Reviewer: Caroline Ostrander
Crisis communications is an aspect of public relations that takes more than basic book knowledge to master. While real-world experience might be the best teacher, reviewing case studies on the way crisis teams react and handle situations also serves as an exceptional method of learning. In What Were They Thinking by Steve Adubato, several crises were explained and critiqued in a way that emphasized the most valuable aspect of crisis communication – that there is always a lesson learned.
Every organization emergency highlights a few fundamental crisis communication steps that consistently help improve a situation. In most of the case studies in What Were They Thinking, key lessons are to make the public interest and key stakeholders priority, to facilitate communication and dialogue with stakeholders and media, and to always have a set team of individuals in charge of relaying information.
One example describes the tragic death of Pall Tillman, a National Football League star who decided to fight for his country in Afghanistan, and the misconstrued story of told to the American public. Militant and government officials told the public that Tillman was killed by opposing forces in “devastating enemy fire,” when in fact, he was killed by people in his own platoon. The ongoing lie to his family and fans created a black hole that was nearly impossible for the government to escape. Due to the inconsistent messages, lack of empathy to stakeholders, and inability for officials to serve as trustworthy figures only damaged the reputation of the government and war overseas.
Many of the case studies reviewed situations that could cause panic and fear among internal and external stakeholders. Between Johnson and Johnson’s deathly Tylenol and Prudential’s terrorist scare, readers learn that empathy and maximized top-down communication helps to manage large groups of people in a crisis. In addition, how taking responsibility and immediate action demonstrates to stakeholders their value to an organization.
Adubato took tragic and terrible incidents and combined them to educate professionals in the communication industry about the impact an emergency can have on an organization’s reputation. Crises often present a flight or fight situation, where the communication team holds the entire future of their organization in their hands. While Adubato explains that there are no definitively correct methods and steps in which executives should take, his book organizes crisis situations that can help professionals strategize.
I would highly recommend using What Were They Thinking as a reading supplement in a crisis communication course due to the book structure. Adubato begins each case study with a one-sentence summary and the most important lesson from the incident. Because real experience is the best way to learn how to handle emergencies, the next best opportunity is learning from other organization’s mistakes. Students or professionals reading Adubato’s book can efficiently point out the positive and negative action’s each case study portrays.
Caroline Ostrander
Crisis communications is an aspect of public relations that takes more than basic book knowledge to master. While real-world experience might be the best teacher, reviewing case studies on the way crisis teams react and handle situations also serves as an exceptional method of learning. In What Were They Thinking by Steve Adubato, several crises were explained and critiqued in a way that emphasized the most valuable aspect of crisis communication – that there is always a lesson learned.
Every organization emergency highlights a few fundamental crisis communication steps that consistently help improve a situation. In most of the case studies in What Were They Thinking, key lessons are to make the public interest and key stakeholders priority, to facilitate communication and dialogue with stakeholders and media, and to always have a set team of individuals in charge of relaying information.
One example describes the tragic death of Pall Tillman, a National Football League star who decided to fight for his country in Afghanistan, and the misconstrued story of told to the American public. Militant and government officials told the public that Tillman was killed by opposing forces in “devastating enemy fire,” when in fact, he was killed by people in his own platoon. The ongoing lie to his family and fans created a black hole that was nearly impossible for the government to escape. Due to the inconsistent messages, lack of empathy to stakeholders, and inability for officials to serve as trustworthy figures only damaged the reputation of the government and war overseas.
Many of the case studies reviewed situations that could cause panic and fear among internal and external stakeholders. Between Johnson and Johnson’s deathly Tylenol and Prudential’s terrorist scare, readers learn that empathy and maximized top-down communication helps to manage large groups of people in a crisis. In addition, how taking responsibility and immediate action demonstrates to stakeholders their value to an organization.
Adubato took tragic and terrible incidents and combined them to educate professionals in the communication industry about the impact an emergency can have on an organization’s reputation. Crises often present a flight or fight situation, where the communication team holds the entire future of their organization in their hands. While Adubato explains that there are no definitively correct methods and steps in which executives should take, his book organizes crisis situations that can help professionals strategize.
I would highly recommend using What Were They Thinking as a reading supplement in a crisis communication course due to the book structure. Adubato begins each case study with a one-sentence summary and the most important lesson from the incident. Because real experience is the best way to learn how to handle emergencies, the next best opportunity is learning from other organization’s mistakes. Students or professionals reading Adubato’s book can efficiently point out the positive and negative action’s each case study portrays.
Caroline Ostrander