Crisis communication

Crisis communications or crisis PR (of English. Public Relations ) refers to the work of public companies, government agencies and other organizations in the context of crisis situations.

Term crisis communication

The Research Group on Crisis Communication defines the term as follows: Crisis communication is a social process of negotiation in the context of perceived as threatening and disruptive situations that intuitively or strategically observers ascribe the crisis status. In terms of time crisis communication includes public and non-public communication processes in anticipation of crises during acute crises and post-crisis. In social terms, to crisis communication relates to individual and organized actors who take part in the crisis context of communication processes or interact. In material terms, all communications are considered which have the crisis process to content. This includes, inter alia, the strategic crisis communication of organizations within the public relations and journalistic conflict and crisis reporting a.

Strategic Crisis Communications

Strategic Crisis Communications is part of crisis communication management for proactive prevention and early detection of crises, preparing for crises, acute communicative crisis management and post- communicative and evaluation of organization -related crisis communication. Focus of strategic crisis communication is to minimize the observable or hypothetical expected crisis-related reputational and loss of confidence among relevant stakeholders so as to maximize the margin of maneuver to achieve the strategic goals of the organization under the given conditions. In addition, crisis communication has the aim to information and behavioral instructions in the context of crisis to spread effectively, to prevent damage to affected stakeholders and to assist them in coping with the psychological crisis.

Crisis communication of companies

Occasions for crisis communication in business, for example, accidents in power plants or in the chemical industry or food scandals. We distinguish between internal and external crises. Typical examples are:

  • Strikes
  • Bankruptcies, layoffs, mass layoffs, plant closures
  • Production errors, Produkt-/Qualitätsmängel
  • Management errors
  • Industrial accidents
  • Infidelity, embezzlement, tax evasion
  • Attacks of disappointed ex-employee
  • Character assassination by competitors
  • Indirect impact on the public perception of the company by the misconduct of other companies in the same industry.
  • Product extortion

Crisis Communications of the state and its organs

In the field of public administration, the crisis communication is becoming increasingly important especially in the separate authorities of non-police security. In a broader sense, military crises are the subject of (political) crisis communication.

Dynamics

There is an increase in activities in the field of crisis communication (removal of press offices to appropriately qualified staff, media training for managers and speaker and commissioning of specialized consulting agencies ) determine. The driving forces are a critical consumer public, campaign efficient and better networked with journalists NGOs (consumer, animal welfare, trade unions, product testers ), a trend towards a scandal the media coverage and so-called campaign journalism ( newspaper crisis, reduction of editorial, circulation declines, etc.) and the increasing individualization of public communication (Web 2.0).

Crisis Prevention and Communication during the crisis

In the context of crisis prevention weaknesses are the company identifies, develops language rules and contact lists, prepared for crisis teams for emergencies and regular exchange of information with industry- relevant actors ( politicians, government, NGOs ... ) as well as a continuous and open press and public relations practiced.

In a crisis situation to develop by the increasing public attention and the initially prevailing lack of valid information quickly additional rumors, speculation, allegations and accusations, in such situations is a fast public information important.

In a crisis, it comes in the communication to a conflict of interest between the company and the public, using the methods of crisis communication is in a crisis of image damage for the company limited and trust are obtained in the company.

In part, an attempt is made to formulate general instructions for corporate crises in crisis manuals. Engel and Zimmermann warn in this context in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung before nostrums. Also to be avoided by them specific error:

  • Denial / reinterpretation of facts
  • Reject responsibility
  • Follow relativize
  • Fend off criticism
  • Arrogance, ignorance, lack of concern

Gaining in importance the approach, critical developments through a permanent themes screening in Customer Relations Management identify and isolate early. Although still has established this no generally accepted term in this context is often of " customer intelligence " is mentioned.

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