Crisis Communications: The Definitive Guide to Managing the Message

2

Defining Our Terms

First, though, let’s define our terms.

People used to say that all the time; sadly, most don’t these days, and we as a community are the poorer for it. A lack of up-front agreement on what a given discussion is about leads to ambiguities, confusion, and, at times, dissension—all of which I hope to avoid in this book, and you most assuredly want to avoid in dealing with a crisis.

For example, crisis management is not synonymous with crisis communications, and vice versa, even though far too many people use the terms interchangeably, sometimes with tragic results. There is a distinct and important difference between the two, and knowing that difference can be a lifesaver. More on this later.

So, let’s define our terms:

A ...