Based on the flowcharts, how would you respond as the organization in each situation? For Subway: This would likely be classified as an accidental crisis with low damage and no victims. An appropriate response would be clarification - acknowledge the size issue and commit to addressing it. For Children's Hospital: This involves victims (the family) and likely high damage due to the serious medical outcome. An appropriate initial response would be mortification - express regret/apology for the outcome and commit to investigating how it occurred to prevent future occurrences.

1. PA 685: Strategic Management of
Public Communications
Module 8:
Crisis Communication

2. The Purpose of Evaluation
The fourth step of the public relations process is
evaluation—the measurement of
established objectives.
results against
Evaluation is the measurement of results against
objectives; this can enhance future performance and
also establish whether the goals of management by
objective have been met.
Evaluation is well described as the systematic
assessment of a program and its result; it is a means
for practitioners to offer accountability to clients and
to themselves.

3. “A crisis is unpredictable but not unexpected.”
-Timothy Combs

4. Organizational Crises
 Types of Crises
 The four types of crises are explained in detail in the Coombs
weekly reading.
 You will encounter a crisis at some point.
 Prevention and Planning.
 Crisis policies in place
 Media relations plan ready to enact

5. Phases of a Crisis

6. Precrisis Phase
Be prepared.
Foster alliances.
Develop consensus recommendations..
Test messages.
All the planning, most of the work

7. Initial Phase of the Crisis
Express empathy.
Simply inform public about risks.
Establish organization/spokesperson
credibility.
Provide emergency courses of action.
Commit to communicate with the public and
stakeholders.
Reputations are made or broken here.

8. Crisis Maintenance Phase
Help public understand its own risks.
More encompassing information is needed by
some.
Gain support for recovery plans.
Explain and make a case for public health
recommendations.
Get and respond to public/stakeholder
feedback.
Empower risk/benefit decision-making.
Requires ongoing assessment of event.

9. Crisis Resolution Phase
Provide educational opportunities.
Examine problems and mishaps.
Gain support for new policies or resource
allocation.
Promote the organization’s capabilities.

10. Evaluation Phase
Ongoing in various ways during all phases.
Integrate results into precrisis planning
activities for the next crisis you will face.

11. Organizational Crisis Team
Leadership team/decision maker(s)
Agency Executives
Situational expert(s)
Operations
Victim Manager
Public Relations professional(s)
Legal team representative(s)
Administrative assistant to document everything
All members of the crisis team should be
involved in crisis communication planning.

12. Crisis Communication Planning
Consider potential crises.
Assemble key team members.
Discuss possible responses.
Put processes in writing.
Test them.
Adjust response plan accordingly.
Test again.
Commit to memory.

13. Your Plan Should Be
The “go to” place for the “must have”
information during a crisis.
The bones of your work—not a step-by-step
“how to.”
Dynamic.

14. Elements of a Complete Crisis
Communication Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Signed endorsement from director
Designated staff responsibilities
Information verification and clearance/release
Agreements on information release authorities
Media contact list
procedures
Procedures to coordinate with public health organization
response teams
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Designated
Emergency
Emergency
spokespersons
response team after-hours contact numbers
response information partner contact numbers
Procedures/plans on how to get resources you’ll need
Pre-identified vehicles of information dissemination

15. Signed Endorsement From Director
A must—signed and dated
Provides accountability
Integrates crisis plan into overall agency’s
plans for on-going operations

16. Designate Staff Responsibilities
Command and control
Directs release of public information
Coordinates with partners
Advises the director
Knows incident-specific policy and situation details
Direct media response
Triage response
Support spokesperson
Produces and distributes materials
Media monitoring

17. Designate Staff Responsibilities
Direct public information
Manages public information delivery
Manages web site and links to others
Direct partner/stakeholder information
Manages prearranged information agreements
Solicits feedback and monitors systems
Organizes official meetings
Maintains response contact list

18. Designate Staff Responsibilities
Content and material development
Translates situation reports into public/media
materials
Works with experts to create situation-specific
materials
Tests messages and materials for cultural
appropriateness
Works with the media to relay information as
quickly as possible

19. Crisis Communication Planning
What media cover your area of focus/industry?
What journalists cover your industry, possibly
even your organization?
What are their deadlines?
Are there special sections/segments that match
your organization’s expertise and offerings?
Start building these relationships ASAP.
Cultivate by giving them useful information and not
wasting their time.

