What Were They Thinking?: Crisis Communication: The Good, the Bad, and the Totally Clueless

by Steve Adubato PhD

Overview

Some corporations spend millions of dollars on so-called "crisis communication plans." Others offer lip service, avoiding the subject like the plague. They simply hope for the best, praying that they never face a crisis. Either way, as Steve Adubato says, "Wishful thinking is no substitute for a strategic plan."

Nationally recognized communication coach and four-time Emmy Awardûwinning broadcaster Steve Adubato has been teaching, writing, and thinking about comm¡unication, leadership, and crisis communication for nearly two decades. In What Were They Thinking? Adubato examines twenty-two controversial and complex public relations and media mishaps, many of which were played out in public. Among cases and people discussed are:

• The Johnson & Johnson Tylenol scare: Perhaps the best crisis management ever
• Don Imus: Sometimes saying "sorry" is too little too late
• Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales: Authority does not put you above questioning
• Bill O'Reilly: Know when to stop defending yourself and save face
• Former EPA Administrator Christie Whitman: Proof that your written words can come back to haunt you
• Hurricane Katrina: A natural disaster that led to a larger governmental disaster
• The Catholic Church's pedophilia scandal: Denial won't get rid of the skeletons in your closet

Arranged in short chapters detailing each case individually, the book provides a brief history of the topics and answers the questions: Who got it right? Who got it wrong? What can the rest of us learn from them?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813543611
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	08/27/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	3 Months

About the Author

STEVE ADUBATO, Ph.D., is a Rutgers University lecturer, four-time Emmy Award-winning television anchor for WNET/Channel 13 (PBS), and newspaper columnist. Steve has been an expert commentator for MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, C-Span, Court TV, the TODAY Show, and the FOX News Channel. Through his firm Stand & Deliver, Steve has provided hands-on crisis communication coaching for numerous corporations and organizations. He is also a motivational speaker and the author of two books, Speak from the Heart: Be Yourself and Get Results and Make the Connection: Improve Your Communication at Work and at Home (Rutgers University Press).

Editorial Reviews

Steve is a media expert, a street-smart guy with powerful insight that makes this book so relevant for our time.

anchor, FOX 5 New York - Ernie Anastos

Heaven forbid you should find yourself or your company with a public relations crisis on your hands. But if you do, Steve Adubato has a wealth of common sense for how to weather the storm with a minimum of damage.

editor, The Star-Ledger - Jim Willse

Steve Adubato is one of my favorites. He has a clear point of view and isn't afraid to share it, particularly when it comes to media issues and media coverage of important stories.

host, "Morning Joe," MSNBC - Joe Scarborough

Steve Adubato is one of my favorites. He has a clear point of view and isn't afraid to share it, particularly when it comes to media issues and media coverage of important stories.

From the Publisher