1) Defining Crisis Communication a) Crisis: Unique moments in an organizations history i) Good or bad ii) Is it a crisis or troubling event?

iii) Three characteristics of a crisis (1) Surprise overwhelms existing management plans (2) Threat reach beyond typical problems (3) Short response time because of threat and surprise b) Organizational crisis i) a specific unexpected, and non-routine event or series of events that create high levels of uncertainty and simultaneously present an organization with both opportunities for and threats to its high-priority goals. ii) Text: Pg 7 c) Risk Communication i) Ongoing communication program ii) Focuses on informing and educating publics iii) Usually focused on external publics iv) Addresses issues that can positively or negatively affect an organizations success v) Builds key relationships that must be established before a crisis d) Classifying Crisis i) Internal pg(9) (1) Terrorism (2) Sabotage (3) Workplace violence (4) Poor employee relationships (5) Poor risk management (6) Hostile takeovers (7) Unethical leadership ii) External pg(11) (1) Natural disasters (2) Disease outbreaks (3) Unforeseeable technical interactions (4) Products failure (5) Downturns in the economy e) Theories and strategies i) Corporate apologia: defend reputation/protects image (1) Denial, counterattack, differentiation, apology, legal ii) Image repair theory: repair threat to image (1) Denial, evasion of responsibility, reducing, offensiveness, corrective actions, mortification iii) Situational Crisis Communication Theory: lower attributions of responsibility f) Nonexistence Strategies

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i) Denial ii) Clarification iii) Attack iv) Intimidation Distance Strategy i) Excuse (1) Denial of intention (2) Denial of violation ii) Justification (1) Minimized injury (a) Victim deserving (b) Misrepresentation of the crisis Ingratiation i) Bolstering ii) Transcendences iii) Praise others Mortification strategy i) Remediation ii) Repentance iii) Rectifications Suffering strategy i) Showing empathy with the publics Learning From crisis i) Organizations Renewal: rebuilding, learning, and focusing on opportunities (1) Organizational learning (2) Ethical communication (3) Prospective vision (4) Effective organizational rhetoric Managing Crisis Uncertainty i) Crisis Communication Challenges (1) Constraints on organizations (2) stressful conditions (3) Decisions must be made quickly (4) Information needed quickly (5) = uncertainty Uncertainty i) Inability to predict future ii) Result of (1) Lack of information (2) Complexity of information (3) Not knowing quality of information Tying uncertainty to our crisis definition

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Unexpected (1) L1: accept that a crisis can start quickly and unexpected ii) Nonroutine (1) L2: you shouldnt respond with routine solutions iii) Threaten organizational goals (1) L3: threat is perceptual (2) Works two ways iv) Short response time (1) Great list pg. 29 (a) What happened (b) Who is responsible (c) Why did it happen (d) Who is affected (e) What should we do (f) Who can we trust (g) What should we say (h) How should we say it (2) L4: communicate early and often Uncertainty and stakeholders i) Stakeholders: groups of people internal or external to an organization who have a stake in the organization pg. 30 ii) Want answerers (1) Responsibility/fault (2) Why something happened (3) Extent of damage (4) How they can be protected/what they should do iii) Often answered by many sources = communication ambiguity Ambiguity i) When something can be interpreted several different ways at the same time ii) Communication ambiguity: multiple interpretations of a crisis situation p. 32 iii) Many different opinions among stakeholders Ambiguity increases uncertainty i) Ethical ambiguity: poses alternate views to better inform publics (1) Complete unbiased data ii) Unethical: poses alternate view to deceive (1) Incomplete biased data iii) L 5:you shouldnt purposely increase ambiguity to deceive or distract publics Questions of ambiguity prepare for: i) Questions of evidence (1) Whose scientific evidence should the public believe? (2) L 6 you will need to defend your interpretations of evidence ii) Questions of intent

