The Definitive Guide to Communicating in Any Crisis “When facing an already difficult crisis, the last thing a company needs is to make it worse through its own communications – or lack thereof. As one who has lived through a number of [business] crises and served as an independent investigator of the crises of others, I consider Steven Fink’s book to be an excellent guide to avoiding collecting scar tissue of your own by learning from the scar tissue painfully collected by others.”—Norman R. Augustine, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Lockheed Martin There are few guarantees in business today. Unfortunately, one of them is the inevitability of a crisis having a potentially major effect on your business and your reputation. When your company finds itself in the midst of a crisis, the ripple effects can disrupt lives and business for the foreseeable future if public opinion is not properly shaped and managed. Skillfully managing the perception of the crisis determines the difference between a company’s life or death. Because in the pitched battle between perception and reality, perception always wins. Fortunately, there is a solution. Crisis communications and crisis management legend Steven Fink gives you everything you need to prepare for the inevitable—whether it’s in the form of human error, industrial accidents, criminal behavior, or natural disasters. In this groundbreaking guide, Fink provides a complete toolkit for ensuring smooth communications and lasting business success through any crisis. Crisis Communications offers proactive and preventive methods for preempting potential crises. The book reveals proven strategies for recognizing and averting damaging crisis communications issues before it’s too late. The book also offers ways to deal with mainstream and social media, use them to your advantage, and neutralize and turn around a hostile media environment Steven Fink uses his decades of expertise and experience in crisis communications to help you: UNDERSTAND AND MANAGE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND REALITY CHOOSE THE BEST SPOKESPERSON FOR THE CRISIS PROTECT YOUR BRAND AND REPUTATION THROUGH CRISES LARGE AND SMALL MAKE WISE, VIGILANT, AND DEFENSIBLE DECISIONS UNDER EXTREME CRISIS-INDUCED STRESS TELL THE TRUTH NO MATTER HOW TEMPTING IT MAY BE TO MISLEAD USE SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT A CRISIS The explosion of the Internet and, especially, social media, has added a new layer to the business leader’s skill set: the ability to handle a crisis quickly and professionally within moments of its occurrence. Livelihoods depend upon it. With in-depth case studies of Toyota, BP, and Penn State, Crisis Communications provides everything you need to successfully lead your company through today’s rocky landscape of business—where crises large and small loom around every corner, and the lives of businesses and management teams hang in the balance. PRAISE FOR STEVEN FINK’S CRISIS MANAGEMENT “Every major executive in America ought to read at least one book on crisis management. In this way, he or she might be better prepared to deal with the disasters striking organizations at an ever-increasing rate ... The question is: ‘Is Steven Fink’s book one that busy executives ought to read?’ The answer is a resounding yes.”—LOS ANGELES TIMES, FRONT PAGE SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW

Drawing on a survey of Fortune 1,000 companies as well as interviews with over 500 managers with crisis management experience, this book gives managers--at all levels and in every department--the practical, hands-on tools they need to determine where their organization is vulnerable and where they are prepared, who will be affected, and what strategies will work best for managing a crisis when it occurs.

Publisher Fact Sheet Shows executives & managers how to overcome an "it can't happen to us mentality" & prepare for crises, both large & small, before they happen.

Lead your Organization through any business crisis—and emerge stronger than ever Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management provides the basic skills and knowledge you need to deal with the crises that inevitably occur in any business or organization. Covering every aspect of the topic—from defining crisis management and policies to training for and responding to crises—it helps you fully grasp any situation that threatens business, careers, and even lives. Lead through any crisis smoothly and with minimal ramifications by mastering the most effective tactics, including: Planning for and training staff in crisis management Anticipating and preventing crises before they occur Managing the company’s online reputation Addressing crises that affect multicultural stakeholders Creating effective crisis-related messaging Knowing when to bring in a specialist About the Briefcase Books series: Briefcase Books, written specifically for today’s busy manager, feature eye-catching icons, checklists, and sidebars to guide managers step-by-step through everyday workplace situations. Look for these innovative design features to help you navigate through each page: Key Terms: Clear definitions of key terms and concepts Smart Managing: Tactics and strategies for managing crises Tricks of the Trade: Tips for executing the tactics in the book Mistake Proofing: Practical advice for minimizing the possibility of error Caution: Warning signs for when things are about to go wrong For Example: Examples of successful crisis management Tools: Specific planning procedures, tactics, and hands-on techniques

Anywhere, anytime, a crisis can strike. Every organisation is vulnerable to a range of threats which can strike without warning and rapidly escalate to a point where they just won't go away. Maintaining control of an organisation is about deflecting threats and planning for the future. The purpose of this book is to give managers tried and tested solutions for better crisis management. Crisis Control is aimed at anticipating and controlling crisis situations. It shows how to develop contingency plans in line with organisational policies and identifies methods of developing checklists and systems. Training, testing and maintenance of such a program is outlined as a strategic process. This book offers a wide range of responses for those managers who have to create a crisis actin plan for a large number of stakeholders including employees, victims, financial markets, political leaders, bureaucrats, international affiliates, shareholders and, of course, the media.

An authority in crisis management outlines seven distinct competencies an organization needs to handle crises effectively in order to come through the event with strength and confidence.