Proactive crisis communications in public institutions

Introduction: The air traffic controllers' strike that took place in Spain from the third to the sixth of December 2010 is a paradigmatic case of crisis communications. Objectives: The objective of this research article is to analyse the public communications strategies implemented, on the one hand, by the Ministry of Public Works and the Spanish government and, on the other, by the promoters of the strike, the air traffic controllers union. Methods: The study is based on the analysis of the news coverage of five of the main Spanish newspapers and the impact of the strike on the social networks. Conclusions: The results indicate that the Spanish government implemented a better communications plan, which was based on anticipation, proactivity and the use of the storytelling technique, i.e. the narration of a story with 'good' and 'bad' characters (the citizens and the government, on the one hand, and the promoters of the strike, on the other), which had a huge impact of the public opinion. The communication "strategy" of the promoters of the strike failed in its mission as it was characterised by improvisation, reactive attitudes and lack of coordination. Keywords Crisis communication; social networks; strike; institutional communication, proactivity, storytelling.