Crisis Communications

Can you control a crisis? No – but with adequate preparation you can control the reputational consequences. This PRCA Practice Guide describes how to invest in readiness and what to do when a crisis strikes.It is intended for public relations professionals and the people who work with them during a crisis – in particular senior managers and spokespeople.The Guide covers contingency planning, stakeholder identification, crisis communications policy, spokesperson training, the ‘Red Book’, dark sites, rehearsals and simulations, locations and resources… and what to do on the day; taking and maintaining the initiative… the aftermath.It covers in detail the role of the mainstream and online/social media, recommending steps to neutralise hostility and shut down ill-informed comment.The Guide contains numerous real-life examples, ‘What would we have done?’ discussion topics and advice from PR experts, journalists and editors. Reputational damage is rarely caused by the crisis itself but, instead, by what the organisation does and says under the media spotlight. This guide shows how to navigate the turmoil and emerge from a crisis with reputation and credibility intact.

Adrian Wheeler was a reporter on a weekly newspaper before joining a City PR firm. He co-founded Sterling Public Relations which was acquired by Grey Advertising, where Wheeler became CEO of GCI UK and chairman of GCI Europe. He was chairman of the PRCA in 1999-2000 and chairman of the CIPR’s Professional Practices Committee in 2008-2012. In 2010 he was awarded the Sir Stephen Tallents Medal. He is the author of Purchasing Public Relations for the PRCA and editor of Best Business Advice. He works as a crisis communications consultant, as a non-executive with four public relations agencies, and as a PR and media trainer.