crisis management and effective messaging - new england
TRANSCRIPT
Crisis Management and Effective Messaging
Dr. Robert C. ChandlerDirector, Nicholson School of Communication
Do you know what you will Do you know what you will
say during a crisis?
Duration
Freq
uen
cy
• Incidents are complex
with many facets
• Each incident changes
and evolves over its
Incident communication challenges push people, processes, and tools to the limit
Type
Severity
Freq
uen
cy
Complexity
and evolves over its
duration, requiring you to
adapt your approach
• There are many types
of incidents
Crisis Lifecycle Analysis:What do we communicate, when, and how do we say it?
1. Warning2. Risk Assessment3. Response4. Management5. Resolution
Every stage of the crisis dictates your audience’s information requirements and your response
5. Resolution6. Recovery
• Communication is often precautionary and intended to
heighten awareness
• Certain incident types have very distinct warning
phases
1 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
• 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
•
2 Risk Assessment
• 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
Information flow
Communication processes
Emergency communication pitfalls
Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
2 Risk Assessment
Messages
Communication
Psychological dimensions
Perception and interpretation
Communication shifts in low to high-stress situations
Low Stress High Stress
Recipients process average
of 7 messagesRecipients process average
of 3 messages
Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
2 Risk Assessment
of 7 messages of 3 messages
Info processed at average grade level of about 10th Grade (general population)
Info processed at
6th-grade level or below
Focus on competence,
expertise, knowledgeFocus on listening, caring,
empathy, compassion
• 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,
3 Response
• Focus is geared toward making constituents aware of the incident, providing instructions and seeking confirmation of response
• Includes emergency notification messages
Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
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
3 Response
”
each over a period of
time. Outbreaks may
occur in different places
at different times.
Different people may be
affected differently.
• Crisis either moves toward resolution or gets worse with deepening layers of complexity
• Organizations must respond differently according to the progression of the crisis
4 Management
• 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
A crisis complicates conventional communication
Technical, 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
4 Management
“
”
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.
“
Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
4 Management
A railcar has ruptured that has released dangerous gas east of Denver, Colorado. Please remain indoors, shut your windows. Turn off
”
indoors, shut your windows. Turn off your air conditioning and wait for further instructions.
• 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”
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
5 Resolution
• 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
• 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”
5 Resolution
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
• 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
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
6 Recovery
• 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 planned recovery strategies are evaluated, modified and executed
• Who to communicate with:
• Affected target audiences
• Constituents and stakeholders
• Assigned individuals, agencies, and teams in charge
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
6 Recovery
• Critical factors to consider:
• Coordinated communication management
• Prevention of rumors and misinformation
• Avoiding inefficiencies and breakdowns and
• Getting thing back to “business as usual”
• How to communicate:
• Use both PUSH and PULL measures
• Use multiple (direct and indirect) channels
• What to communicate:
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
6 Recovery
• 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
Contact information
Robert C. Chandler, [email protected]
1.407.823.2681
Communication
resources
White papers, literature, case studies
www.everbridge.com/resources
blog.everbridge.com
twitter.com/everbridge
facebook.com/everbridgeinc
youtube.com/user/everbridge
Contact informationCommunication
resources
White papers, literature, case studies
www.everbridge.com/resources
blog.everbridge.com
twitter.com/everbridge
facebook.com/everbridgeinc
youtube.com/user/everbridge
Francis WillettDirector of Services Delivery
818.230.9512
Rory Peters Ellen RollinsRory PetersTraining & Education Service Manager
818.230.9755
Marc LadinChief Marketing Officer
818.230.9733
Ellen RollinsSenior Account Manager
760.644.8403
Patrick StruverSenior Account Executive
818.230.9724