Q. Explain about Crisis Communication and its Do's and Dont's in the wake of Crisis ?

Crisis communication is sometimes considered a sub-specialty of the public relations profession that is designed to protect and defend an individual, company, or organization facing a public challenge to its reputation. These challenges may come in the form of an investigation from a government agency, a criminal allegation, a media inquiry, a shareholders lawsuit, a violation of environmental regulations, or any of a number of other scenarios involving the legal, ethical, or financial standing of the entity. Crisis communication can include crafting statements, known as messages, often tested by research and polling. ! rapid response capability"pioneered by the #$$% Clinton-&ore campaign operatives and refined during 'ill Clinton(s eight years under attack by his political adversaries while in the )hite *ouse, has also become an essential element of crisis communication. !dditional tactics may include proactive media outreach to get messages and conte+t to the media, identifying and recruiting credible third-party allies who can attest to the company,s side of the story, and striking first, not waiting to be hit. Crisis communication is a part of larger process referred to as crisis management though it may well be a ma-or tool of handling a crisis situation in government, organization or business. Crisis communication is sometimes considered a sub-speciality of business continuity. The aim of crisis communication in this conte+t is to assist organizations to achieve continuity of critical business processes and information flows under crisis, disaster or event driven circumstances. .ffective crisis communication strategies will typically consider achieving most, if not all, of the following ob-ectives/ 0aintain connectivity 'e readily accessible to the news media 1how empathy for the people involved !llow distributed access 1treamline communication processes 0aintain information security .nsure uninterrupted audit trails 2eliver high volume communications 1upport multi-channel communications 3emove dependencies on paper based processes 'y definition a crisis is an une+pected and detrimental situation or event. Crisis communication can play a significant role by transforming the une+pected into the anticipated and responding accordingly. Do's 4 !nnounce bad news yourself 4 1o you can have control.

4 Consider public meetings. 4 2esignate a spokesperson and, whenever possible, refer inquires to that person. 4 Tell the truth"never make up an answer. 4 'e yourself. 4 !nticipate questions and develop your answers. 4 3elease only confirmed facts. 4 'e concise. 4 1how concern"be especially sensitive to those directly involved. 4 2efuse negatives. 4 3emain calm. 4 3eturn all calls from the media as soon as possible. 4 2etermine reporter deadlines and work with them. 4 5rovide updates to media, families and employees. Dont s 4 2on,t speculate. 4 2on,t overstate or understate. 4 2on,t talk off the record - assume everything you say will be printed or broadcast. 4 2on,t be thrown by hostile questions. 4 2on,t give an e+clusive to one -ournalist. 4 2on,t reveal proprietary information. 4 2on,t place blame. 4 2on,t be defensive. 4 2on,t ever use the words no comment. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dos & Do Nots of Crisis and Emer enc! "ituations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dos

4 6ntil you have accurate and complete details about a crisis, do respond with statements such asThis situation is serious and we are working to solve it as quickly as possible or )e are investigating what happened and will respond as soon as we have the facts. Then investigate and consider possible solutions and responses before issuing a statement. 4 2o build positive community image. 4 2o keep employees informed. 4 2o arrange for trained counselors and other professionals as needed for nature of crisis to be available as soon as possible and for as long as needed. 4 7f a mistake is made in handling a crisis, address the mistake in a straight-forward manner and attempt to rectify it. 4 2o thank employees and others 8such as members of community9 as appropriate. 4 2o prepare for trouble. 7dentify potential problems in advance. !ppoint and train a response team designated before a crisis occurs. 5repare and test a crisis management plan. 4 2o set up a news center for company representatives and the media 8equipped with phones, computers, and other electronic tools for preparing news releases9. 4 2o arrange for ways to communicate should electrical and phone lines be disrupted. 4 2o prevent issuing conflicting statements. 5rovide continuity. !ppoint a single person 8trained in advance9 to speak for the company. 4 2o arrange for receptionists and employees, if appropriate, to direct all calls to the information center. 4 2o tell the whole story"openly, completely, and honestly. !t the same time, be careful about releasing sensitive information. 7f you are at fault, apologize. 4 2o demonstrate the company,s concern by your statements and your actions. Do Nots 4 2on,t blame anyone for anything. 4 2on,t speculate in public about unknown facts. 4 2on,t decline to answer questions. 4 2on,t release information that will violate anyone,s right to privacy. 4 2on,t use the crisis to pitch products or services. 4 2on,t play favorites with media representatives. 4 2on,t immediately assume a defensive stance. 1uch an approach is counterproductive. )hen responding to questions or initiating responses, don,t state The situation was not our company,s fault or )e are not legally responsible. 4 2on,t ignore impact of crisis on employees or community.

