Includes bibliographical references and index.

A Few Important Distinctions -- Be Strategic in Your Planning -- Set Up a Rapid Response Team -- Get the Facts . . . Fast -- Determine the Real Problem -- Put Someone in Charge -- Activate the Crisis Communication Team -- Develop a Strategy -- Establish Goals -- Centralize Communication -- Consider All Stakeholders, All Markets You Serve -- Expect the Best, Plan for the Worst -- Communication Is Your Primary Tool in a Crisis -- The Importance of Being Earnest -- Put Your Employees First -- Engaging with Legacy Media -- Responding to News Media Inaccuracy -- Deploy Your Websites -- Social Media Has Changed the Crisis Communication Landscape -- Ten Best Practices in Crisis Communication.

"Addressing 21st-century issues, threats, and opportunities with time-tested principles, this book empowers corporate communications professionals to protect, inspire, and energize organizations in the face of a crisis. Whether due to an external incident or an internal misstep, every major company or institution will find itself scrutinized, its normal operations disrupted, and its reputation and business continuity threatened at some point-and how it prepares for, and reacts to, a crisis can make a critical difference in the ultimate outcome of events. This book focuses on strategic crisis communication as a function of three elements: 1. crisis preparation-establishing a robust and nimble infrastructure and plans, in advance of any crisis 2. crisis management-rapidly gathering information, activating and adjusting plans, making decisions, and relentlessly monitoring outcomes 3. crisis communication-reaching multiple audiences, on multiple platforms, with clear, consistent, and purposeful messages that tell the truth and defend the organization. Bringing together best practices gleaned from hundreds of recent case studies, this book is an unmatched resource enabling corporate communications and PR professionals, and the organizations that employ them, to understand how to weather any reputational storm that may threaten their enterprise"--