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CRISIS
MANAGEMENT
Chapter TWENTY-ONE
Issues Management
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Is the capacity to understand, mobilize,
coordinate, and direct all strategic and policy
planning functions and all public affairs/public
relations skills, toward achievement of one
objective: meaningful participation in creation of
public policy that affects personal and
institutional destiny.
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W. Howard Chase, l976
21-2
Issues Management is a five-step
process that:
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Identifies issues with which the organization must be
concerned
Analyzes and delimits each issue with respect to its
impact on constituent publics
Displays the various strategic options available to the
organization
Implements an action program to communicate the
organization’s views and to influence perception on the
issue
Evaluates its programs in terms of reaching
organizational goals
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Issues Management contains the
following elements:
Anticipate emerging issues
 Identify issues selectively
 Deal with opportunities and vulnerabilities
 Plan from the outside in
 Bottom-line orientation
 Action timetable
 Dealing with the top
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21-5
Implementing Issues Management
Tactical implementation of issues management
consists of four specific tasks:
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Identifying issues and trends
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Evaluating issue impact and setting priorities
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Implementation of Tasks continued
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Establishing a company position
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Designing company action and response
to achieve results
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Risk Communication
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An outgrowth of issues management began in
the l990’s
Modeled on the concept that “perception is
reality”
Emotions and the lack of understanding and
knowledge is at the base of risk.
Frequent, forceful communication is needed to
inform, educate, and lessen emotion.
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Planning a risk communication
program
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1. Recognize risk communication as part of a larger risk
management program and the program is based on politics, power,
and controversial issues.
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2. Encourage management to join the communication loop and help
them to deal with the news media.
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3. Develop credible outside experts to act as news sources for
journalists.
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4. Become an in-house expert in your own area of risk to enhance
credibility with the media.
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Planning a Risk Program continued
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5. Approach the news media with solid facts and figures
before they approach you. Verify the veracity of data.
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6. Research perceptions of your organization by the
media and other publics to gauge credibility and help
determine if your messages will be believable.
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7. Understand your target audiences and how the news
media can help you communicate effectively.
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Managing a Crisis
What is a crisis?
A crisis is a situation that has
reached a critical phase for which
dramatic and extraordinary
intervention is necessary to avoid
or repair major damage.
Harvard Business Review
21-11
Questions…..
What organizations can you identify that
have faced a major crisis?
What type of crisis were they involved in?
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What are the warning signals that
appear?
Surprise
 Insufficient information
 Escalating events
 Loss of control
 Increased outside scrutiny
 Siege mentality
 Panic
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Can you plan for a crisis?
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Planning can be done with the following:
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1. For each potentially impacted
audience, define the risk.
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2. For each risk defined, describe the
actions that mitigate the risk.
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Planning continued:
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3. Identify the cause of the risk.
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4. Demonstrate responsible management
action.
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Former Red Cross President
Bernadine Healy
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Do you know what the watchwords
are for any crisis plan?
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Be prepared
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Be available
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Be credible
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Communication in a Crisis
Do you know the rule?
Tell it all and tell it fast!
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Goals of Crisis Management
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Terminate the crisis quickly
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Limit the damage
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Restore credibility
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Media Relations Steps
During the Crisis:
Set up media headquarters
Establish media rules
Media live for the “box score”
Don’t speculate
Feed the beast
Speed triumphs
Cable rules
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General Principles for what should
be said to the media
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Speak first and often
Don’t speculate
Go off the record at your
own peril
Stay with the facts
Be open and concerned,
not defensive
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Make your point and
repeat it
Don’t wage war with the
media
Establish yourself as the
most authoritative source
Stay calm and be truthful
and cooperative
Never lie
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Trent Lott
21-23
Exercise
In your estimation, were the three goals of
crisis management met during the crisis
involving Elian Gonzalez?
 Explain and defend your answer.
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