnow, Ph.D.
Director, Doctoral program,
Social & Organizational
Psychology, Temple Univ.
(1982-2001)

b. Difficult to know the source:

Each person who passes it may
change it, &
contributing part of is source.

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S.39

Rumor: 6 Ways on How Rumors Spread

1. Reason: They are news, news with emotional

relationship to their lives.
2. Often plausible (believable, probable).
3. Often refers to something causing distress & fear;
hoping to relieve, by giving reasonable
explanation or denial.
4. Dr. Allan J. Kimmel: 229 college students spread
rumors on AIDS.
5. The more frightened the more likely to repeat.
6. In repeating:
People may find contrary facts that will calm
them.
But if the person you tell believes it, it can
escalate your fears.

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Dr. Allan J. Kimmel

Professor, Marketing,
ESCP Europe, Paris,
France.

S.40

Rumor: 6 Types

1. Intentional Rumor: a restaurant is said to be owned or related to a

Celebrity.
2. Premature-Fact Rumor: layoffs rumor that eventually turn out to be a
fact.
3. Malicious Rumor: often started to damage competitors business.
4. Outrageous Rumor: is one that is so unbelievable that people say,
It has to be true.
Who would create such a story ?
=> K on Snapple Beverage Co. stands for Ku Klux Klan, not Kosher.
5. Nearly True Rumor: partly true then people believe all are true.
Eg. Reebok in apartheid era in South Africa.
6. Birthday Rumor: emerge over & over again, as it is as regular birthday.

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S.41

Rumor: 6 Ways to Fight

1. When rumor seems to develop, spread accurate

information that is contradictory to the rumor.
2.

After rumor has circulated, analyze:

Its Origin
Why it occurred
What possible impact(s) it can generate
Will it go away

3. Do nothing: sometimes denial draws more

attention than silence.
E.g. Gerber, baby food jar.
4. Deny publicly: prove it has no basis in truth.
5. Get outside expert to discredit the rumor.
6. Advertise: buy ads in high-circulation
publications.
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S.42

Crisis: James Grunigs Advice

Good Crisis Communications starts away before an

incident occurs.

1. Communication with publics before decisions =

most effective in resolving issues & crises
because it helps managers,
to make decisions that are less likely to produce
consequences
that publics make into issues & crises.
2. If you dont communicate,
With your publics until an issue or crisis occurs,
the chance of resolving the conflict is slim.

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James E. Grunig
Professor Emeritus
Dept. Communication,
Univ. of Maryland.

S.43

Crisis: Grunigs 4 Principles

4 Principles of Crisis Communications - Grunig

The
1. Relationship Principle
An organization can withstand both issues & crisis better,
if they have established good, long-term relationships with publics
who are at risk from
decision & behaviors of the organization.
2. Accountability Principle
Organizations should accept responsibility for
a crisis even if it was not their fault.

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S.44

Crisis: Grunigs 4 Principles (Cont.)

3. Disclosure Principle
At the time of a crisis, an organization must disclose all that it
knows about the crisis or problem involved.
If it does not know what happened, then it must promise full
disclosure once it has additional information.

4. Symmetrical Communication Principle

At the time of a crisis, an organization must consider the public
interest to be at least as important as its own.
Public Safety, for example, is at least as important as profits.
Therefore the organization has no choice other than to engage in
true dialogue with publics &
to practice socially responsible behavior when a crisis occurs.
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S.45

Crisis: Listening to Your Audiences

a. To make sure you are doing all you can to avoid a crisis, you need
to always be listening carefully to your audiences.

b. What are the issues that are surfacing in chat rooms ?

In news groups ?
And in the media ?
How are employees, vendors, & the community responding to your
messages ?
These questions can easily be answered through
regular surveys & content analysis of the media (print,
electronic & the internet.)

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S.46

Crisis: Listening to Your Audiences (Cont.)

HOW DO You Know How Well You are Doing Under Fire ?
But sometimes all the listening in the world cant prevent
the unavoidable accident, or the simple twist of fate.
Through no fault of your own, the TV cameras are
at your doorstep & the spotlight is upon you.
Your crisis communications plan kicks into effect,
your key messages are delivered, the emergency web site is
live.
So assuming that your organization has followed all the rules,
how do you know how well youre doing under fire. how
effective ?

