Communicating in Extreme Crises

3 Understanding the value of and limitations to crisis communication

DOI: 10.4324/9781003094661-4

Crisis communication is a form of strategic communication that aims to protect stakeholders and organizations during crises. The main theoretical framework in the field is SCCT. SCCT is a normative theory, meaning it provides guidance for crisis managers in the form of prescriptive action. The prescriptive actions indicate what crisis interventions are more or less effective for particular crisis situations. This guidance is evidence-based and derived from research studies that established causal relationships between the application of specific crisis interventions and a variety of crisis situations. However, every theory has its limitations. ...