Stakeholder-focused communication strategy during crisis : a case study based on the Brussels terror attacks

Marynissen, Hugo; Lauder, Mike

doi:10.1177/2329488419882736

Title

Stakeholder-focused communication strategy during crisis : a case study based on the Brussels terror attacks

Author

Marynissen, Hugo

Lauder, Mike

Abstract

Research in the field of risk and crisis communication indicates that large disasters not only cause distress among those affected by a crisis situation but also among the wider public. It is known that feelings of anxiety and dread are rooted in a heuristic interpretation of the situation, and that this leads to elevated stress levels in both the individual and the collective. From the literature on psychosocial behavior, we know that the lack of information, the shortness of guidance on what to do, and the absence of acknowledgement of any emotional distress, all have an immediate negative impact on the individual's stress level. To tackle this phenomenon, this research looks to communication practices as a way of dealing with this issue during a crisis. The prevailing crisis communication literature suggests its prime aim is to safeguard the sender's reputation thereby preventing the loss of trust. In our work, we inverted that logic by introducing a crisis communication strategy that focuses on restoring trust by diminishing victims' and other stakeholders' stress levels. Based on a case, the Brussels terror attacks (March, 2016), we proved the effectiveness of this approach and the diminishing effect on the population's stress levels.

Language

English

Source (journal)

International journal of business communication / Association for Business Communication [Urbana, Ill.] - Thousand Oaks, Calif., 2014, currens

Publication

Thousand oaks : Sage publications inc , 2019

ISSN

2329-4884 [print]

2329-4892 [online]

DOI

10.1177/2329488419882736

Volume/pages