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S.47

Crisis: 3 Elements to Measure Your Effectiveness During A Crisis

Measuring
1. outputs & the effectiveness of your process:
Hour by hour, or day by day monitoring of the media to determine if
your key messages are being communicated & to whom.

2. impact:
Determining if the messages are having the desired effect,
if they are being believed, & if theyre swaying public opinion.
3. outcomes:
In the long run, did the crisis impact your reputation, customers intent to
purchase ?
Employee turnover ?
Shareholder confidence ?

Which type of measurement you select should be driven by your internal

needs for better decision making tools.
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S.48

Crisis: Checking Effectiveness

1. If crisis is on-going, & you need,

to make decisions hourly or daily as to what to say or not say,
monitoring will be essential.
You should schedule delivery of such a monitoring report in plenty of
time to allow you to craft & refine the key messages
you need to be communicating.
2. A monitoring report typically examines print, television, radio, internet
news groups & chat rooms to:
a. Determine what is being said,
b. How the organization is being positioned, &
c. What messages are being delivered.
3. Sometimes, the ultimate measure isnt the content, but the sheer volume
of crisis coverage.
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S.49

Crisis: Checking Effectiveness (Cont.)

4. The following charts track the volume of clips over the first few weeks
after a crisis has broken for several well-known crises.
5. On the left axis I is the number of impressions in millions made the first
day the news story broke.
The chart then plots the number of impressions made each week over
the next few weeks.
As you can see, sometimes the volume of coverage goes up after the
crisis breaks & sometimes it goes down. Thats the difference between
well-managed crises & poorly handled ones.

6. A well managed crisis,

gets all the bad news over with up front by aggressively dealing with a
problem.
A poorly handled one, can drag on for months, as you can see by the
following charts:
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S.50

Crisis: Intel Pentium Shake

In the infamous case of Intel Pentium,

Intel long denied its existence until camera crews showed up on their door
step.
The resulting coverage went on for months.
Mea Culpa = Own The Problem
The Pentium Flow

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S.51

Crisis: Initial Crisis Response Best Practices

Be
1. quick & try to have initial response within the first hour.
2. accurate by carefully checking all facts.
3. consistent by keeping spokespeople informed of
a. crisis events &
b. key message points.
4. ready to provide stress & trauma counseling to victims of the crisis & their
families, including employees.
5. Make public safety the number one priority.
6. Use all of the available communication channels including the social media,
websites, intranet, & mass notification systems.
7. Provide some expression of concern/sympathy for victims.
8. Remember to include employees in the initial response.
Source: Coombs, http://www.instituteforpr.org/crisis-managementcommunications/
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S.52

Crisis: Why Crises Happen

Q: Why Crises Happen ?

A:
1. Managements failure to understand the issue, public opinion

Failure to
2. effectively engage the media allowing others to control the
issue
3. demonstrate control, concern & credibility
4. Over-reliance on legal response/defense

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S.53

Part4: Media & Social Media

Crisis: 3 Cs & Emergencies Strike

3 Cs of Success

Before Emergencies Strike

a. Control
Take appropriate action,
explain it

a. Consider likely, unlikely

scenarios
b. Identify key staff members,
roles
c. Establish relations with
external contacts
d. Develop a plan
1) Objectives for each audience
2) Think, How would we ?
3) Identify resources
4) Train, rehearse staff
members

b. Concern
Demonstrate concern,
compassion
c. Credibility
1) Know the facts
2) Be first with the news
3) Build trust
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S.55

Crisis Potential: Expression

When Stuff Happens

Avoiding the Initial No

Comment

a. Fill the immediate news hole

b. Collect, analyze the facts
c. Assess newsworthiness when,
where is it news ?
d. Who are other likely news
sources ?
What are they saying?
e. Develop a strategy, messages
& communicate them
f. Dont let your silence become
the story

Even without facts, you should

be able to express:
a. Awareness We are aware
of/not aware of
b. Concern We are concerned
about (or are taking seriously)
reports of
c. Commitment Once we have
the facts, we will take
appropriate action

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S.56

Crisis: Assessing News Value

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.

