Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness shows how crisis communication plans and efforts for complex and challenging issues benefit when academic perspectives are connected with practitioner experiences. This book brings crisis and public relations scholars together with practicing professionals to integrate academic theories and research with the knowledge and lessons learned on the frontlines of crisis communication and management.
This book illustrates how having insights and observations from both leading crisis communication scholars and professionals strengthens crisis management and communication strategies, plans, and coordination. Chapters co-authored by leading scholars and professionals highlight how academic theories and research can inform crisis management and response - and how practitioners can utilize, inform, and strengthen academic theories and research. For each topic area covered, examples and applications are provided that show how integrating public relations scholarship with practice can advance crisis communication effectiveness.
This book represents a unique and timely contribution to the field of crisis management and communication. It will be an important resource for public relations and crisis management and communication scholars, educators, professionals, consultants, and graduate students.
PART I
Overview and Context 1
1 Complex and Challenging Crises: A Call for Solutions 3
BRYAN H. REBER, C. RICHARD YARBROUGH, GLEN NOWAK, AND YAN JIN
2 The Evolving Complexity of Crisis Issues: The Role of Crisis History 17
LASHONDA L. EADDY AND SHELLEY SPECTOR
PART II
Most Challenging Organizational Crises 33
3 Corporate Crises: Sticky Crises and Corporations 35
W. T IMOTHY COOMBS, SHERRY J. HOLLADAY, AND RICK WHITE
4 Connected in Crisis: How Nonprofit Organizations Can Respond and Refocus
52
HILARY FUSSELL SISCO AND MARK MCMULLEN
5 Media Relations for Government/Public Affairs Crises: Ethical and Unethical
Components of Scandal and Spin 63
DAVID E. CLEMENTSON, JOSEPH WATSON JR., AND MICHAEL GREENWELL
PART III
Most Challenging Public Crises 77
6 A Promising but Difficult Domain: Complex Health-related Crises and
Academic-Professional Collaboration 79
GLEN NOWAK AND MICHAEL GREENWELL
7 Disaster and Emergency Crisis Management Communication 92
ROBERT L. HEATH, J. SUZANNE HORSLEY, GREG GUEST, AND CHRIS GLAZIER
PART IV
Crises Amplified by Media and Aggravated by Misinformation 111
8 Managing Misinformation and Conflicting Information: A Framework for
Understanding Misinformation and Rumor 113
LUCINDA AUSTIN, TONI G.L.A. VAN DER MEER, YEN-I LEE, AND JIM SPANGLER
9 Technology and Social Media: Challenges and Opportunities for Effective
Crisis and Risk Communication 130
DEANNA D. SELLNOW, LUCINDA AUSTIN, AND CIRO DIAS REIS
10 Law and (Lack of) Order in Complex Crises 149
JOSEPH WATSON, JR., JAMES D. FIRTH, AND JONATHAN PETERS
PART V
What Can Crisis Theories Do (Better) for Practice? 163
11 Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) and Application in Dealing
with Complex, Challenging, and Recurring Crises 165
W. T IMOTHY COOMBS, SHERRY J. HOLLADAY, AND KAREN L. WHITE
12 Managing Complexity: Insights from the Contingency Theory of Strategic
Conflict Management 181
YAN JIN, AUGUSTINE PANG, GLEN T. CAMERON, SUNGSU KIM, AND LEONARD (LEN) A.
PAGANO, JR.
13 Calming Giants in the Earth: The Internalization, Distribution,
Explanation, and Action (IDEA) Model as Strategic Communication in Crises
with Competing Narratives 198
TIMOTHY L. SELLNOW, DEANNA D. SELLNOW, AND CIRO DIAS REIS
14 The Social-Mediated Crisis Communication (SMCC) Model: Identifying the
Next Frontier 214
BROOKE FISHER LIU, YAN JIN, LUCINDA AUSTIN, ERICA KULIGOWSKI, AND CAMILA
ESPINA YOUNG
PART VI
Looking Ahead and Trekking Forward Together 231
15 The Future of Collaborative Crisis Research 233
YAN JIN, MATTHEW OCONNOR, BRYAN H. REBER, AND GLEN NOWAK
Yan Jin (Ph.D., University of Missouri) is the Georgia Athletic Association Professor and a Professor of Public Relations at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia. Dr. Jin has authored more than 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 20 book chapters. She is co-editor of the Routledge book Social Media and Crisis Communication. In 2019, Dr. Jin received the Kitty O. Locker Outstanding Researcher Award from the Association for Business Communication, which recognizes her research excellence and contribution to the business communication discipline. She is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society.
Bryan H. Reber (Ph.D., University of Missouri) is C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership and Head of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia. Dr. Reber has published over 50 journal articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries. He is co-author of the book, Gaining Influence in Public Relations: The Role of Resistance in Practice, and three top-selling public relations textbooks. Dr. Reber is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and serves as Research Director of the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations.
Glen J. Nowak (Ph.D., of Wisconsin-Madison) is a Professor of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and Director of its Center for Health and Risk Communication. Dr. Nowak spent 14 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including six years as the Communications Director for the National Immunization Program and six years as the agencys Director of Media Relations.
