Key Terms:

• Negative news message – a message that delivers news that the audience does not want to hear, read, or receive
• Internal communication – the sharing and understanding of meaning between individuals, departments, or representatives of the same business
• External communication – the sharing and understanding of meaning between individuals, departments, or representatives of the business and parties outside the organization
• Assurance – a statement that the contributing factors that gave rise to the situation has been corrected or were beyond the control of the company and its representatives.
• Feedback – the verbal and/or nonverbal response to a message, and that message may involve a company product or service.
• Customer relationship management – the relationship between the organization (sometimes represented by the product or service itself) and the customer.
• Qualitative research –  involves interactions, which by their very nature are subject to interpretation and, as a result, are less reliable and statistically valid.
• Confounding factors – or factors that can alter the results, must be anticipated and controlled. All of this involves a cost, and not every product, service, or study needs this type of investigation.
• Quantitative research – involves investigation and analysis of data and relationships between data that can be represented by numbers.
• Closed-ended questions – questions that allow for interpretation and a range of responses in the respondent’s own words
• Open-ended questions –  questions that limit the responses to a preselected range of options or choices.
• Crisis communication plan –  the prepared scenario document that organizes information into responsibilities and lines of communication prior to an event.

Study Questions: 

SQ1 – What are the four main parts of a negative news message?

1. Buffer or cushion
2. Explanation
3. Negative news
4. Redirect

SQ2 – What are the four ways to prepare your negative news message to avoid risk of litigation?

1. Avoid abusive language or behavior.
2. Avoid contradictions and absolutes.
3. Avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
4. Maintain respect and privacy.

SQ3 – Why is it important to properly understand how to deliver negative news? In what ways can feedback be given? 

Eliciting negative news through feedback is an important way to avert problems, safeguard valuable relationships, and achieve paradigm shifts. Feedback may be qualitative or quantitative and may be requested through open-ended or closed-ended questions.

SQ4 – What is a crisis communication plan? What is the purpose of developing a crisis communication plan?

A crisis communication plan is the prepared scenario document that organizes information into responsibilities and lines of communication prior to an event. Its purpose is because crises are bound to happen despite the best planning, every organization should have a crisis communication plan, which includes designating a crisis communication team and spokesperson.

SQ5 – What is the purpose of a press conference and how can you prepare for one? 

A press conference is an important presentation of information that requires you to anticipate questions and prepare possible responses.