ABSTRACT
In part, developing crisis response strategies is about understanding the situation – but it is also about designing good messages. For this reason, good crisis communication is also about developing crisis strategy based on theory. Chapter 15 builds a case for theory-informed practice by arguing that theory improves performance, and helping to improve appreciation for the contribution that theory makes to communication strategy. It also introduces the three broad categories of theory used in the field of crisis communication: risk and crisis theories, communication theorym and theories from complementary fields of study. Within each of the categories, the chapter introduces some of the key theories and brief summaries of those theories. However, the chapter also focuses on how practitioners can use theory to build crisis capacity and select the best crisis response strategies.
