Prelims

Half Title Page

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

Title Page

PRCA Practice Guides

CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

BY

ADRIAN WHEELER

FPRCA

The Public Relations and Communications Association, UK

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2019

Copyright © 2019 Emerald Publishing Limited

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-78756-618-7 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-78756-615-6 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-78756-617-0 (Epub)

List of Figures

Foreword

PRCA Practice Guides are a series of uniquely practical and readable guides, providing PR and communications’ professionals, new and experienced alike, with hands-on guidance to manage in the field. Written by experienced practitioners who have been there and done it, the books in the series offer powerful insights into the challenges of the modern industry and guidance on how to navigate your way through them.

This book aims to help PR and communications’ practitioners prepare for potential crises, to develop a crisis communications strategy and policy for each client, to take steps to be ready and well-prepared, and to handle communication with media and other stakeholders in a calm and professional manner when a crisis occurs. The book is intended to be a practical guide, so there are numerous examples, checklists and ‘what would we have done?’ questions scattered throughout the text.

Adrian Wheeler started out as a local newspaper reporter before training at a financial PR firm in the City. He co-founded Sterling Public Relations, a general practice agency, in 1976. This firm became the UK office of GCI Europe. As CEO of GCI UK, Wheeler led the company into the UK Top Ten and in 2000, as chairman of GCI Europe, oversaw the development of a 28-office network with 53 multi-country clients. Since 2006 he has been a partner in Agincourt Communications and a non-executive director at Liquid, London Communications Agency, and Best Communications in Prague.  He is a Fellow of the PRCA and a PR trainer who teaches clients and consultancies throughout Europe and the Middle East.

Francis Ingham

Director General, PRCA

Chief Executive, ICCO

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the many colleagues and friends who have contributed their ideas and experience to the content of this book. Their names are given in the text. I would also like to express my gratitude to Sir Derek Myers, who kindly read the manuscript and pointed out a number of errors and omissions. Those that remain are, of course, my own responsibility.