Prominence
Timeliness
Impact
Proximity
Conflict
Emotion

h. Oddity
i. Sex
j. Suspense
k. Progress
l. Trends
m. Visuals

Goal: Address & reduce news value

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S.57

Crisis: News Media

Dealing with News Media

a. Labels what are we

calling this ?
b. Develop an approval
process, one set of facts
c. Briefings or interviews ?
d. Be helpful, instructive, polite
but always firm
e. Reach out to third parties for
credibility
f. Listen for news, concerns
g. Good relationships are
made in bad times
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It Is Not About Answering

Questions

1. Prepare talking points

2. Make statements about the
issue
3. Explain your companys
perspective
4. Shape the story

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S.58

Crisis: Responses

Starting Points for Good

Responses
a. Our primary concern at this
point is
b. What I can tell you right now
is
c. At the moment, our primary
focus is
d. The important thing at this point
is
e. I think a more accurate term is
_____ (& then explain why)

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S.59

Crisis: Major Accidents or Emergencies

a. Confirm/assign staff responsibilities

b. Plan for sustained media presence, coverage develop a
briefing schedule
c. Find daily news peg, story angle think whats next ?
d. Be first with the news (internal & external) shape the story
e. Prepare your spokesperson
f. Look for good news offer behind the scenes access, if
appropriate
g. Use all your tools
E-mail,
YouTube,
Website,
Photo releases
h. Dont forget internal communications
i. Pace yourself, key staff
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S.60

Crisis: If/When & Legal Counsel

If/When It Gets Really Bad

Working with Legal Counsel

a. Ask yourself, Whats the worst

thing they can do ?
b. Volunteer for the second worst
quickly
c. Announce the decision to do so

a. Same team, different

perspectives
b. Equally critical in emergencies
c. Tactics
1) Build relationship in advance,
gain trust
2) Highlight bad examples
elsewhere
3) Understand legal concerns,
present options
4) Bottom line the boss needs
both perspectives

The longer you delay,

the higher the cost
Money $$ & reputation

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S.61

Crisis: Storm & Key to Success

When the Storm Passes

Keys to Success

a. Thank those (inside & outside)

who helped
b. Reward & congratulate
successes
c. Collect lessons learned
d. Track issues, think about next
news peg memorial,
anniversary ?

a. Build relations with key people

in advance
b. Have a plan, communicate it
c. Fill the immediate news hole
d. Try to stay ahead of the news
e. Use all your resources
1) Staff,
2) Website,
3) Social media
f.

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Learn for next time

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S.62

Crisis: Essential Role of Crisis Communication

To affect the public opinion process;

To prove that The Prevailing Truth is:
a) Not Factual, or
b) Not wholly factual

Not Factual

Not Wholly Factual

Use News Media

But DONT depend

on News Release
only

Needs,
Writing Skill, &
Other skills.

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Also Need:
Community relations
Consumer Relations
Employee relations

S.63

Crisis: Working with the Media

Managing a Crisis
Working with the Media - As the
Primary Stakeholder
a. Three (3) possible results of a
crisis:
1) Organization is put out of
business, ruined, sued.
2) Still exist,
but has lost some image,
respect, or financial position.

3) Won the war of,

public opinion & is seen better
(more favorable) than
before the crisis.
Many
want this.
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b. Information about crisis,

reaches publics by the media
more than by any other means.
You can not hide media will
find you.
c. Bad news sell unfortunately.
Negative story is more
newsworthy than
a positive one.
d. Plan in advance a system,
whereby you are notified of
erupting crises.
Be among the first to know.

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S.64

Crisis: To Prevent Crisis

a. Prevention
Warning signs (prodromes) are crucial.
b.
1)
2)
3)

Good to Avoid (Prevent) a Crisis:

Strong community relations;
Ongoing proactive PR programs;
A strong people centered, rather
than profit centered;
4) Good Corporate Culture: honest,
open communication is basic value.

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S.65

Crisis: Working with the Media

a) Before the crisis, anticipate what the media needs & wants;
b) The media wants to sell the newspaper & win the ratings war;
c) Media gives (the public) what it wants to know, rather than what the
public needs to know;
d) There is a fine line between news & entertainment; & crises make for
entertaining news.
e) The public is perceived to enjoy watching, reading about
organization that might have done bad things;
f) Never say no comment youll be perceived hiding information or
guilty;
g) If there is legal reason for not revealing information,
you must explain this as much as possible, & promise to reveal it a
specific time;
Do all you can to have the information at that time;
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S.66

Crisis: Working with the Media (Cont.)

h) Do not assume the story will go away;

the media can write stories without you; &
its more dangerous for your organization.
i) Media can build its cases against the organization (as the bad guy)
through:
1. Interviews with disgruntled employees, volunteers, customers, former
employees, former customers.
2. Regurgitate bad files kept in the computer, & call up log forgotten
problems & mistakes.
j. Dont against the media
do not wage a war with an enemy who buys ink by
the barrel, paper by the ton, & controls the airwaves.

