Crisis and Risk Communications: Best Practices Revisited in an Age of Social Media

Abstract

Over the last decade, scholars and practitioners have collaborated to codify a set of guiding principles, or best practices, within crisis communication “in an effort to improve quality and efficiency, inform practices, and … improve performance” (Seeger, J Appl Commun Res 34(3):232–244, 2006). Several factors, however, complicate the process by which these practices are determined, namely, the unpredictable nature of crises, organizational structures and cultures, divergent crisis communication goals (reduction of risk, image repair, informing multiple publics, etc.), and advances in technology. Social media and their vast array of networks have created multiple primary, secondary, and even tertiary stakeholder groups with competing and conflicting information needs, requiring organizations to create new practices of responsiveness. Coleman (J Brand Strategy 2(2):129–133, 2013) advocates for organizations to revise and update their best practices “in quieter times,” based on “what is known to work” now in the digital age (p. 233). Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to review best practices in crisis communication and to expand and extend the conversation to include social media.