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©!2019!by!McGraw/Hill!Education.!!This!is!proprietary!material!solely!for!authorized!instructor!use.!Not!authorized!for!sale!or!distribution!in!
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APPENDIX V
Crisis Communication
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About Appendix V
In today’s business environment, it is not a matter of whether a crisis will occur; rather, it is a matter of
when one will transpire. From social media rumors to natural disasters, there is no limit to the types of
crises an organization might face. Understanding how to identify potential crisis situations and effectively
confirmed crisis facts, telling stakeholders what to do to protect themselves, and explaining what will be
done to correct the wrongdoing and prevent future crises) are identified. Understanding these
characteristics is essential for communicating effectively during a crisis. Finally, a brief discussion of
evaluation, the final step in the crisis communication process, is discussed.
The crisis communication lessons provided in this appendix can serve as a standalone unit or can
be incorporated into existing curricula. For example, a discussion of how crises are caused by unethical
decision-making can be incorporated into Chapter 1 (Ethical Dimensions of Communication) and Chapter
7 (Avoid Excessive Conformity). Many crises can be prevented by simply listening to our stakeholders
when they are upset, which fits seamlessly into Chapter 3 (Listening at Work). Additionally, during a
crisis, stakeholders express their feelings using a variety of channels—social media posts, online reviews,
phone calls, e-mails, blog posts, media interviews, etc.—considering the unique listening challenges
posed by these channels may also be incorporated into Chapter 3 (Barriers to Effective Listening).
Discussion Launchers
1. How might unethical decision-making lead to crises? Share some examples of crises that were
caused by poor decision-making. (Chapter 1)
2. Could some crises be prevented by simply listening to stakeholders? Why, or why not? (Chapter
3)
3. What unique listening challenges are faced by the multitude of channels available for
stakeholders to provide feedback to organizations? (Chapter 3)
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©!2019!by!McGraw/Hill!Education.!!This!is!proprietary!material!solely!for!authorized!instructor!use.!Not!authorized!for!sale!or!distribution!in!
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4. How might our own actions—such as our old social media posts—cause crises for an
organization in which we are employed?
5. Why would a spokesperson need to use clarity and powerful language during crisis response?
What are the implications of a misunderstood statement? (Chapter 4)
6. What type of nonverbal communication is appropriate during official statements (both written and
verbal)? (Chapter 4)
7. What steps could an organizational representative take to analyze their audience, the occasion,
and themselves during a crisis? (Chapter 9)
8. What types of presentations occur following a crisis? (Chapter 12)
9. What are some examples of organizations that emerged from a crisis with a better reputation?
12. How might social media be used to help an organization monitor potential crises?
13. Identify a recent crisis that has been discussed in the media, and consider the organization’s
response. Was it effective, ineffective, or a combination? Explain.
14. What type of information would you want an organization to communicate to you about a crisis
that affects you? How fast would you expect to receive this information?
15. What are some dangers of an organization skipping the evaluation stage of crisis communication?
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©!2019!by!McGraw/Hill!Education.!!This!is!proprietary!material!solely!for!authorized!instructor!use.!Not!authorized!for!sale!or!distribution!in!
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Classroom Activities
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1. Stages of Crisis Communication
Objective: Students will become familiar with the process for identifying potential crises (risks) based on
a variety of factors.
Procedure: Select an organization—such as your own educational institution—that students are familiar
with. Using a medium suitable for creating a 10-column list (whiteboard, Excel spreadsheet, Post-it® Big
Pads, etc.), write down the following column headings: industry, location, size, operations, personnel,
nearby facilities, social/political landscape, reputation, stakeholder expectations, and past crises. Ask
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Class Discussion: After all students are seated, engage in a discussion about the potential crises that
were identified:
• How likely is it that these crises would occur? If they did occur, what would their impact be on
the organization?
• How, if at all, could the organization’s leadership prevent these crises? Are any of these crises
unpreventable? Explain.
• What are some expectations that the public (customers, employees, investors, etc.) might have for
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2. Stages of Crisis Communication
Objective: Students will critique a crisis response video statement issued by an organization’s
spokesperson.
Procedure: Locate a video clip of an official crisis response statement released by an organization.
Introduce the crisis scenario to the class by providing them with relevant background information. Before
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Class Discussion: After you have played the video clip, engage the students in a discussion:
• What nonverbal communication elements stood out to you?
• What verbal communication elements stood out to you?
• On a scale of 1 (mostly incompetent) to 5 (mostly competent), how competent was this
spokesperson? Why do you feel this way?
• On a scale of 1 (mostly ineffective) to 5 (mostly effective), how effective was this crisis response
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3. Stages of Crisis Communication
Objective: Students will critique a crisis response statement issued by an organization.
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©!2019!by!McGraw/Hill!Education.!!This!is!proprietary!material!solely!for!authorized!instructor!use.!Not!authorized!for!sale!or!distribution!in!
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Procedure: Locate an official crisis response statement released by an organization. Introduce the crisis
scenario to the class by providing them with relevant background information. Provide students with a
handout of the response transcript. Ask the class to label the following strategies* used in the response:
expression of empathy, presentation of confirmed facts, information about how the public can protect
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Class Discussion: After students have completed the activity, engage them in a discussion:
• How effective is this crisis response statement?
• What crisis response strategies are present in this response? Are they used effectively?
• What crisis response strategies are missing in this response? Is this void appropriate? How does
this void impact the messaging?
• Is there anything that you would change about the wording or word choice used in this response?
If so, what? If not, why not?
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4. Stages of Crisis Communication
Objective: Students will apply fundamental crisis communication lessons to respond to a mock crisis.
Procedure: Create a crisis scenario. It is helpful to draw inspiration from existing crisis scenarios. A
review of news stories about the 2017 United Airlines Passenger Dragging incident could be used to
create a scenario for a mock airline. In your scenario, integrate lessons from the curriculum. As an
example, to apply this exercise to Chapter 3 (Listening), the scenario could be written to indicate that the
Class Discussion: Once each team has discussed the scenario and developed a plan of action and crisis
response statement, engage in a larger discussion comparing/contrasting each group’s approach:
• How did each group account for stakeholders’ feedback during the crisis?
• What types of information must be shared with stakeholders?
• Where/how should the crisis response statement be presented?
• What type of nonverbal communication do we need to be aware of when using such channel(s)?
• What did each group’s response message have in common? What was different?
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©!2019!by!McGraw/Hill!Education.!!This!is!proprietary!material!solely!for!authorized!instructor!use.!Not!authorized!for!sale!or!distribution!in!
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Additional Resources
Print
Coombs, W. T. (2014). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding (4th ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Liberman, C. J., Rodriguez, D., & Avtgis, T. A. (2017). Casing crisis and risk communication. Dubuque,
IA: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.
Maresh-Fuehrer, M. M. (2013). Creating organizational crisis plans. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt
Publishing.
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DVD
Everett, S. (Director), Burke-Ward, R. (Director), & Mulholland, T (Writer). (2006). Challenger: The
untold story [Documentary]. UK: Pioneer Productions.
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Web
Matthew Keys Live. (2013, June 21). Paula Deen’s first apology video [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDOezlc52z0
Matthew Keys Live (2013, June 21). Paula Deen’s second apology video [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu6Us7fpr00
Public Apology Central (2015, September 21). Domino’s Pizza President Patrick Doyle apologizes for
employees’ YouTube prank [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBrt6KigMI4
Ragan’s PR Daily