20. Crisis Communication Planning
Must-have communication information and
Policies
24/7 contact information for everyone
Instructions
social media
Instructions
for posting to your web site,
accounts
for changing voicemail messages
Templates for “likely” emergencies

21. Process (in place in advance of a crisis)
Assign one person to gather information.
One Voice versus One spokesperson.
Determine information flow.
What information should be in writing and what
should not?
Who
Who
Who
is responsible for message refinement?
is responsible for communicating with media?
handles incoming calls, emails, and social
media reaction from the public/stakeholders?
You do NOT have to tell them everything you know.

22. Nine Steps of Crisis Response

23. Verify Situation
Get the facts.
Judge validity based on source of information.
Clarify plausibility through subject matter
expert.
Attempt to discern the magnitude of the event.

24. Notification and Coordination
Notification is the official chain of command.
Coordination is with response peers and
partners.
Procedures will vary at state, local, and federal
levels and by event.

25. Conduct Crisis Assessment and
Activate Communication Plan
Assess impact on communication operations
and staffing.
Determine your organization’s role in the
event.
Activate media and Internet monitoring.
Identify affected populations and their initial
communication needs.

26. Organize Assignments
(Constantly Reassess These Steps)
Who’s in charge of overall response?
Make assignments for communication teams.
Assess resource needs and hours of operations.
Ask ongoing organizational issues questions.

27. Prepare Information and Obtain
Approvals
Develop message.
Identify audiences.
What do media want to know?
Show empathy.
What is the organization’s response?
Identify action steps for public.
Execute the approval process from the plan.

28. Public Information Release
Select the appropriate channels of communication and
apply them:
Continue to monitor for feedback.
Execute planned steps with stakeholders.
Reassess these elements throughout the event.

29. Conduct Ongoing Crisis Evaluation
Conduct response evaluation.
Analyze feedback from customers.
Analyze media coverage.
Conduct a hot wash.
Develop a SWOT analysis.
Share with leadership.
Revise crisis plans.
Conduct media and Internet monitoring.
Exchange information with response partners.
Monitor public opinions.

30. Surviving the First 48 Hours
Requires quick assessment.
Collection of facts.
Actions to secure resources.
Media and public response.
Rehearsal.
Alert key partners, as appropriate.
Sounds like a plan . . .

31. What the Public Will Ask First
Are my family and I safe?
What have you found that may affect me?
What can I do to protect myself and my
family?
Who caused this?
Can you fix it?

32. What the Media Will Ask First
What happened?
Who is in charge?
Has this been contained?
Are victims being helped?
What can we expect?
What should we do?
Why did this happen?
Did you have forewarning?

33. Media Beating on Your Door
Alternatives to “no comment” that give you
breathing room:
“We’ve just learned about this and are trying to
get more information.”
“I’m not the authority on this, let me have XXXX
call you right back.”
“We’re preparing a statement on that now. Can I
fax it to you in about 2 hours?”

34. Need More Breathing Room?
Try this for an initial press statement

35. Assessing the Response
Doing enough? Doing too much?
Are we, should we be, involved?
Is the department that should respond able to
respond?
Get out cleared facts ASAP.
Include a statement of empathy and commit to
“seeing it through.”

36. The Crisis Interview
Never talk without prepping.
Never allow the spokesperson to talk without
prepping.
You never have to talk to reporters.
Think about the message.
Use your bullets in EVERY answer possible.
Look and act professionally.
Speak clearly.
Everything matters during crises.

37. Strategic Responses
Non-existence
Denial
Clarification
Ingratiation
Bolstering
Transcendence
Praising others
Mortification
Remediation
Repentance
Rectification
Suffering
Attack and
Distancing
Excuse
Denial of
Intimidation
intention
Denial of volition
Justification
Minimizing injury
Victim deserving
Misrepresentation of crisis

38. Testing the Crisis Communication
Flowchart
W.T. Coombs’ “Choosing the Right Words: The
Development of Guidelines for the Selection of the
‘Appropriate’ Crisis-Response Strategies”
Flowcharts developed based on these criteria:
Type of crisis
Evidence of crisis exists
Damage due to crisis
Are there victims?
Organizational history with stakeholders
Refer to the flowcharts when reading the next two
situations. How would you respond as the organization
based on the flowchart?

39. Testing the Crisis Communication
Flowchart
Two New Jersey men have accused Subway of deceptive
advertising, claiming that their
footlong sandwiches are not
inches after documenting
a month’s worth of lunches
visually.
12
Children’s Hospital of Oakland accused of medical
malpractice and ignoring family’s wishes after 13-year-
old declared brain dead following a cardiac arrest event
that happened after a tonsil surgery.