7n order to gain a better understanding and elaborate the definition of crisis communication management, we can inspect the different crisis communication activities taken in the different stages of a crisis/ #. #recaution - 7n accordance with its name, during the precaution stage most actions taken by organizations and places have nothing to do with a specific crisis situation but mainly concern preventive measures. This ongoing stage is used to create a strong and favorable image for the place through activities such as social contribution, community relations, allocating resources to 53, and creating good media relations. %. #lannin $#re%ention - 7n the second stage of crisis communication management, the place(s main goal is to prepare for future crises and to try to prevent them before they get out of control. The main tasks in the planning-prevention stage are the preparation of issue management plan 8risk management9, and the creation of a communication response strategy 8also known as emergency response and action strategy9. :. Crisis Copin - Crisis coping is a highly comple+ task in which a wide variety of measures are taken to contain the crisis, reduce its scale, and bring it to an end. !s in the preceding stages, a correct, professional, and proactive use of crisis communication techniques can ease the perception of the crisis and prevent long-term damage to the place(s image. ;n the other hand, places that do not succeed in gaining control of the crisis coverage and delivering the right messages might find themselves facing a long-term image crisis. <. #ost$crisis - 7n every crisis there is a post-crisis stage, starting once the smoke has cleared and lasting months or even years after the physical crisis has faded. =rom the perspective of crisis communication management, this stage is used for 53, advertising and marketing campaign aimed at altering the place,s image and re-attracting tourists, visitors and investors. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------&n%estor 'elations 8739 is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to a company(s securities achieving fair valuation. 8!dopted by the >737 'oard of 2irectors, 0arch %??:.9 The term describes the department of a company devoted to handling inquiries from shareholders and investors, as well as others who might be interested in a company(s stock or financial stability. Typically investor relations are a department or person reporting to the Chief =inancial ;fficer 8C=;9 or Treasurer. 7n some companies, investor relations is managed by the public relations or corporate communications departments, and can also be referred to as @financial public relations@ or @financial communications@. 7nvestor relations are considered a specialty of public relations by the 6.1. 2epartment of Aabor. 0any larger publicly traded companies now have dedicated 73 officers 873;s9, who oversee most aspects of shareholder meetings, press conferences, private meetings with investors, 8known as @one-on-one@ briefings9, investor relations sections of company websites, and company annual reports. The investor relations function also often includes the transmission of information relating to intangible values such as the company(s policy on corporate governance or corporate social responsibility. 3ecently, the field has trended toward an increasingly popular movement for @interactive data@, and the management of company filings through streaming-data solutions such as B'3A or other forms of electronic disclosure have become prevalent topics of discussion amongst leading 73;s worldwide. The investor relations function must be aware of current and upcoming issues that an organization or issuer may face,

particularly those that relate to fiduciary duty and organizational impact. 7n particular, it must be able to assess the various patterns of stock-trading that a public company may e+perience, often as the result of a public disclosure 8or any research reports issued by financial analysts9. The investor relations department must also work closely with the Corporate 1ecretary on legal and regulatory matters that affect shareholders. )hile most 73;s would report to the Chief =inancial ;fficer, they will usually report to the Chief .+ecutive ;fficer 8C.;9 and 'oard of 2irectors andCor 5resident of the corporation. This means that as well as being able to understand and communicate the company(s financial strategy, they are also able to communicate the broader strategic direction of the corporation and ensure that the image of the corporation is maintained in a cohesive fashion. 2ue to the potential impact of legal liability claims awarded by courts, and the consequential impact on the company(s share price, 73 often has a role in crisis management of, for e+ample, corporate downsizing, changes in management or internal structure, product liability issues and industrial disasters. 7n a difficult time such as the bear market of %??D-?$, 73;s will want to stay visible and build relationships, be factual in tone and not too quick to make promises, focus on the long-term story and balance sheet strength 8as opposed to short-term earnings growth9, aggressively refute rumors and answer concerns of investors, and coordinate media relations and investor communications. =inally, 73;s should remember/ The story is the business, not the stock price. The most highly regarded professional member organization for 7nvestor 3elations in the 6nited 1tates is the >ational 7nvestor 3elations 7nstitute, or >737. 7n the 6nited Eingdom, the recognized industry body is The 7nvestor 3elations 1ociety, while in CanadaF the professional association is called the Canadian 7nvestor 3elations 7nstitute, or C737. !ustralia(s professional organization is known as the !ustralian 7nvestor 3elations !ssociation 8!73!9.