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Communicating During the Six Stages of a CrisisRobert C. Chandler, Ph.D.Director, Nicholson School of Communication

• Leader in incident notification systems

• Fast-growing global company with more than 1,500 clients in more than 100 countries

• Serve the Global 2000, healthcare systems, state and local government, federal government, military, financial services firms, and universities

• 100% focused on incident notification solutions that merge technology and expertise

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About Everbridge

Part 1: Presentation• Introduction to the crisis lifecycle

• How and what to tell people during the six stages of a crisis

Part 2: Q&A

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Agenda

Use the Q&A function to submit your questions.

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Note: slides are currently available to everyone on blog.everbridge.com

Q&A

Bracing for the 2010 Hurricane Season

Communicating DuringThe Six Stages of a Crisis

Dr. Robert ChandlerUniversity of Central Florida

Type

Severity

Duration

Frequency

Complexity

• Incidents are complex with many facets

• Each incident changes and evolves over its duration, requiring you to adapt your approach

• There are many types of incidents

Incident communication challenges push people, processes, and tools to the limit

Crisis Lifecycle Analysis:What do we communicate, when, and how do we say it?

1. Warning2. Risk Assessment3. Response4. Management5. Resolution6. Recovery

Every stage of the crisis dictates your audience’s information requirements and your response

• Communication is often precautionary and intended to heighten awareness

• Certain incident types have very distinct warning phases

Examples: Hurricanes, snowstorms

• Other incidents have no warning periods or very subtle warning signs that often go unnoticed

Examples: Power outages, workplace violence, earthquakes

Waring1 Warning1

Information flow

Communication processes

Messages

CommunicationPsychological dimensions

Perception and interpretation

Emergency communication pitfalls

2 Risk Assessment

• Communication is geared toward assembling the right people to determine how to handle the situation

• Focus on “internal” communication – your team, your people, and your resources

• In the moments after an incident occurs and/or is reported, the crisis response team activates the organization’s emergency response plan

• Communications are sent only to decision-makers during risk assessment. “Public” communications occur during the response phase

2 Risk Assessment2

Communication shifts in low to high-stress situations

Low Stress High StressRecipients process average of 7 messages

Recipients process average of 3 messages

Info processed at average grade level of about 10th Grade (general population)

Info processed at6th-grade level or below

Focus on competence,expertise, knowledge

Focus on listening, caring, empathy, compassion

Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication CrisisRisk Assessment2

• Once the emergency response plan is activated, crisis team members call first-responders into action and begin to notify the “masses” about the incident

• Focus is geared toward making constituents aware of the incident, providing instructions and seeking confirmation of response

• Includes emergency notification messages

3 Response

Convey complex information and instructions using the 3-3-30 rule

”

“ Pandemics will occur in waves of about 7 weeks each over a period of time. Outbreaks may occur in different places at different times. Different people may be affected differently.

3 Response

• Crisis either moves toward resolution or gets worse with deepening layers of complexity

• Organizations must respond differently according to the progression of the crisis

• Organizations must provide regular status updates to their various audiences, change or add to previous instructions, control rumors, and conference with leadership and responder teams

• Course correction may be needed to respond to changes in the situation

4 Management

A crisis complicates conventional communicationTechnical, industry-specific jargon may confuse and intimidate an audience already under stress

“

”

Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis

A railcar containing anhydrous ammonia is breached as the result of a large rupture forming a gaseous ammonia cloud 27km east of Denver, Colorado. The nearest residential structures are 1 km (0.62 miles) downwind. Wind speed is estimated to be 1 meter/sec. We don’t know whether a liquid pool form will continue to evaporate or how long the ammonia cloud might last or exactly where it will go, however the emergency instructions are for you to remain indoors, shut windows, and shelter-in-place.

Management4

“

Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication CrisisManagement

”

A railcar has ruptured that has released dangerous gas east of Denver, Colorado. Please remain indoors, shut your windows. Turn off your air conditioning and wait for further instructions.

