29 Apr As a reminder, you will continue to act as a member of the executive team for a global nonprofit aimed at improving health and reducing child mortality rates in the developing wor
Note: In Week 7, you submitted Part 1 of the Module 3 Assignment. You will complete and submit Part 2 this week.
As a reminder, you will continue to act as a member of the executive team for a global nonprofit aimed at improving health and reducing child mortality rates in the developing world. Funding for the organization comes primarily from private donors (mainly in the U.S. and Canada) and through foundation grants. You have just learned that a shipment of straw-type personal water filters provided (but not manufactured by) your organization have been found to be defective. These filters are widely distributed by your organization in areas with contaminated water supplies and have proven highly effective at reducing instances of water-borne infections caused by bacteria and parasites. However, reports are coming in of increased illness rates from contaminated water in the areas where this shipment was distributed.
You have been asked, as a member of a quickly convened crisis response team, to outline a crisis communication response plan for the organization with an accompanying rationale (with appropriate academic and professional sources to support your report) that will be reviewed by the CEO, Mary Stevenson. Your communications report should be 7–9 pages in total (4–5 pages for Part 1 and 3–4 pages for Part 2), not including title page, references page, and appendix (with your completed Stakeholder Worksheet).
BY DAY 7
Submit Part 2 of your communications report in which you address the following in 3–4 pages (excluding references):
PART 2: STAKEHOLDER CONSIDERATIONS
- Apply best practices for addressing stakeholder communications in this crisis situation.
- Use the Stakeholder Worksheet Template as the basis for this section. For each category of stakeholders, explain how you have applied communication best practices, being sure to include appropriate academic and professional references for each best practice you identify. (approximately 1 paragraph for each category)
Module 3 Assignment Template
Communicating in a Crisis
Prepared by: Yaina Delgado
Date: 04/21/2024
Walden University
WMBA 6695: Communication for Leaders and Managers
Part 1: Crisis Communication Guidelines
In cases of crisis, robust communication is most often essential for preserving trust, managing the brand name, and guaranteeing immediate technical help (Ulmer et al., 2018). As an executive of a multinational nonprofit seeking to improve health and slash child mortality rates through safe drinking water, the organization must come up quickly with the right prompt changes after detecting potentially defective filters supplied to parts with contaminated water sources. This crisis communication plan covers the comprehensive communication elements, the outline of a message, and ways of communication with staff, including virtual teams and members on the field.
Critical Guidelines for Crisis Response:
Transparency: The transparency of a crisis response is fundamental, as it eradicates distrust and establishes reliability with stakeholders (Coombs, 2007). The message must openly admit blunders or things that went wrong with the defective water filters. This will build positivity in the organization, honesty, and accountability, and these values may mitigate reputation loss (Coombs,2007).
Timeliness: Responding promptly to reports and informing stakeholders as soon as possible is critical in this crisis management (Croombs, 2007). Insufficient or delayed information that does not address the situation can even make it worse and erode people's trust in the administration. The timely sharing of information reinforces the idea that the company is responding to the problem on top of its priorities in a timely manner (Coombs, 2007).
Empathy: Empathy for the people in the affected areas or communities is vital before an effective humanitarian response can be delivered (Ulmer et al., 2018). Humanistic communication increases the degree of organization and gives rise to a sense of unity with those having a hard time due to crisis.
Consistency: Maintaining consistent messaging across all information channels would assist in avoiding confusion and building our organization's trustworthy image (Coombs, 2007). The crisis can deepen when someone forgets the messages and/or discovers contradictory explanations. Consistency in communication indicates that the organization is studying together and has a straight purpose (Coombs, 2007).
Accessibility: Information channels for stakeholders to reach out without struggling to be heard should be kept open to ensure stakeholder engagement is sustained and information flow remains transparent (Coombs, 2007). One of the many examples of this approach is access to communication channels such as hotlines or dedicated email addresses, which imply the organization's reaction to stakeholder concerns and longing for accountability (Coombs, 2007).
Top of Form
Social Media Considerations:
Monitor Social Media: It is important to keep an eye on social media platforms for feedback on the organization and crisis while at the same time carefully and quickly replying to queries and issues. Social media platforms give the organization direct access to the public, allowing stakeholders to articulate their feelings and ideas in real-time. Monitoring enables the organization to solve issues immediately and change for the better the spread of misinformation while the issues are still hot (Grunig & Repper, 1992).
Engage Proactively: Social media should be at the core of the company's reality, communicating proactively with the stakeholders to promote transparency and trust within. By posting informational updates and quickly answering questions or criticism, the company is illustrating openness and a readiness to communicate directly (Kersten, 2017).
Use Visuals Wisely: Multimedia, like infographics or videos, is great for engaging and interacting with people on social network sites. Animated graphics and illustrations combine various media elements into a visual format that simplifies complex information. This strokes active learning through enhanced audience comprehension and engagement.
