Ongoing Crisis Communication: Planning, Managing, and Responding

Crisis communication is the life blood of crisis management: when communication is ineffective so is the crisis management effort. This book emphasizes the role of communication throughout the crisis management process. W. Timothy Coombs uses a three-staged approach to crisis management - pre-crisis, crisis, and post-crisis. He reviews the latest research, explains how crisis communication can prevent or reduce the threats of a crisis, and provides guidelines for how best to act and react in an emergency situation. New to the Third Edition: • A new chapter on the Internet and social media, showing how it has become both a tool for recognizing warning signs as well as a key channel for communicating with stakeholders during a crisis • Updated discussion throughout to reflect the importance of the online world: The book explores the concept of paracrisis; covers online preparations organizations should make; considers the effects of social media on the crisis response; and explores the emergence of online memorials • Integrates crisis management with three other proactive management functions - issues management, risk management, and reputation management - demonstrating that the best way to manage a crisis is to prevent one • A new epilogue summarizing key lessons for managers from the vast crisis communication research literature. Key Features: • "What would you do?" cases are included throughout. With information from a real crisis event, a series of questions allow students to apply concepts in the chapter to the case • Discussion Questions are provided at the end of each chapter, helping readers extend their understanding of the material.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. A Need for More Crisis Management Knowledge Crisis Management Defined The Initial Crisis Management Framework Outline of the Three-Stage Approach Importance of Crisis Management Conclusion Discussion Questions 2. Effects of the Online World on Crisis Communication and Crisis Management The Online Environment: Multiple Communication Channels Effects on Crisis Communication Conclusion 3. Proactive Management Functions and Crisis Management The Proactive Management Functions Interrelationship Among the Proactive Management Functions Conclusion Discussion Questions 4. The Crisis Prevention Process Identify the Sources to Scan Collect the Information Analyze the Information Summary Action Evaluation Conclusion Discussion Questions 5. Crisis Preparation: Part I Diagnosing Vulnerabilities Assessing Crisis Types Selecting and Training a Crisis Management Team Selecting and Training a Spokesperson Conclusion Discussion Questions 6. Crisis Preparation: Part II Developing a Crisis Management Plan Reviewing the Crisis Communication System Stakeholders and Preparation Conclusion Discussion Questions 7. Crisis Recognition Selling the Crisis Crises and Information Needs Information Gathering Information Processing: The Known Information-Processing Problems Information-Processing Mechanisms Conclusion Discussion Questions 8. Crisis Response Form of the Crisis Response Content of the Crisis Response Crisis Response Strategies Social Media Considerations Follow-Up Communication Conclusion Discussion Questions 9. Postcrisis Concerns Crisis Evaluation Memory and Learning Postcrisis Actions Conclusion Discussion Questions Epilogue: Lessons and Challenges for Crisis Communication Appendix: Possible Case Studies References

About the Author :
W. Timothy Coombs (PhD Purdue University in Public Affairs and Issues Management) is the George T and Glady H Abell Professor in Liberal Arts in Department of Communication at Texas A&M University.  His primary areas of research are crisis communication and CSR including the award-winning book Ongoing Crisis Communication. He is the current editor for Corporation Communication:  An International Journal.  His research has appeared in Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Review, Corporate Reputation Review, Journal of Public Relations Research, Journal of Communication Management, Business Horizons, and the Journal of Business Communication.

Review :
"Coombs is successful in linking effective crisis planning to the effective navigation of diverse sets of crisis management writings and diverse areas of knowledge ranging from small-group decision making to evaluation methods... the depth of information received within each chapter as both individual chapters and a collection of chapters makes this book a definite read for organization practitioners in many fields and education. The book is suitable for a variety of industry practitioners, scholars, faculty, and students in fields as communication studies, public relations, business management, and emergency management."