Managing a Crisis Using Public Relations

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Managing a Crisis Using Public Relations

Handling Public Relations for any organization can be a very difficult

task in any circumstance - even under simple, non-crisis situations.

When a crisis strikes, that's when PR managers really have their work

cut out for them. A PR manager must always be prepared for the

inevitable crisis to happen because that is when their jobs are really

tested by the public and the organization. American Wattage

Corporation was planning to launch 'Greenergy' by Green Energy which

focuses on creating a better solution to energy than electricity by

using wind energy. My job as the PR manager was to formulate

strategies to manage a crisis and make the most effective use of PR

tools to communicate with all the publics. In this paper, I will give

a summary of the simulation and how I handled the different tasks that

were given to me as well as go into detail on how crisis management

should really be handled.

As the PR manager of Green Energy, my first task was to determine how

to allocate my budget of $1 million to formulate a PR plan that would

encompass all relevant aspects of corporate communications. I chose

several ways in which to spend the budget allowed for PR ? I spread

them out in four different categories: research team setup plan, media

relations plan, marketing and PR advertising plan, and crisis

management and communication plan.

My second task was to handle a crisis that injured people because of

our equipment. What message did the company want to communicate about

the crisis to the public? Prior to reading week 4?s text, I chose that

we would say ?No comment? because I thought it would be better to

gather all the facts first then go to the public with the information.

I will explain later in the paper why I should not have chosen that

route. My third task was deciding on whether to come clean about what

really happened on how those people were injured by the equipment. I

decided to use great publicity choosing to do a major communication

exercise and come completely clean which was the correct choice

because that act alone could help restore credibility for the company.

Handling a crisis can be very difficult for a company ? but what

exactly qualifies as a crisis? According to Seitel (2004), a crisis is

a ?situation that has reached a critical phase for which dramatic and

e...

... middle of paper ...

...004). The most effective crisis

communicators are those who provide prompt, frank, and full

information to the media in the ?eye of the storm? (Seitel, 2004).

Silence not only angers the media but also compounds the problem. The

quick rule to effective public relations communication is to ?tell it

all and tell it fast? (Seitel, 2004). When information gets out

quickly, this stops or minimizes rumors and nerves are calmed. The

basic goals of crisis management are: 1) terminate the crisis quickly,

2) limit the damage, and 3) restore credibility. Following these goals

will ensure a successful public relations plan for any organization.

Crisis management definitely needs to be addressed in any organization

? although it is usually not a fun role for the public relations

manager. However, if the appropriate steps are taken on how to handle

crises, this will ensure the public that the organization can still be

trusted no matter the situation. In the end, that really is the

ultimate goal ? to be sure credibility is restored in the

organization.

References

Seitel, F. (2004). The Practice of Public Relations, (Ninth Edition).

Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ.

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