The author of this book, Al Czarnecki APR, had a very basic goal in
mind-to provide anyone responsible for developing a crisis
communications plan with a solid "how-to cookbook" for the planning
and execution of crisis plans. I learned a lot in reading Al's
book. I consider the following attributes of the book to be among
its strongest points:
• The information is broken down in manageable chunks for ease of
reading, comprehension and execution; no stone is left unturned,
including lists of do's and don'ts, and sample responses to denote
confidence and control in bad situations.
• The book's versatility is one of its strongest qualities: it can
be used to implement the Cadillac version of crisis plans, or used
for simple solutions that can be "cherry-picked" to suit any budget
or context.
• The truest mark of the book's thoroughness is that it is not only
tactical; it also explains the theories and principles underlying
sound crisis communications planning for managers, such as issues
management (the backbone of crisis planning) and the role of
emotional intelligence in influencing behaviour during moments of
crisis.
• Finally, the book contains an extensive list of references for
supplementary reading and advice.
This is a first-rate crisis communications handbook that you can
feel confident recommending to peers, academics and members of your
own organization.
Pierrette Leonard APR, FCPRS