The revised and updated new edition of the comprehensive guide to crisis communication research and practice
The Handbook of Crisis Communication provides students, researchers, and practitioners with a timely and authoritative overview of the dynamic field. Contributions by an international team of 50 leading scholars and practitioners demonstrate various methodological approaches, examine how crisis communication is applied in a range of specific contexts, discuss the role of culture and technology in crisis communication, and present original research of relevance to the development and evaluation of crisis communication theory.
Now in its second edition, the Handbook covers the latest advances in global crisis communication technology, current trends in research and practice, social media in crisis communication, and more. Each of the 38 chapters incorporate new material offering fresh insights into existing areas of crisis communication and explore new and emerging lines of research. A wealth of new case studies, practical scenarios, and in-depth analyses of recent crises are integrated throughout.
Examines traditional applications, recent advances, and emerging areas in crisis communication
Discusses communication approaches for organizational crises, disasters, political crises, and public health crises Provides up-to-date coverage of the latest terminology, methods, and research trends in the field Highlights how crisis communication theory and research can inform real-world practice Features detailed analyses of crisis communication in major events such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, industrial accidents, and global pandemics
The Handbook of Crisis Communication, Second Edition is an excellent textbook for advanced students in public relations and strategic communication programs, and a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners in fields such as crisis communication, public relations, and corporate communication.
Acknowledgments xi Notes on Contributors xiii Orientation to the Second Edition xxvii Part I Explication of Methods 1 Crisis Communication and Computational Methods 3 Toni G.L.A. van der Meer and Anne C. Kroon 2 Extending Experimental Crisis Communication Research: Reflections and Recommendations 17 Kenon A. Brown and Courtney D. Boman 3 Crisis Response Effectiveness: Methodological Considerations for Advancement of Empirical Research about Response Impact 31 Tomasz A. Fediuk, Isabel C. Botero and Kristin M. Pace 4 Tackling the Information Overload: Using Automated Content Analysis for Crisis Communication Research 53 Daniel Vogler and Florian Meissner Part II Theory Refinement and Development 5 A Meta- Theoretical Orientation to Crisis Communication 69 Henry S. Seeger 6 Corporate Apologia as Crisis Communication 81 Keith M. Hearit 7 The Benefits and Pitfalls of Stealing Thunder 99 An- Sofie Claeys 8 Contingent Organization–Public Relationships and their Application in Organizational Crises 113 Yang Cheng and Glen T. Cameron 9 Revisiting the Discourse of Renewal Theory: Clarifications, Extensions, Interdisciplinary Opportunities 127 Timothy L. Sellnow, Matthew W. Seeger and Ronisha Sheppard 10 Title IX in the Age of #MeToo: The Limits of Discourse of Renewal on Crisis Communication 137 Jessica Ford 11 Social- Mediated Crisis Communication Research: How Information Generation, Consumption, and Transmission Influence Communication Processes and Outcomes 151 Yan Jin, Lucinda Austin and Brooke Fisher Liu 12 Rhetorical Arena Theory: Revisited and Expanded 169 Finn Frandsen and Winni Johansen 13 Antifragile Paracrisis Communication: Managing Paracrises as Crisis Risks and Potential Opportunities 183 Feifei Chen 14 Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT): Refining and Clarifying a Cognitive-Based Theory of Crisis Communication 193 W. Timothy Coombs Part III New Directions Part III a Political Crises 15 Crisis Communication in Authoritarian Systems and Digital Innovation: How Do Autocracies Resolve the Dictator’s Dilemma in Crisis Situations? 209 Gregory Asmolov 16 Political Crisis or Political Cartoon: Which Comes First? 229 Linda Hamilton- Korey and Gayle Pohl 17 US Presidents and Crisis Communication 247 Denise M. Bostdorff Part III b Public Health Crises 18 Integrating Strategy and Dosage: A New Conceptual Formula for Overcoming Unintended Effects in Public Health Crisis Communication (PHCC) 263 Xuerong Lu and Yan Jin Part III c Natural Disasters 19 Mitigating Crises: Analyzing, Planning, Organizing, Mobilizing, and Communicating to Address Natural Disasters 285 Robert L. Heath 20 Rescue Communication: Official and Volunteer Groups’ Use of Mobile and Social Media During Disasters that Become Crises 301 Keri K. Stephens and Kendall P. Tich 21 Communicating Disaster Preparedness: Combining Individual- and Community-Level Perspectives to Achieve more Lasting Resilience 313 Brett W. Robertson and Keri K. Stephens 22 A Community Engagement Approach to Natural Hazard Communication 327 Maureen Taylor, Kim Johnston and Barb Ryan Part III d Organizational Crises 23 Odwalla: The “Golden Standard” of Crisis Management? 345 Rachel Whitten 24 The Impact of Language Abstraction on the Effectiveness of Information Strategies During a Product- Harm Crisis 357 Gijs Fannes and An- Sofie Claeys 25 From Managing Emotion to Trauma- Informed Management: A New Direction in Crisis Communication 373 Stephanie Madden and Nicholas Eng 26 “Say It Like You Mean It”: An Exploration of How Members of the Public Perceive Audiovisual Crisis Responses 391 Lieze Schoofs, An- Sofie Claeys and Eva Koppen 27 Strategic Improvisation in Crisis Communication 405 Jesper Falkheimer and Mats Heide 28 Visual Media in Crisis Response: How Crisis Responders and Influencers Use Visual Media in the Digital Age in Crisis Response 421 Betsy Emmons 29 Scansis: Changing the Landscape of Crisis Communication Research and Practice 431 Elina R. Tachkova 30 Improving Crisis Communication Through Instructional Design 441 Melony Shemberger 31 Prepare and Manage an Environmental Crisis 451 Thierry Libaert 32 Exploring Crisis History’s Impacts: How Organizations’ Previous Crises Impact Current Crisis Perceptions 459 LaShonda L. Eaddy 33 Three Decades of Sport- Related Crisis Communication: A Trends Study of the Emergence and Growth of a Crisis Communication Subfield 471 Jennifer L. Harker 34 Climate Crisis Communication in Global News Videos: A Multimodal Discourse Approach to Multifaceted Knowledge and Reaction Management 491 Carmen Daniela Maier and Silvia Ravazzani Part IV Application to Practice 35 Advancing Crisis Communication Effectiveness: Integrating Crisis Scholarship with Practice 509 Bryan H. Reber, Yan Jin and Glen J. Nowak 36 How Crisis Communication Can Become an Evidence- Based Practice? 519 Jo Detavernier 37 Improving Crisis Communication: When Good Advice Becomes Impractical 525 Hoh Kim 38 Building a Career from Crisis Responder to Crisis Communicator: A Journey of Learning and Growth Through Canada’s Costliest Natural Disasters and Largest Peacetime Evacuations 545 Benjamin Morgan Postscript 553 W. Timothy Coombs Index 555
W. Timothy Coombs is a former Professor at Texas A&M University and an Advisor for the Centre for Crisis and Risk Communications. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Association for Business Communication’s Business Impact Award. He is the author of Code Red in the Boardroom and Today’s Public Relations. Sherry J. Holladay is a former Professor at Texas A&M University and an independent researcher. She is the co-author (with W. Timothy Coombs) of It’s Not Just PR and PR Strategy and Application, and the author of numerous articles related to corporate communication.
