Four key crisis communication questions

You're probably all exhausted after having spent the past few weeks communicating at break-neck speed in a bid to keep up with the economic turmoil. And as if that wasn't enough, suddenly you're faced with a new issue that demands your crisis communication skills.

The outbreak of swine flu, and the media speculation as to whether or not we're on the brink of a pandemic, has taken us all by surprise and has probably thrown your communication plan way off course.

The following four questions published in an article on the Internal Comms Hub could help you form an effective crisis communication plan:

1. What are your key objectives in a crisis?
2. Who should be on your crisis team?
3. What should a response plan look like?
4. What resources will you need?

Keep reading for answers to these questions and to discover how you can put this advice to good use.

1. What are your key objectives in a crisis?
Clarify your communication objectives at the start of your plan. Typical objectives include:

• Assessment of a situation to decide whether a communication response is appropriate.
• Sharing information about the crisis with affected parties and core constituencies.
• Using facts to reduce speculation or panic.
• Rebuilding confidence in your company.

Your objectives should begin with a clear definition of what a crisis is in the context of your business. Distinguish between a crisis (requiring a public response and involving outside agencies) and a serious internal issue, as your response will vary accordingly.

2. Who should be on your crisis team?
A crisis communication team will preferably always report to the CEO and seek approval for its crisis plan from him or her. However, it's important to have contingency plans in place in case that person can't be contacted. If your crisis communication team is to provide consistent information to all constituencies, it should include representatives from across your communication, public affairs and HR functions.

3. What should a response plan look like?
Obviously, different companies structure their response plans with different priorities in mind, but certain core activities are common to all. Typically, activities are structured into immediate response (all actions in the first 72 hours), medium term (first week) and long term (ongoing support work). Essential immediate responses include:

• Establish the known facts.
• Designate a spokesperson. Typically, the most effective person for this role will be the CEO or the senior manager who's most capable of dealing with tough questions and inspiring confidence in his or her answers.
• Determine who needs to be informed and the order in which they should be contacted.
• Divide contact responsibilities across your team and begin informing people of the known facts.

While immediate responses should be designed to react and stay on top of a situation, medium- and long-term activities aim to return your organization to normal and help people overcome trauma. Build a review process into your plan to ensure that these activities are continuously evaluated and improved.

Bear in mind that all contingency plans need a degree of flexibility. Their aim is to make sure that people are aware of the processes and decisions required in a crisis. However, even the most comprehensive plan will not enable you to fully automate your company's reaction.

4. What resources will you need?
A fact sheet - containing all available information and contact details for
spokespeople and relevant support agencies - can form the core of your communication response. For it to be effective, you'll need processes in place to ensure access for all (remember that a crisis could disable your communication network) and to enable version control, so that the information is up-to-date on
all existing versions.

Members of the Internal Comms Hub can see the full-length online version by logging on in the usual way.

Until next time,

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