Crisis communications Crisis communication is the most important aspect of the organization's external and internal communication. This type of communication ranges from image restoration campaigns to staff turnover. In the articles I analyzed I discovered many examples of crisis communication and its importance. I will discuss the Bridgestone-Firestone Corporation's image restoration campaign and explain Benoit's image restoration theory. Additionally, I will discuss how crisis communications fits into public relations models. Two examples to discuss will involve how supervisors should convey bad news to their employees and team communication in the context of employee turnover. My final example for this discussion will be Bill Clinton's image repair speech. This essay will analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of crisis communications and its place within an organization. As stated previously, I will discuss several examples drawn from five academic articles relevant to this topic. I hope to convey the importance of crisis communication. In the article “Blowout! Firestone’s Image Restoration Campaign” Blaney, Benoit, and Brazeal (2002) discuss how Firestone failed in its recovery efforts. The authors argue that Firestone's attempt to shift blame was "ill-conceived." (p. 379) Furthermore, they state that the use of celebrities to endorse their products and reputations has not been successful due to the obvious financial relationships between them. This discussion leads to the application of Benoit's image restoration theory. (2002). This theory states that “communicators who need to restore a damaged reputation have five general rhetorical options: denial, avoidance of responsibility, reduction of offensiveness, corrective action, and mortification.” (p.380) The author concludes that this case study shows that “denial and, unfortunately, concealment of incriminating data are common responses to wrongdoing. If corrective actions had been implemented immediately, it seems likely that many deaths and injuries could have been avoided." (p.388-389) This article provides a great example of how important crisis communication is. The failed image restoration campaign still haunts this company. Blaney, Benoit and Brazeal make a good case for why this campaign was unsuccessful. Organizations need to educate themselves on proper crisis communication… middle of paper… and ensure that an event that could end someone's career becomes a mere stain on their character. With this discussion in mind, I am certain that crisis communication is the most important aspect of the organization's external and internal communication. Studies and examples provided by academic resources establish this point. Works Cited: Blaney, Joseph R., Benoit, William L. & Brazeal, LeAnn M. (2002). Blowout!: Firestone's image restoration campaign. Public Relations Review, 28, 379-392.Cox, Stephen A. (1999). Team communication and employee turnover: How coworkers encourage colleagues to voluntarily quit. The Southern Communication Journal, 64, 181-192. Wagoner, Ruth & Waldron, Vincent R. (1999). How supervisors regularly deliver bad news: Facework at UPS. The Southern Communication Journal, 64, 193-209. Guiniven, John E. (2002). Addressing activism in Canada: An ideal cultural fit for the two-way symmetric public relations model. Public Relations Review, 28, 393-402.Benoit, William L. (1998). Bill Clinton in the Starr House. American newspaper of. 21 2005.