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S.67

Crisis: Working with the Media (Cont.)

What will the media want to know ?

1. What happened ?
2. Were there any death or injuries ?
3. What is the extent of the damage ?
4. Is there a danger of future injuries or damage ?
5. Why did it happen ?
6. Who or what is responsible ?
7. What is being done about it ?
8. When will it be over ?
9. Has it happened before ?
10. Were there any warning signs of the problem ?

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S.68

Crisis: Working with the Media (Cont.)

a. If you have made mistake, its better to reveal at once, apologize &
make amends (later).
b. Release your own bad news, as you may lessen the likelihood of
rumor, supposition, half-truth, & misinformation. Stealing Thunder.
c. If it has already resulted injuries or deaths, or
if safety is threatened, talk to the media immediately & indicate
that you are looking into the situation
which you just found out 5-10 minutes ago. to show that
you care, & you care medias demand.
d. If not knowing now, ask to call back. Keep your promise.
e. Important:
Media & the public are entitled to have the facts.
The idea is to help provide the media, in its coverage, with a
minimum of criticism of the organization.
f. The goal is: to keep or get the public trust through the media.
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S.69

Crisis: Working with the Media (Cont.)

a.
b.

The goal is: to keep or get the public trust through the media.
The media needs you (for information for interesting stories), &
your organization needs media to
communicate with the public en masse.

c. Keep this symbiotic relations in mind

Always establish spirit of cooperation.
d. Three (3) responses to a media request (in a crisis):
We
1) know, & heres all the information (the media need).
2) dont know everything at this time.
Here is what we know (now).
We will find out more & let you know.
3) have no idea, but we will find out & tell you (the media).
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S.70

Apology & Excuse: The Difference

a.
b.
c.
d.

Know the difference between an apology & an excuse.

An excuse passes blame to others; an apology does not.
Do not say, We didnt realize . . . when you should have realized.
An apology is a sincere admission that you are sorry for whatever
happened.
e. When people, especially children,
were sick & dying from the E. coli that had tainted Jack-in-the-Box
hamburgers,
an excuse was not what the consumer public wanted to hear.
Saying the meat-packer was responsible for the E. coli infections was not
an apology.
f. If your company had sold such a product,
you would owe the public an apology: We are sorry. We will do
everything we can to make amends.
We take responsibility for medical treatments.
See Apologia Theory in Chapter 2, Crisis Communications Theory & also
Chapter 14, Individuals in Crises.
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S.71

Spokesperson: Identify

a.
b.

c.

Identify one primary spokesperson for your company.

Designating one primary spokesperson reduces the possibility of,
Conflicting statements,
Organization values, or
Explanations being released to the media.
Speaking with one voice is more crucial in a crisis than during normal
operations.
d. The CEO is considered by most public relations professionals,
to be the spokesperson of choice during a crisis,
especially if people have been injured, if there is danger of physical
harm, or
if there are millions of dollars in damages.
e. The CEO usually has the most credibility with publics & the media.
They are seen as true representatives of the company, as persons who can
make decisions, & speak for the company.
If the company has a heart, it is the CEOs; at least, thats the publics
perception.
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S.72

Spokesperson: Identify (Cont.)

f.

Alternative spokespersons should be selected in the event the primary

spokesperson is not available during a crisis.
Supportive spokespersons, people who can speak authoritatively on
technical subjects, are frequently of value, too.
For example, if patrons of a restaurant get food poisoning, a physician
might serve as
a supportive spokesperson responsible for telling the public about
symptoms & treatments.

External Experts as Spokespersons

1. When there is an opportunity,
to let impartial experts speak about your companys diligence,
sense of responsibility, or innocence in a crisis, permit them to be
spokespersons.
2. In the Snapps restaurant case (see Chapter 6),
medical officials spoke at news conferences telling the public that
AIDS could not be spread to food by an HIV-positive food handler.
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S.73

Crisis: Working with the Media

News Conference
a.
b.

