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Crisis-response presentations (also called “crisis communication”) are meant to reassure an organization’s various audiences (its “publics”) and restore its credibility in the face of an array of threats, such as contaminated products, layoffs, chemical spills, or bankruptcy. These are often conveyed via media such as television and radio.
Audience
Crisis-response presentations may target one, several, or multiple audiences. A personnel manager may address a group of disgruntled engineers unhappy over a new policy. Seeking to allay fears of ruin and shore up stockholder confidence, the CEO of an embattled corporation may target anxious employees and shareholders alike.
Organization
A variety of strategies exists for organizing a crisis-response presentation, ranging from simple denial to admitting responsibility for a crisis and asking forgiveness.3 Familiarity with a range of image restoration strategies will allow the speaker to select those techniques that best apply to the situation at hand.4 In essence, the crisis-response presentation is based on persuasion and argument. Sound reasoning and evidence are essential to its effectiveness. Depending on the issue and audience(s) involved, use one or another of the organizational patterns described in Chapter 24, especially problem-solution and refutation.