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Communication and Crisis

Author: Kathy Davis
by Kathy Davis
Posted: Sep 30, 2019

Communication is vital in the process of the community crisis management since there are numerous factors to be taken into the consideration. The need to ensure that the situation is properly communicated to the public without creating panic is of paramount importance. Proper communication is needed to enable the public and other stakeholders to take proper action and appropriate measures towards the crisis management as is written in many essays https://manyessays.com. However, this may be marred by numerous challenges within and outside the organization while dealing with the crisis. Focusing on health care communication and delivering information to both the public and other stakeholders in the health sector and water departments should be properly applied in case of a health crisis. The water and health sectors seeking to communicate the situation to the public can use different media to circulate information. The reason is that it is sensitive to the issues concerning health and reaches the target population. Technology also plays a key role in the information delivery to the public and private sectors, and it is the duty of executive officers to communicate the situation to those inside the organization and to the public. It is, however, the duty of the crisis management team to contrive different plans aiming to inform about the current issues those who have subservient position as well as issue orders and instructions on how to handle the situation. Consequentlt, this entails forming a team of trusted employees who have good communication skills and can deliver messages appropriately. The teams dealing with communicating information to the public need to be conversant with the situation. Hereupon, this can be a team of public relations employees who know how to deliver messages to the public.

There are numerous challenges that one can face while searching for a proper way of communicating the situation to the public both in the public and private sector. One of the most formidable challenges is making the public aware of the situation at hand without creating panic among stakeholders. It means that they have to identify ways of effective speech delivery in a manner that describes the situation appropriately, but keeping it on a light note in order to keep the public safe but enlighten them about the situation. The other challenge experienced when communicating the issues to the public and private sector is explaining what they will do to curb the situation. The reason is that executives in charge of the speech delivery have ensured that their speech convinces the public and the private sector that the situation is under control. The speech, however, needs to be taken seriously since the public will expect to receive information about executives’ actions on the problem.

The need to balance between promises, their performance, public perceptions and expectations is paramount in order to keep the situation real. It is often a misconception among the public members that whatever they hear is what will definitely happen. It is, therefore, a challenge for the team delivering information to the public and private sector to ensure that they draw a clear line between public expectations and their promises. Communication within the organization also needs to be conducted in a way that makes it possible to ensure that employees understand the situation well and do not have exaggerated information that may make them panic and spread false rumors to their friends and families. The challenge, thus, consists in whether to inform them of the real situation or keep them out of the problem while the top management deals with the situation. Finding appropriate means of communication that will reach the target population may also be a problem considering the number of people depending on the water supply plant.

Communicating with the public and private sector has its advantages since it helps clear doubts and negative feelings people may have regarding the situation. The public has a right to know the real situation and, therefore, it is the duty of the authorities to communicate all details while making it easier to handle setbacks. It serves as a notice on the real situation and the public learn about appropriate measures needed to curb the difficulties. It is particularly advantageous in case the health issue is a communicable disease that needs to be controlled immediately. Proper communication with the public and private sector also presents opportunities for the public enlightenment and provides numerous ways of addressing the issue. Moreover, this helps identify ways that can aid in dealing with the health emergency situation. Communication helps prepare the public to take necessary measures to prevent the penetration of any infections in contaminated water. It also warns the health sector of possible health issues in the nearest future.

Communication processes differ depending on what is being delivered and a target group. The delivery of facts about a water crisis and health care issue entails efforts by a person delivering the speech to maintain a calm posture in order to assure the public that the situation is under control. There may be numerous promises of controlling a water management crisis with the public having varied expectations from the officials who might not be doing enough to control the situation. In a health care crisis communication, a spokesperson needs to ensure that what they say is what they competent to do because the health crisis is not an impending but current situation. Authenticity is also an important part of the communication process since it helps to comprehend the importance of the crisis. Consequently, this entails putting the interest of people over the organization’s interest. Taking responsibility for the crisis is also an important part of the water crisis communication which is applicable in the health care sector as they take actions to control the situation.

Technology has had its toll on the communication process and there are numerous changes in the process of messages delivery. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter may be misused by malicious public members who misunderstand the situation. Therefore, it might cause panic among public members who get inappropriate facts of the situation. In such a way, this makes it difficult for the crisis management team to develop ways of countering the effects of such information because a large number of people would have got a wind of information. The media can, however, be useful if used well by the crisis management team. It can be done by posting facts on their homepage describing the situation and the measures put in place to curb the emergency situation.

Nowadays technology can be used differently if applied to aid in the communication process and the delivery of messages to different stakeholders. Instead of organising a meeting with different private and public teams, they could convene a teleconference on appropriate measures to be taken and then use different social media sites to communicate information to the public. There are numerous media opportunities in such a crisis, including the use of social media such as popular sites like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the public and private sector. The use of fax and e-mails also would be of paramount importance in such situations.

About the Author

Kathy Davis is a 24-year-old writer assistant at ManyEssays.com who enjoys completing writing assignments for students.

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Author: Kathy Davis

Kathy Davis

Member since: Sep 27, 2019
Published articles: 1

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