(1) Did you knowingly create this crisis? (2) L 7 if you didnt have good intentions before the crisis, it is very hard to recover after iii) Questions of responsibility (1) Where did the crisis originate? (2) L 8: if it isnt you, you need to show who is and why s) Uncertainty: training and simulations i) During a crisis, organizational structure breaks down- fuel slow, sloppy responses ii) Train, train, train (1) Table tops (a) Discussions (2) Simulations (a) drills iii) L 9: training and simulations are a must t) Belief structures: shaken i) Uncertainty disorients and hinders sense-making: cosmology episodes (inability to process information easily due to mental stress or trauma) ii) Publics search for answers iii) Organization search for answers iv) L 10: crisis often leads to organizations redefining traditional business models and practices CHAPTER 3 Lessons of effective crisis communication 1) L1:Determine your commination goals a) Identify your goals, seriously b) Example: CDC be first be right be credible c) Will lead to clear strategies and tactics d) Can reduce uncertainty e) Steps i) Identify, rank and note things that will hamper your efforts f) Look for overlaps or conflicts with others, from partnerships i) Partnerships (1) Equal communication relationships (a) Require pre-work (b) Involve trust (c) Can be positive or negative (def Pg. 43) (2) Create a dialogue 2) L2: Develop true, equal partnerships before crisis 3) L3: Acknowledge your partners when managing the crisis 4) Knowing your audience a) Great Possible list pg. 44 b) Identify primary and secondary audiences i) Primary

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ii) Secondary What is your relationship with publics (questions pg. 45, table pg. 47) i) Positive ii) Negative iii) Ambivalent iv) Non existent Know your audience AGAIN i) Culture neutral = many not reached ii) Culture sensitive = know group iii) Culture centered = involve group Listen, Listen, Listen i) L5: information sessions ii) Hear things first hand iii) Dont forget those who you dont like or dont like you iv) Figure out who you need to hear and answer What do stakeholders need? i) Information: early and often ii) Cause of crisis iii) Compassion, concern, empathy iv) Reduce uncertainty: current/Future risk v) L6: No absolutes or overconfidence i) Quick has problems ii) Ok to note uncertainty iii) Sometimes you just dont know iv) L7: Avoid certain or absolute answers until sufficient information is available v) Dont over assure-perceived threat will increase vi) L8 Avoid over assuring publics about affect crisis will have anthem How they can protect themselves i) Self-efficacy- valid, useful, instructive ii) Practical information iii) Various solutions iv) Sake older are a resource v) L9: provide useful, practical statements of self-efficacy Putting it all together: effective pre-crisis i) Strong leadership values and goods=good decision making ii) Open honest communication = goodwill and reduced uncertainty iii) Commitment to stakeholders and established goodwill = effective communication Ineffective pre=crisis i) Poor communication and relationships =increased ambiguity and uncertainty ii) Distance from aggravated publics = increased ambiguity and uncertainty iii) Failure to listen

iv) Having no plan k) Good/Bad Practices affect uncertainty and ambiguity i) Help things to do (1) Use core values and pre crisis communication strategies to guide response (2) Consistent updates (3) Be open and honest ii) Hurt things not to do (1) No comment (2) No crisis plan or clear values (3) Minimize crisis or over-assuring publics (4) Spinning (5) Blame game l) Using Social Media i) Monitor what is being said ii) Anticipate crisis ( environmental scanning/issues tracking) iii) Communication with publics m) Be proactive in reaching Social Media: maybe prevent a crisis? i) Quickly acknowledge the issue ii) Explain corrective action iii) One-on one communication (Private messages) iv) Tag individuals in your responses v) Remember: it is only part of your response Chapter 4 effective Crisis Leadership 1) L1 Effective leadership is critical to overcoming a crisis 2) Being Visible a) A present leader is reassuring b) Be accessible to media dont hide c) Be open and honest d) L2: Leaders should be visible 3) Banked goodwill a) L3: Nurture goodwill before a crisis 4) Transparency a) L4 be open and honest following a crisis 5) Renewal a) Examine Goals, resources and practices in new light b) Look for opportunities and make improvements c) L5: leaders create opportunities for renewal 6) Ineffective approaches: avoid this a) Ignore problem b) Deny problem exists

c) Cover up problem d) L7: Dont do these 7) Leadership styles a) Authoritarian - strict b) Democratic middle ground c) Laissez faire lose d) Contingency leadership e) Transformational leadership f) Virtues act in an honest and responsible manner, i.e., ethical or doing the right thing 8) Demands of crisis impart leadership a) Managing uncertainty: consistent voice, one spokesperson, open communication i) Spokesperson tips on 74 b) Responding to crisis ; Be open and honest, initiate communication i) Message strategies 76-77 ii) L9: Virtuous responses may generate support and renewal c) Resolving crisis: provided apology, actions taken to reduce harm, explanation of cause and who is at fault d) Learning from crisis i) L10 leaders have an obligation to manage and learn from crisis