Developing a comprehensive approach to managing crises is crucial for any organization regardless of the industry or area of professional activities due to the fact that improper response to crises may ruin the reputation, thus incur vast financial losses and even lead to bankruptcy. For this reason, it is essential to understand how crises can be handled, and the vital role in crisis management is played by PR departments, especially in the case of influential and notable organizations. The general knowledge and the most common practices related to crisis management were collected and systematized by the Institute for Public Relations in a well-developed and detailed post. The article under consideration provides a detailed insight into crisis communication, as it is believed that the proper communication is the best way to cope with the crisis and save the organizations’ reputation (Institute for PR).

Based on the content of the article, it made a significant contribution to the field of PR. There are several reasons for valuing the significance of the piece. First and foremost, it is a systematized presentation of the latest research in the area of crisis management and the role of PR played in it with the special focus on the importance of social media in communicating with the public regarding the crises that emerge. Specifically, it is stated that social media communication channels should be incorporated into crisis management strategy developed and used by any organization in order to guarantee the prompt communication of the crisis itself and the progress in coping with it (Institute for PR). What is vital here is that the post clearly outlines the most effective procedures of crisis management so that it may be perceived as the guideline for action. For instance, the focus is made on identifying the step that should be taken during three stages of crisis management (pre-crisis, crisis response, and post-crisis) and determining how different channels of communication may be used to minimize the risks of negative consequences at each of these stages.

In addition to the overall significance of the article to the field of PR as such, it is as well vital for my personal focus. Specifically, I am interested in the application of social media networks to proper crisis management, and the article helped me obtain the knowledge of some potentially effective practices. What I found the most useful is the recommendation to develop templates and pre-draft crisis-related messages so that the communication is maximally prompt (Institute for PR). Another point that I found valuable is the so-called stealing thunder strategy that could perfectly supplement the one mentioned above. The reason for pointing to these two areas of significance is the fact that are helpful for modernizing the crisis management plans due to explaining the role of social media networks that are commonly ignored when it comes to the necessity of coping with crises.

All in all, the article is a well-written piece of material. It incorporates numerous points that could be helpful to both to gain theoretical insight into crisis management as well as PR professional for making their work more meaningful and improving the overall effectiveness of crisis response strategies. In this way, I would recommend the article because the Institute for PR details that are necessary for knowing how to become prepared for any crisis and react to it. Even though the article was published in 2014 and one might claim that it is outdated already, in fact, it may serve as the ground for conducting more research in the field of crisis management and communications because all recent research developments are properly outlined and explained.