Communication in Times of Trouble

This book covers crisis communication strategies and focuses on practical applications for effective management. It includes an extensive discussion of best practices in pre-crisis, crisis and post crisis stages. The book pays special attention to the needs of meeting the needs of diverse audiences and communicating in a responsive and responsible way. The principles are appropriate for many kinds of events including earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, epidemics, and pandemics as well as industrial accidents, toxic spills, transportation disasters, fires and intentional events.

In the first chapter, Communication in Times of Trouble introduces the concept of best practices and establishes their relevance for crisis communication and emergency risk communication. A chapter is dedicated to each of the ten best practices. In each chapter, the best practice is described, examples of successful and unsuccessful application of the best practice in both organizational crises and natural disasters/emergencies are provided, advice for practical application is given, and a summary is provided. The concluding chapter details the challenges and opportunities for developing and implementing a response strategy that includes the best practices as a whole.

Focuses on application and explanation in crisis communication to benefit those with backgrounds in emergency management, risk management, political science, disaster sociology, and public health
Covers natural, large-scale emergencies such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, epidemics, and pandemics, which aren’t generally detailed in existing crisis communication texts
Presents 10 best practices for dealing with emergencies: Process Approach; Pre-Event Planning; Partnerships; Public Concern; Honesty; Collaborate; Media access; Compassion; Uncertainty; Empowerment

Communication in Times of Trouble will be of great interest to undergraduate students and practitioners in communication, public relations, public affairs, public information, public health, and emergency management.

About the Author

MATTHEW W. SEEGER is currently a professor communication and Dean of the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University in Detroit. His research concerns crisis and risk communication, health promotion and communication, crisis response and agency coordination, the role of media, including new media, crisis and communication ethics, failure of complex systems and post-crisis renewal. He has worked with several national and international agencies including the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. He is co-author of the CDC's Crisis and Emergency Communication, (2nd ed.) and co-editor of the International Handbook of Crisis Communication.

TIMOTHY L. SELLNOW is a professor of strategic communication in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Sellnow's research focuses on strategic communication for bioterrorism, pre-crisis planning, disaster warning messages, public health, and crisis recovery. He has conducted funded research for the Department of Homeland Security, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Geological Survey, and the World Health Organization. He has also served in an advisory role for the National Academy of Sciences and the Food and Drug Administration.

Seeger and Sellnow have both published extensively on risk and crisis communication. They have previously collaborated on six books, including: Communication and Organizational Crisis, Effective Crisis Communication, Communication and the Public Health, Effective Risk Communication, Theorizing Crisis Communication, and Narratives of Crisis: Stories of Ruin and Renewal.

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