Crisis Communications The Definitive Guide To Managing The Message

The Definitive Guide to Communicating in Any Crisis “When facing an already difficult crisis, the last thing a company needs is to make it worse through its own communications – or lack thereof. As one who has lived through a number of [business] crises and served as an independent investigator of the crises of others, I consider Steven Fink’s book to be an excellent guide to avoiding collecting scar tissue of your own by learning from the scar tissue painfully collected by others.”—Norman R. Augustine, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin There are few guarantees in business today. Unfortunately, one of them is the inevitability of a crisis having a potentially major effect on your business and your reputation. When your company finds itself in the midst of a crisis, the ripple effects can disrupt lives and business for the foreseeable future if public opinion is not properly shaped and managed. Skillfully managing the perception of the crisis determines the difference between a company’s life or death. Because in the pitched battle between perception and reality, perception always wins. Fortunately, there is a solution. Crisis communications and crisis management legend Steven Fink gives you everything you need to prepare for the inevitable—whether it’s in the form of human error, industrial accidents, criminal behavior, or natural disasters. In this groundbreaking guide, Fink provides a complete toolkit for ensuring smooth communications and lasting business success through any crisis. Crisis Communications offers proactive and preventive methods for preempting potential crises. The book reveals proven strategies for recognizing and averting damaging crisis communications issues before it’s too late. The book also offers ways to deal with mainstream and social media, use them to your advantage, and neutralize and turn around a hostile media environment Steven Fink uses his decades of expertise and experience in crisis communications to help you: UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND REALITY CHOOSE THE BEST SPOKESPERSON FOR THE CRISIS PROTECT YOUR BRAND AND REPUTATION THROUGH CRISES LARGE AND SMALL MAKE WISE, VIGILANT, AND DEFENSIBLE DECISIONS UNDER EXTREME CRISIS-INDUCED STRESS TELL THE TRUTH NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING IT MAY BE TO MISLEAD USE SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT A CRISIS The explosion of the Internet and, especially, social media, has added a new layer to the business leader’s skill set: the ability to handle a crisis quickly and professionally within moments of its occurrence. Livelihoods depend upon it. With in-depth case studies of Toyota, BP, and Penn State, Crisis Communications provides everything you need to successfully lead your company through today’s rocky landscape of business—where crises large and small loom around every corner, and the lives of businesses and management teams hang in the balance. PRAISE FOR STEVEN FINK’S CRISIS MANAGEMENT “Every major executive in America ought to read at least one book on crisis management. In this way, he or she might be better prepared to deal with the disasters striking organizations at an ever-increasing rate ... The question is: ‘Is Steven Fink’s book one that busy executives ought to read?’ The answer is a resounding yes.”—LOS ANGELES TIMES, FRONT PAGE SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW

Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Plan, Prepare, React, and Get Ahead Of Any Crisis—In Real Time! Your business or organization will face a crisis. That’s a fact. Here’s another: Thanks to social media, crises happen more often and accelerate out of control faster—much faster. So...what’s your crisis communications plan? Don’t have one? Let’s fix that. Now. This book gives you a crisis communications blueprint that’s fast, flexible, realistic, complete, and doable. You’ll learn how to successfully defend yourself using the same social tools others are using against you. You’ll see what works (and doesn’t). You’ll learn from folks who’ve been there and lived to talk about it: leaders who’ve been forced to execute their own crisis plans in the most brutally tough situations. When that crisis comes, you’ll own this book. You’ll be ready. You’ll survive. You will win. Understand the radically new dynamics of today’s crises Anticipate what might happen, so you can get ahead of any crisis Establish crisis response roles, teams, and notification/activation processes Use free and low-cost services to monitor online chatter for signs of trouble Respond in real time, before your crisis escalates Calibrate your response to the realities of what’s happening Effectively integrate social media best practices throughout your response Avoid the disastrous mistakes panicked organizations often make Regain control of your organization’s identity across the web

The second edition of Crisis Communications: A Practice Approach offers the same guide to the theory and practice of modern crisis communications as the first edition. Updated with new case studies and many refinements to its theories and explanations, Crisis Communications takes the same common-sense approach to the most demanding of communications scenarios. Using his discussion-style approach, the author answers many questions students and instructors may not have thought to ask about the hows and whys of crisis communications. Like the first book, this edition covers the task of crisis communications planning, including monitoring issues, integrating stakeholder groups into crisis plans, adapting plans as the crisis evolves, and developing and using the products and processes necessary to handle corporate crisis situations. Features include: Case studies drawn from recent public relations crises, emphasizing Canadian cases Interviews with experts on crisis management Creative exercises that reinforce student understanding "Tools" chapters that address the effective use of blogs, websites, and social media as well as traditional tools and channels such as news releases and media interviews.