Empower Advocates: Engaging advocates and influencers in the supply of credible information while increasing the reach of positive messages about the organization's quick response can bring a high level of credibility that will lead to a broader audience (Marco et al., 2009).
Steps for Formulating an Effective Message:
1. Assess the Situation: Start data gathering by collecting all identical data on the filter and hearing about defective water filters. Improvements in the areas – a decrease of the issue, a determination of the affected population, and a diagnosis of possible health conditions are assessed. Complete a comprehensive analysis of the existing situation and its consequences on various stakeholders (Coombs, 2007).
2. Identify Key Messages: Frame what messages should be shown to each stakeholder. Focus on a goal of how your company aims to help the affected people create the much-needed environment of healing. Especially emphasize the cause and what the organization has been doing about it (Coombs & Holladay, 2007)
3. Craft the Message: The key messages identified earlier must be supported by a compelling, clear, concise message that communicates them well. Recognise the issue, acknowledge it plainly, and offer an empathic perspective for those suffering from its ravages. Highlight your organization's response. Inform key persons about the whereabouts of different resources to be utilized in emergency situations and where to go in case they need them (Coombs, 2007).
4. Review and Approval: It is vital to ensure that all the necessary parties, including those involved in legal matters and communications personnel, review the disseminated information before its release to the public. Ensure the content is precise, targeted at possible stakeholder issues, and aligned with the organization's core values. Seek comments, modify, and improve these components to heighten clarity and competence (Coombs, 2007).
5. Dissemination: After messages have been approved, they can be disseminated using relevant platforms. An example could be informing media representatives, updating the organization's web page with matters concerning the organization, composing and posting on social media platforms, and directly communicating with donors, partners, and beneficiaries. Tailor-made all the messages and maintained consistent communication in the media (Coombs, 2007).
Rationale for Methods of Communication with Teams and Stakeholders:
Virtual Meetings: Virtual meetings bring to crisis communication the aspect of real-time interaction and immediate feedback, notation of voice and facial expressions, making communication between parties more natural (Krueger et al., 2011). The organization will conduct virtual meetings with the crisis response team and stakeholders to ensure productivity and collaboration. This will ensure alignment of interests, prompt attention to issues at hand, and eventually improve the way the crisis is being responded to
Email Updates: Email Updates are one of the best ways to communicate vital information to the masses in a shorter period (Veil et al., 2011). By maintaining constant email correspondence, the organization can freely give the stakeholders access to daily reports on changing circumstances, relevant response efforts, and notable developments.
Dedicated Website Section: The section of the website specifically focused on the crisis acts as a single source of truth where people pin their hopes on getting authentic and latest information about the crisis (Coombs, 2007). By supplying FAQs, resources, and contact info based on their sites, stakeholders can find the required information and get help, thanks to the data offered. This helps to build transparency and openness and gives the impression that the message is credible in crisis communication.
Hotline or Helpline: Setting up a hotline or a helpline will enable the stakeholders to engage the experts behind the knowledge to seek assistance, ask questions, or report the problem related to any issues with defective water filters privately and confidentially. (Veil et al., Multimedia reference). Besides this hotline, it offers another communication channel to all the stakeholders so that they can access support and advice when needed, which clearly shows that the organization is very serious about handling all the stakeholder's needs and their concerns as they arise.
Conclusion:
Therefore, coordinated crisis response is mandatory for damage control in case our agency detects a defective water filter. Through this, we can follow the essential instructions, turn out to be the communicators, form the communication messages by our procedures, and use the proper ways (methods) of communication so that we can impart this crisis with transparency, accountability, and empathy. By ensuring that our messages to stakeholders are clear and timely, we can hold up to our values of trust and show the world that we are fully dedicated to improving lifestyles and reducing mortality among children from the developing world.
Part 2: Stakeholder Considerations
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References
Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10(3), 163–176.
Veil, S. R., Buehner, T., & Palenchar, M. J. (2011). A work‐in‐process literature review: Incorporating social media in risk and crisis communication. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 19(2), 110-122.
Grunig, J. E., & Repper, F. C. (1992). Strategic management, publics, and issues. In J. E. Grunig (Ed.), Excellence in public relations and communication management (pp. 117-158). Routledge.
Houston, J. B., & McGuire, A. L. (2015). Visual social media and interpersonal communication. In Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (pp. 1–13). John Wiley & Sons.
Kersten, R. (2017). Social media crisis communication: Lessons from case studies. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 11(4), 289–308.
Lariscy, R. W., Avery, E. J., Sweetser, K. D., & Howes, P. (2009). An examination of the role of online social media in journalists' source mix. Public Relations Review, 35(3), 314–316.
Ulmer, R. R., Sellnow, T. L., & Seeger, M. W. (2018). Effective Crisis Communication: Moving from Crisis to Opportunity. Sage Publications.
