Addressing 21st-century issues, threats, and opportunities with time-tested principles, this book empowers corporate communications professionals to protect, inspire, and energize organizations in the face of a crisis. Whether due to an external incident or an internal misstep, every major company or institution will find itself scrutinized, its normal operations disrupted, and its reputation and business continuity threatened at some point—and how it prepares for, and reacts to, a crisis can make a critical difference in the ultimate outcome of events. This book focuses on strategic crisis communication as a function of three elements: 1. crisis preparation—establishing a robust and nimble infrastructure and plans, in advance of any crisis 2. crisis management—rapidly gathering information, activating and adjusting plans, making decisions, and relentlessly monitoring outcomes 3. crisis communication—reaching multiple audiences, on multiple platforms, with clear, consistent, and purposeful messages that tell the truth and defend the organization. Bringing together best practices gleaned from hundreds of recent case studies, this book is an unmatched resource enabling corporate communications and PR professionals, and the organizations that employ them, to understand how to weather any reputational storm that may threaten their enterprise.
1 A Few Important Distinctions. 2 Be Strategic in Your Planning. 3 Set Up a Rapid Response Team. 4 Get the Facts . . . Fast. 5 Determine the Real Problem. 6 Put Someone in Charge. 7 Activate the Crisis Communication Team. 8 Develop a Strategy. 9 Establish Goals. 10 Centralize Communication. 11 Consider All Stakeholders, All Markets You Serve. 12 Expect the Best, Plan for the Worst. 13 Communication Is Your Primary Tool in a Crisis. 14 The Importance of Being Earnest. 15 Put Your Employees First. 16 Engaging with Legacy Media. 17 Responding to News Media Inaccuracy. 18 Deploy Your Websites. 19 Social Media Has Changed the Crisis Communication Landscape. 20 Ten Best Practices in Crisis Communication
Biography
James Scofield O’Rourke, IV
James Scofield O’Rourke, IV is an American rhetorician and professor of management with a global reputation in business education. He has taught for more than 30 years at the University of Notre Dame, pursuing research specialties in crisis management, change communication, and reputation management. He is the author of numerous academic texts and trade books, and is directing editor of nearly 400 business school case studies.
Jeffrey A. Smith
Jeffrey A. Smith leads Strategic Corporate Communications, counselling on crisis management, employee communications and professional staffing. Formerly Vice President, North American Corporate Communications, at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., he was a trade association executive and senior staff member in the United States Congress. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University.
"Richard Edelman provides an introduction for Strategic Crisis Communication, a new book from James O'Rourke and Jeffrey Smith that outlines the steps an organization should take in the heat of a crisis."
O'Dwyer's, October 2023"In Strategic Crisis Communication, the authors, a current academic and a crisis communications professional, offer mostly applied understandings of crisis communications, drawing on numerous case studies. The book makes several significant contributions. It clarifies the distinction between strategy and tactics, stresses the importance of understanding the crisis scenario before talking to others, recommends managing the crisis at the lowest level possible, and encourages organizations to keep their tactical abilities up to date...this book is well written and mostly comprehensive, with excellent corporate case studies." CHOICE, June 2024