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• Once the crisis has been resolved and is drawing to conclusion, crisis team members communicate that resolution to all audiences in the form of all-clear alerts and messages of reassurance.

• Indicate status return to “normalcy”

• Closure

• Indicate transition to “recovery”

• Recall or demobilize emergency response or management protocols and procedures

• Change (transfer) of command authority or structure

Part 3: Six Stages of a CrisisResolution5

• Who to communicate with: Target audiences who have been actively impacted by the management of the crisis; constituents and stakeholders; emergency responding personnel; assigned individuals, agencies, and teams that will take charge of the operational recovery phase

• Critical factors to consider: Psychological and cognitive issues; lingering confusion and misinformation “pockets”; sequential communication delays, breakdowns, and “information ripples”

• How to communicate: both PUSH and PULL measures; multiple (direct and indirect) channels; both PUSH and PULL measures; multiple (direct and indirect) channels; and source credibility (authority)

• What to communicate: Simple declarative closure measures; change of status, transition; information on anticipated recovery steps; how to obtain resources or additional information – reassurance, confidence, and stability are all important meta-message aspects to communicate

Resolution5

• Goal of this stage is to convert this turning point into opportunity

• Focus on healing and getting back to normal

• Communication revolves around post-crisis counseling, a return to pre-crisis policies and operations

• Offer relief, celebration, acknowledgement for getting through the event

• Instill trust and confidence with your audience

• Acknowledge short comings and how they will be rectified in the future

• Damages, losses and costs are examined and analyzed, and plannedrecovery strategies are evaluated, modified and executed

Part 3: Six Stages of a CrisisRecovery6

• Who to communicate with: • Affected target audiences • Constituents and stakeholders• Assigned individuals, agencies, and teams in charge

• Critical factors to consider: • Coordinated communication management • Prevention of rumors and misinformation• Avoiding inefficiencies and breakdowns and • Getting thing back to “business as usual”

Part 3: Six Stages of a CrisisRecovery6

• How to communicate: • Use both PUSH and PULL measures• Use multiple (direct and indirect) channels

• What to communicate: • Focus on operational (pragmatic) information• Keep alert for changed circumstances and people • Explanation and post-event analysis• Beware of blaming or negative focus• Communicate changes in policies, procedures, and

facilities that are being implemented

Part 3: Six Stages of a CrisisRecovery6

Incident Notification

Marc LadinChief Marketing Officer, Everbridge

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Incident notification solutions address common communication challenges

• Communicate quickly, easily, and efficiently with large numbers of people in minutes, not hours, making sure that the lines of communication are open

• Receive feedback from your messages by using polling capabilities

• Ensure two-way communicationsto get feedback from message receivers

• Reduce miscommunications and control rumors with accurate, consistent messages

• Satisfy regulatory requirementswith extensive and complete reporting of communication attempts and two-way acknowledgements from recipients

• Deliver refined, prepared , timedmessages to each pre-designated audience group, by scenario

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Key evaluation criteria for an incident notification system

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• Experience and expertise

• Ease of use

• Ease of integration

Use the Q&A function to submit your questions.

Missed anything?Slides are currently available on blog.everbridge.com

Q&A

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Meet Dr. Chandler and be entered to win a signed copy of his latestbook Emergency Notification

Booth | 608Monday, March 28th

3:00pm - 3:30pm

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DRJ’s Spring World 2011March 27-30 |Orlando, FLhttp://www.drj.com/springworld/conference

Visit EverbridgeBooth 608Monday, March 28th

3:00pm – 3:30pm

Contact information

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.rcchandl@mail.ucf.edu1.407.823.2681

Marc Ladinmarc.ladin@everbridge.com1.818.230.9700

Communication resourcesUpcoming webinars:•System Demo (April 5)www.everbridge.com/webinars

White papers, literature, case studieswww.everbridge.com/resources

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