Important Crisis Communication
PRinciples from Dr. Mihaela Vorvoreanu.
In Dr. V’s COMM 355 PRinciples class at Clemson University, we have spend the last couple classes discussing crisis communication. We have looked at several case studies and these are some of the major PRinciples we’ve come up with concerning Crisis Communication. At some point in time, we all make mistakes, which is fine as long as we know hot to “clean up” the mess if you will. These are pretty basic PRinciples and strategies, but nevertheless, they are very useful! Take a look.
- Strategies for Image Restoration:
- Assume responsibility
- Apologize
- Offer to rectify the problem
- Scape goating (separating the organization from the individual
- Denial
- Shifting the blame
- DO NOT LIE!
- There’s an issue with ethics- PR practitioners first and foremost loyalty is towards society and the public
- Lying usually backfires, the truth will always come out- in the long run lying can cause even more problems
- There’s always a way out, but lying is not the answer
- The way you deal with a crisis can become a second crisis
- If you don’t deal with the crisis the right way, you could face problems concerning how you dealt with the problem
- Communicate clearly and quickly
- If there are any risks to health, you should be sure to be completely clear and be completely unambiguous
- Do not blow anything out of proportion
- If an incident is isolated, keep it isolated. Don’t make it more public than it really is.
- INVESTIGATE
- Follow up with the origin of the crisis. Make sure you’re absolutely clear on where the crisis started and who it has effected.
- Try to solve the problem at the first sign; Don’t let it escalate: Be alert and monitor the situation
- Do not remind people of the crisis
- Deal with the crisis and move on. Don’t dwell on it.
- Solve the PROBLEM!
- Be careful about word choice!!
- Every word counts, and one wrong word could completely change the meaning
- Stray away from loaded and emotionally charged words
- Some words that have no effect on some people can be very offensive to others
- There’s a difference between organizational/corporate situations and personal situations and they must be handled differently
