No company, organization, or individual whose livelihood depends on public reaction can afford to function without a crisis communications plan. This student workbook reviews the critical terminologies, processes, and skills needed for understanding and responding to crises. It prepares individuals for responding to crises in a variety of contexts, and reinforces strategies and tactics to be used during a crisis. Chapters include instructive case studies of public relations professionals in crises: what they did, what they wished they had done, and what hampered their progress. The exercises provide students with the opportunity to respond to real-world crises, sharpening their own skills and practicing response behaviors. This workbook will serve as a useful tool for all future practitioners.

Kathleen Fearn-Banks is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington (Seattle) and a crisis communications advisor.

Table of Contents

1 Crisis Communications Today

What is a Crisis and What is Crisis Communications?

The Five Stages of a Crisis

Public Opinion

Mini-Case: White Star Line's Titanic Sinks

2 Crisis Communications Theory

Apologia Theory

Image Restoration Theory

Decision Theory

Diffusion Theory

Excellence Theory

The Five W's of Public Apology -Businesses and Celebrities

3 Communications to Prevent Crises

The News Media

Internal Publics

Customers/Consumers

Preventing Multicultural Crises

4 Communications When the Crisis Strikes

Communicating with the News Media 34

Communicating with Lawyers 44

Communicating with Internal Publics 47

Communicating with External Publics 49

Communicating Directly with the Masses 50

5 Social Media and Crisis Communications

Social Media in Strategic Organizational Communication

Mini-Case Studies in Social Media Crises

Social Media Etiquette for Organizations and Individuals to Prevent Crises

Online Communities and Crisis Communities

6 "Textbook" Crises

Case: Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol Murders

Case: Exxon and the Valdez Oil Spill

7 Culture Crises --Domestic

Case: Saginaw Valley State University and the Theater Controversy

Case: Texas A&M University and the Bonfire Tragedy

Case: Police Departments and Community Trust

8 Culture Crises: Foreign and International

Case: AIDS in Africa

Case: Ebola Strikes Liberia: Firestone Strikes Ebola

Case: Nut Rage and Korean Airlines

9 Environmental Crisis

Case: Häagen-Dazs and Honey Bees

10 Natural Disasters

Case: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Case: The Oso Mudslide in Washington

11 Transportation Crises

Case: Holland America Line and Cruise Crises

Case: US Airways and the Emergency Landing in the Hudson

12 Product Failure and Product Tampering

Case: Yuhan-Kimberly and Baby Wet Wipes

Case: Maple Leaf Foods and the Battle against Listeria

Case: Wendy's and the Finger-in-the-Chili Hoax

Mini-Case: Domino's Pizza

13 Death and Injury

Case: Columbine High School and the Shooting Tragedy

Case: School Shootings: Communication To and For Children

14 The Crisis Communications Plan

Crisis Inventory

Developing the Crisis Communications Plan