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Original

English
🇨🇳

Translation

Chinese

Crisis Communication

危机沟通

Framework

框架

IRON LAW: Respond in the Golden Hour

The first public response must come within 1 hour of the crisis becoming
public. Silence creates a vacuum that others fill with speculation.
A holding statement ("We are aware and investigating") is better than
no statement. Perfection is the enemy of timeliness.
IRON LAW: Respond in the Golden Hour

The first public response must come within 1 hour of the crisis becoming
public. Silence creates a vacuum that others fill with speculation.
A holding statement ("We are aware and investigating") is better than
no statement. Perfection is the enemy of timeliness.

Three Phases

三个阶段

1. Prevention (before crisis)
  • Identify potential crises (risk inventory)
  • Prepare holding statements and spokesperson training
  • Establish a crisis team with clear roles
  • Monitor media and social channels
2. Response (during crisis)
  • Activate crisis team
  • Issue holding statement immediately
  • Gather facts rapidly
  • Issue full statement using 3C framework:
    • Concern: Show empathy for affected parties
    • Commitment: State what you're doing about it
    • Control: Demonstrate you're managing the situation
3. Recovery (after crisis)
  • Assess damage and lessons learned
  • Implement corrective actions
  • Rebuild stakeholder trust through actions (not just words)
  • Update crisis plan based on learnings
1. 预防阶段（危机发生前）
  • 识别潜在危机（风险清单）
  • 准备暂留声明并开展发言人培训
  • 建立职责明确的危机应对团队
  • 监测媒体及社交渠道
2. 响应阶段（危机发生时）
  • 启动危机应对团队
  • 立即发布暂留声明
  • 快速收集事实
  • 运用3C框架发布完整声明：
    • 关怀（Concern）：向受影响方表达共情
    • 承诺（Commitment）：说明针对危机将采取的行动
    • 管控（Control）：展示对局势的管理能力
3. 恢复阶段（危机结束后）
  • 评估损失并总结经验教训
  • 实施纠正措施
  • 通过实际行动（而非仅口头表述）重建利益相关者信任
  • 根据经验更新危机应对方案

SCCT (Situational Crisis Communication Theory)

SCCT（情境危机沟通理论）

Crisis TypeAttribution of BlameResponse Strategy
Victim (natural disaster, rumor)Low — organization is also a victimDeny / Diminish
Accidental (technical error, product defect)Medium — unintentionalDiminish / Rebuild
Preventable (human error, organizational failure)High — could have been avoidedRebuild (full apology + corrective action)
危机类型责任归因应对策略
受害型（自然灾害、谣言）低——组织本身也是受害者否认/弱化
意外型（技术故障、产品缺陷）中——非故意行为弱化/重建
可预防型（人为失误、组织失职）高——本可避免重建（全面道歉+纠正措施）

Crisis Statement Template

危机声明模板

[Concern] We are deeply concerned about [specific situation] and our
thoughts are with [affected parties].

[Facts] Here is what we know: [factual summary, no speculation].

[Commitment] We are taking the following immediate actions:
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]

[Control] We have activated [response team/process] and will provide
updates [frequency and channel].

[Contact] For questions, contact [spokesperson, channel].
[Concern] We are deeply concerned about [specific situation] and our
thoughts are with [affected parties].

[Facts] Here is what we know: [factual summary, no speculation].

[Commitment] We are taking the following immediate actions:
1. [Action 1]
2. [Action 2]

[Control] We have activated [response team/process] and will provide
updates [frequency and channel].

[Contact] For questions, contact [spokesperson, channel].

Output Format

输出格式

markdown
undefined
markdown
undefined

Crisis Response Plan: {Situation}

Crisis Response Plan: {Situation}

Crisis Assessment

Crisis Assessment

  • Type: Victim / Accidental / Preventable
  • Severity: Low / Medium / High
  • Stakeholders affected: {list}
  • Media attention level: {current state}
  • Type: Victim / Accidental / Preventable
  • Severity: Low / Medium / High
  • Stakeholders affected: {list}
  • Media attention level: {current state}

Immediate Response (< 1 hour)

Immediate Response (< 1 hour)

  • Holding statement: {draft}
  • Spokesperson: {who}
  • Internal notification: {who needs to know}
  • Holding statement: {draft}
  • Spokesperson: {who}
  • Internal notification: {who needs to know}

Full Response (< 24 hours)

Full Response (< 24 hours)

  • Full statement: {draft using 3C framework}
  • Key messages (3 max): ...
  • Channel strategy: {where to publish}
  • Q&A preparation: {anticipated questions + answers}
  • Full statement: {draft using 3C framework}
  • Key messages (3 max): ...
  • Channel strategy: {where to publish}
  • Q&A preparation: {anticipated questions + answers}

Recovery Plan

Recovery Plan

  • Corrective actions: ...
  • Trust-rebuilding steps: ...
  • Timeline: ...
undefined
  • Corrective actions: ...
  • Trust-rebuilding steps: ...
  • Timeline: ...
undefined

Gotchas

注意事项

  • Never lie or speculate: If you don't know, say "We are investigating." A wrong fact in a crisis statement becomes the next crisis.
  • Social media accelerates everything: A crisis that would have taken days to develop in 2010 takes hours in 2025. Speed of response must match speed of spread.
  • Internal communication first: Employees should hear from you before they hear from the media. Issue internal statement before or simultaneously with external.
  • Apology requires specificity: "We're sorry if anyone was offended" is not an apology. "We apologize for [specific action] that caused [specific harm]" is.
  • Legal vs PR tension: Legal team wants to say nothing (liability). PR team wants to say everything (trust). The right answer is usually: acknowledge facts, show empathy, commit to action — without admitting legal liability prematurely.
  • 切勿撒谎或猜测：如果不确定，就说“我们正在调查”。危机声明中的错误事实会引发新的危机。
  • 社交媒体加速危机传播：2010年需要数天发酵的危机，在2025年仅需数小时。响应速度必须匹配传播速度。
  • 优先内部沟通：员工应先从公司获悉消息，而非从媒体。内部声明应早于或同步于外部声明发布。
  • 道歉需具体：“若有人感到冒犯我们深表歉意”并非真正的道歉。“我们为[具体行为]造成[具体伤害]致歉”才是合格的道歉。
  • 法务与公关的矛盾：法务团队希望保持沉默（规避责任），公关团队希望充分沟通（维护信任）。正确的做法通常是：承认事实、表达共情、承诺行动——但不要过早承认法律责任。

References

参考资料

  • For social media crisis response playbook, see 
    references/social-crisis.md
  • 社交媒体危机响应手册，请参阅 
    references/social-crisis.md