COMM411: Public Relations

Success is a long haul, but disasters happen in an instant. A little advanced preparation can help save the day when a crisis strikes, and a crisis communication strategy can calm the flames before the home burns down. For most organizations, a crisis is a barrage of urgent, unexpected, unpleasant events that allows no time to think, organize, or plan appropriate actions. Unfortunately, most organizations begin to plan for crises after the crisis hits. This is a big mistake. The goal of a crisis management plan should be containment and positive counteraction. The three best approaches to a crisis are to:

1. avoid it in the first place;
2. quickly address and resolve issues before they escalate; or 
3. seek possible ways to turn your crisis into an opportunity.

Completing this unit should take you approximately 3 hours.