If a news conference is warranted & can be arranged swiftly, arrange one.

Prepare statement,
read & distributed to the media.
This assists you in setting the tone for the rest of the session.

c. Spokespersons should have major talking points (key messages & speaking
points).
d. These talking points are 1-or 2-sentence summaries used to remind you of
messages you want to be sure to get across to the public.

e. They might provide details about,

the crisis or positive information about the company,
such as the companys safety record, safety procedures, evacuation
procedures, &
other information that says, We are very concerned; we care.
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S.74

Crisis: Working with the Media (Cont.)

f. Be mindful during a crisis,

however, that it is not the time to
bring up unrelated community
service projects,
no matter how many you have.
g. When lives are in jeopardy,
no one wants to hear about how
much money you
give annually to scholarships.
h. Spokespersons should rehearse their
statements &
talking points enough to be
comfortable with the information,
to be comfortable in front of TV
cameras, &
so prepared that he or she need
only glance occasionally at notes.
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i. Preferably, before a crisis,

practice sessions should be held in
which employees ask
the most difficult, rude, pointed
questions of
the spokespersons to simulate
an actual crisis news conference.

j. Do not prolong the crisis by,

calling an unnecessary news
conference or
by engaging in other activities that
can keep the crisis in the news.
During a crisis, you want to get off
the news pages & broadcasts.

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S.75

New-Crisis & Social Media: About

From the case (previous slide),

1. How should a company respond,
to a crisis generated by such communication on
social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter ?
2. What are the appropriate strategic considerations ?
3. What goals & objectives are,
realistically achieved when utilizing social media
in
a pro-active or reactive fashion ?

4. Is Dominos response,
to its YouTube crisis by posting its own video on
YouTube can be consider as the right response ?
5. What other steps should be taken ?
6. How can results be measured ?
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S.76

Crisis: Dealing with Social Media

1. Part of your strategy, but not the driver

2. Valuable resources for:

a) Monitoring, listening
b) Sharing perspective
c) Interacting with users/customers/clients 2 i
3. Can be a time/resource vampire
4. Choose those that work for your business
5. Interact with professionalism, authenticity

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S.77

Crisis & Social Media: Writing Social Media Messages

Social media is,

1. Effective method for monitoring & participating in proactive public
discourse;
2. Also a tool for participatory crisis or emergency communications.
3. The difference: is the speed with which one can communicate
information & misinformation.
4. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Path, Instagram, are used to convey
messages.
They can build trust or they can destroy trust depending upon how they
are used.
Note:
More than ever, rules of writing are important &
they will remain important no matter what social media are created.
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S.78

Guidelines: Social Media Writing

Here only some Guidelines

For Complete guidance you need
to read the book.
Know your
a. Subject well
If you dont, research it well.
Talk to experts.

b. Public(s)
1) What knowledge do they have
about the subject ?
2) Dont want to talk down to them,
but you want to use all
information needed to get them
on your side.
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c. What is the best method of

communication ?
What is the best way to
reach your targeted publics ?
1) Which social media network should
be used ?
Or is your public reached best
by
other methods ?
2) There are people who do not live
by social media.

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S.79

Guidelines: Social Media Writing (Cont.)

d. Dont forget ancient tools such as

telephones & direct mail.
If your public is not large,
use a personal phone call or a
letter.
e. Monitor social media:
1) To see what is being said about
your subjects & who is
communicating.
2) Participate in the discussion.
3) In Twitter,
you may have only a few
followers,
but all your followers may have
dozens or hundreds.
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4) By communicating you are

building relationships, building
a community.
5) Some PR agencies make lists of,
tweets & blogs about their
clients & give the list to
the clients weekly so that
they will know what the issues
are.
f. When you begin to write, have
the reader in mind
If you have monitored &
participated in discussion,
you have a good idea of who
the reader is.
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S.80

Guidelines: Social Media Writing (Cont.)

g. Think before you write

1) You need to think of your
objective.
2) What do you want to happen as a
result of this effort ?
h. Adopt a style
The most frequently used style
book is the Associated Press Style
Guide.
Make sure you have the most
recent edition.
There are differences & changes
in accepted style.

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i. Make sure everything is accurate

1) Good writing is,
moot if the facts are wrong.
If you make a mistake in social
media,
it is possible that thousands of
readers are
misinformed forever.
2) There are no editors as in
traditional media.