The go-to guide for learning what to say and how to say it In this climate of near constant streams of media messages, organizations need to know how to effectively communicate risks to their audiences and what to say when a crisis strikes. Risk and Crisis Communications: Methods and Messages is designed to help organizations understand the essential components of communicating about risks during a crisis, and it carves out a role for safety health and environmental (SH&E) professionals in the process. Covering common theoretical concepts and explaining the positions of noted experts in the field such as Peter Sandman and Vincent Covello, the book provides a fundamental understanding of the process behind crafting effective messages for a variety of different situations and explains the consequences of saying the wrong thing to an emotional audience. Incorporating numerous case studies—including the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and the 2010 H1N1 pandemic—it shows how messages can change the way an audience perceives an event and how they react to it, clearly demonstrating how ineffective messages can create untold difficulties for an organization's public image. Savvy SH&E professionals know that their role in helping to craft risk and crisis messages as well as assisting in the execution of risk communication plans provides a critical path to becoming more valuable members of their organizations. Risk and Crisis Communications: Methods and Messages provides invaluable assistance in helping SH&E professionals add value to their organization.

Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach presents case studies of organizational, corporate, and individual crises, and analyzes the communication responses to these situations. Demonstrating how professionals prepare for and respond to crises, as well as how they develop communications plans, this essential text explores crucial issues concerning communication with the news media, employees, and consumers in times of crisis. Author Kathleen Fearn-Banks addresses how to choose the best possible words to convey a message, the best method for delivering the message, and the precise and most appropriate audience, in addition to illustrating how to avoid potential mismanagement. The fifth edition of Crisis Communications includes updated cases that provide wider coverage of international crises and media technologies. It includes a new section on social media in crisis communication scenarios and includes additional comments from social media experts throughout various chapters. New case studies include "Police Departments and Community Trust," "The Oso Mudslide in Washington," "School Shootings: Communications To and For Children," and two additional international case studies - "Ebola Strikes Liberia: Firestone Strikes Ebola" and "Nut Rage and Korean Airlines." Previous case studies no longer in this edition can be found on the book’s companion website, which also includes the Instructor’s Manual with exercises in crisis responses, guidelines for crisis manual preparation, and other teaching tools: www.routledge.com/cw/fearn-banks. Looking at both classic and modern cases in real-world situations, Crisis Communications provides students with real-world perspectives and insights for professional responses to crises. It is intended for use in crisis communications, crisis management, and PR case studies courses. Also available for use with this text is the Student Workbook to Accompany Crisis Communications, providing additional discussion questions, activities, key terms, case exercises, and further content for each chapter.

Lead your Organization through any business crisis—and emerge stronger than ever Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management provides the basic skills and knowledge you need to deal with the crises that inevitably occur in any business or organization. Covering every aspect of the topic—from defining crisis management and policies to training for and responding to crises—it helps you fully grasp any situation that threatens business, careers, and even lives. Lead through any crisis smoothly and with minimal ramifications by mastering the most effective tactics, including: Planning for and training staff in crisis management Anticipating and preventing crises before they occur Managing the company’s online reputation Addressing crises that affect multicultural stakeholders Creating effective crisis-related messaging Knowing when to bring in a specialist About the Briefcase Books series: Briefcase Books, written specifically for today’s busy manager, feature eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step-by-step through everyday workplace situations. Look for these innovative design features to help you navigate through each page: Key Terms: Clear definitions of key terms and concepts Smart Managing: Tactics and strategies for managing crises Tricks of the Trade: Tips for executing the tactics in the book Mistake Proofing: Practical advice for minimizing the possibility of error Caution: Warning signs for when things are about to go wrong For Example: Examples of successful crisis management Tools: Specific planning procedures, tactics, and hands-on techniques

Crisis Ready is not about crisis management. Management is what happens after the negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative event has occurred. Readiness is what is done to build an INVINCIBLE brand, where negative situations don't occur--and even if they do, they're instantly overcome in a way that leads to increased organizational trust, credibility, and goodwill. No matter the size, type, or industry of your business, Crisis Ready will provide your team with the insight into how to be perfectly prepared for anything life throws at you.

In an increasingly unpredictable world, it is essential that managers have the theoretical and practical tools for dealing with crises and disasters. No two disasters are the same. However, it is possible to identify common features of, as well as the mechanisms needed to deal with, a variety of potential disasters. High on the list are effective communications, having a Crisis Management Plan in place, training Personnel, and knowing how to handle individual stress and group behavior. This book is a practical step by step guide to managing crisis situations in the work environment, with a strong emphasis on communications.