Managing Communications in a Crisis

The difference between a drama and a crisis is down to good management. Or, more specifically, down to good communication. How you communicate with everyone: shareholders, other business partners, employees, the press, and so on, in the hours and days following a potential business crisis is critical. Get it right and the crisis may even strengthen your corporate reputation. Get it wrong and you can imagine the consequences for yourself. This book details how crisis situations can be identified and dealt with, ensuring the risk to the organization's financial well-being and reputation is minimized. This book deals with all aspects of communication management in a crisis. Part one considers definitions of a crisis and the theory behind dealing with crisis communications, both externally and internally. Part two explores the practicalities of crisis management communications, the identification of audiences and how each should be dealt with and by whom. The third part of the book contains checklists and supporting information for the key aspects and roles of the communication process. The combination of these three approaches could help you to develop your own crisis strategy, tailor-made for your organization. The text is supported by a wide range of case histories. Some of these you will recognize and others, perhaps through good management, never entered your radar.