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S.81

Part5: Other Important Notes

Crisis: 7 R Crisis Management

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Respond
Regret
Resolution
Restitution
Reform
Responsibility
Reputation (brand) Rebuilding

Hud Englehart
Adjunct Professor,
Northwestern Univ.
(2003-Present)

Clarke L. Caywood, Ph.D.

Prof. Integrated Marketing
Communications & PR,
Northwestern Univ. School
of Journalism (1989Present)

Clarke L. Caywood & Hud Englehart

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S.83

Crisis: Crisis, Risk & Issues

Crisis, risk, & issues are

Interdependent, as well as unique
matters.

Risk. Defn:
A probabilistic assessment of
what can go wrong,
with certain impact & magnitude.
Remember Insurance Company
rules
Crisis occurs when the risk manifests
itself, &
people are harmed (or worry that
they are, &
perhaps even wonder why they
were not).
When a risk happens (Eg. Puting
Beliung), a crisis may occur.
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Issues: can arise from risks.

As such, an issue is,
1. A contestable matter of fact
(masalah yg diperdebatkan),
2. Value (nilai2),
3. Policy (kebijakan), or
4. Identification.

Known risks can be contested

issues
1. Magnitude,
2. Harm,
3. Occurrence,
4. Prevention,
5. Mitigation.

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S.84

Crisis: Crisis, Risk & Issues (Cont.)

An issue can become a crisis.

Examples:
The issue over the health hazards of tobacco use.
Risk of health effects became crisis for:
1. Tobacco industry &
2. Public health authorities at the state & federal levels.

Risk

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Issue

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Crisis

S.85

Crisis: Crisis, Risk & Issues (Cont.)

The triangle connection between:

Can
1. Risk
a. Have public policy implications;
2. Issue
b. Arise from & lead to private sector threats &
3. Crisis
opportunities
A risk can create the opportunity for:
a. A product (a medication) or
b. Public policy (public health campaign).
Example:
Toys: a vital part of seasonal giving & marketing,
can pose risks, a crisis for parents & companies,
And become a matter of public policy.

This interconnection enriches the rationale for & theory to advance the
understanding of public relations.
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S.86

Crisis: Crisis Defined

Crisis management: seeks to prevent

crises.
Prevention protects:
1. People,
2. Property,
3. Financial resources, &
4. Reputation assets.

One of many definitions of crisis:

Crisis is the perception of an
unpredictable event,
that threatens important
expectancies of stakeholders &
can seriously impact an
organizations performance &
generate negative outcomes.*

Crises are threats. But the outcomes

can be (new) opportunities;
depend how you manage the
crisis.
Remember the Chinese proverb
about the word Crisis.
1. Effective crisis management
stronger organizations.
2. Management by crisis take a
heavy toll on stakeholders.
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S.87

Crisis Defined: Role of Stakeholders

A point: the perceptual nature of

crises.
How stakeholders view an event
has consequences for,
whether or not that event
becomes a crisis.
Honor stakeholder concerns
it has a role in co-creating the
meaning of a crisis.

Crises are not the same with

incidents.

Meaning is,
socially constructed (including the
meaning of crises,
also socially constructed).
Thus important to use a
definition that reflects the
perceptual nature of crises.

The definition uses negative

outcomes to include any type of
harm to stakeholders, including:
1. Physical,
2. Financial, &
3. Psychological.

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Crisis definitions reflect serious

events, which bring negative
outcome:
1. Not only that have the potential
to seriously impact the
organization.
2. But also harming stakeholders.

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S.88

Crisis: Perception & Potential

Crisis is the perception of an unpredictable event,

that threatens important expectancies of stakeholders &
can seriously impact an organizations performance & generate
negative outcomes.
The word Potential is,
used because actions taken by crisis managers may prevent a crisis
or
significantly reduce the damage one can inflict.

Crisis management is more than Reaction; it can be:

1. Prevention
2. Preparation

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S.89

Crisis: Conclusion

a) Slides & Lectures from,

the videos are only part of
content which you need to study.
b) To comprehend the study of Crisis
Communication, you must read the
sources:
1. Books
2. Journals.
3. Other sources.
c) Read, Read & Read.
d) GOOD LUCK with your study.

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S.90

Course : Crisis Communication (1512CC15)

elearning.lspr.edu
Associate Partners :

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S.91