ABSTRACT
Government communicators are familiar with the daily crises that arise in public service, but managing those crises at the various levels of government can be more challenging for them than their peers in the corporate world. Research has established the unique obstacles and opportunities found in the public sector, but what can communicators do to be prepared to meet those challenges and succeed in their objectives? This chapter examines several crises that occurred at different levels of U.S. government, discusses the communication response, and offers solutions for managing similar issues in the future. The Government Communication Decision Wheel, which models the communication challenges and opportunities of the public sector, is overlaid with the concepts of conflict and trust to present relevant recommendations for government communicators.
