AS DISCUSSED in several educasts, common mistakes in handling crises include the following:
Hesitation. This leads to public perception of confusion, callousness, incompetence or lack of preparation.
Obfuscation. This leads to the perception of dishonesty and insensitivity.
Retaliation. This increases tension and intensifies emotion rather than reducing them.
Prevarication or equivocation. This creates the biggest problem, because nothing substitutes for truth.
Pontification. This creates vulnerability by taking a high-handed approach without really dealing with the issue at hand.
Confrontation. This provides others visibility by keeping the issue alive, giving them a platform, and giving them more to respond to.
Litigation. This guarantees even greater visibility and may eliminate more reasonable solutions.
Scott Cutlip and Allen Center -- Effective Public Relations, "Planning and Programming"
