Reviewer: Jordan Carmichael
Damage Control seeks to get outside of the textbook practice of crisis management and into what happens in the real world of crisis communication. By using their own experience as well as analyzing well-known cases requiring crisis management, authors Eric Dezenhall and John Weber, CEO and president (respectively) of Dezenhall Resources in Washington, D.C., provide professional yet candid advice on what the next steps should be in the face of varying crises. Dezenhall speaks from his experience in the White House Office of Communications during the Reagan presidency, as well as his time at an international public relations firm as well as a political consulting firm. Weber’s career in crisis management is grounded in his time as a senior manager at three of the world’s largest public relations firms.
The authors open with an argument for why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach in crisis management – they do so by highlighting aspects of the infamous Tylenol cyanide-tampering case that took place in 1982. The premise of the argument essentially claims that certain strategies work for companies for specific reasons, and those exact same strategies won’t work in all, or even similar, situations. This is the foundation for all of the lessons that follow, from how to know when a crisis is actually a crisis to knowing which audience to cater to when everything comes to the surface.
One of the most notable points in this book is the concept that simply apologizing isn’t enough when it comes to damage control – sometimes, saying sorry isn’t even the appropriate tactic. The authors point out that in the eye of public opinion, apologizing implies guilt. If a company is being accused of something it didn’t do, then apologizing isn’t the correct approach to controlling the damage that is being caused. They reference Plato’s Apologia theory, concluding that effective crisis management is more about offering a rational defense than it is issuing an apology. The authors sum it up well in the statement, “One of the great mirages of crisis management is the notion that an apology will lead to catharsis, the sense of relief associated with absolution. The problem is that human affairs are not static, they are dynamic, with an ever-shifting cast of characters and agendas vying for dominance” (87).
Damage Control attempts to deviate from the textbook strategy of crisis management by candidly pointing out that crisis management isn’t about getting people to like you as much as it is about getting people to stop attacking you. The authors point out that in some cases, convincing an audience to like you in the midst of or just after a crisis is a lost cause, and it is the wrong objective. What is more important is to get the media and the critics to stop focusing on the crisis as quickly as possible – once the attacks cease, the public relations team can work for likeability again.
The portions of the book discussed in this review only scratch the surface of the content that the authors packed into an extremely informative and well-written account of what it looks like to have a career in crisis communication. I would definitely recommend Damage Control as a supplemental reading for a crisis communication course. The authors share the important lessons from their experiences in crisis communication and management, and they provide an account that teaches aspiring crisis managers the realistic expectations they should have when entering this field of work.
Jordan Carmichael
Damage Control seeks to get outside of the textbook practice of crisis management and into what happens in the real world of crisis communication. By using their own experience as well as analyzing well-known cases requiring crisis management, authors Eric Dezenhall and John Weber, CEO and president (respectively) of Dezenhall Resources in Washington, D.C., provide professional yet candid advice on what the next steps should be in the face of varying crises. Dezenhall speaks from his experience in the White House Office of Communications during the Reagan presidency, as well as his time at an international public relations firm as well as a political consulting firm. Weber’s career in crisis management is grounded in his time as a senior manager at three of the world’s largest public relations firms.
The authors open with an argument for why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach in crisis management – they do so by highlighting aspects of the infamous Tylenol cyanide-tampering case that took place in 1982. The premise of the argument essentially claims that certain strategies work for companies for specific reasons, and those exact same strategies won’t work in all, or even similar, situations. This is the foundation for all of the lessons that follow, from how to know when a crisis is actually a crisis to knowing which audience to cater to when everything comes to the surface.
One of the most notable points in this book is the concept that simply apologizing isn’t enough when it comes to damage control – sometimes, saying sorry isn’t even the appropriate tactic. The authors point out that in the eye of public opinion, apologizing implies guilt. If a company is being accused of something it didn’t do, then apologizing isn’t the correct approach to controlling the damage that is being caused. They reference Plato’s Apologia theory, concluding that effective crisis management is more about offering a rational defense than it is issuing an apology. The authors sum it up well in the statement, “One of the great mirages of crisis management is the notion that an apology will lead to catharsis, the sense of relief associated with absolution. The problem is that human affairs are not static, they are dynamic, with an ever-shifting cast of characters and agendas vying for dominance” (87).
Damage Control attempts to deviate from the textbook strategy of crisis management by candidly pointing out that crisis management isn’t about getting people to like you as much as it is about getting people to stop attacking you. The authors point out that in some cases, convincing an audience to like you in the midst of or just after a crisis is a lost cause, and it is the wrong objective. What is more important is to get the media and the critics to stop focusing on the crisis as quickly as possible – once the attacks cease, the public relations team can work for likeability again.
The portions of the book discussed in this review only scratch the surface of the content that the authors packed into an extremely informative and well-written account of what it looks like to have a career in crisis communication. I would definitely recommend Damage Control as a supplemental reading for a crisis communication course. The authors share the important lessons from their experiences in crisis communication and management, and they provide an account that teaches aspiring crisis managers the realistic expectations they should have when entering this field of work.
Jordan Carmichael