Was That The Sound of Something Hitting a Fan?

"Hello, this is Joanna from the CBC. I wonder if you could comment on this report that was just released from the Auditor General's Office..."

"May I speak to the senior manager, please? Oh, hi. This is Constable Johnstone from the RCMP...."

"Hey, listen, I'm not sure, but I think those firetrucks were heading towards the new housing units we just opened..."

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And then you woke up. Thank goodness. That phone call in the middle of the night was just a really, REALLY bad dream.

But what happens next time - when it's for real?

Even the best run organization will eventually have to deal with a crisis. It may be an unfortunate document leak, an inaccurate news report, or an unexpected government announcement that requires an immediate response. Whatever the case, at some point you'll have to get a message out, at short notice, regarding an unforeseen event or issue.

Every crisis is different, of course (that's what makes it a crisis!). But there a number of steps you can take to manage communication under pressure to ensure that the right messages are getting to the right people.  Here are a few proven tips to help you through your emergency.

1) Take a tip from the Boy Scouts, and BE PREPARED.

Most folks don't try to build a storm cellar during a hurricane: they do it ahead of time. So think ahead. Have a crisis communication plan and policy in place, and ensure that ALL key players are briefed on their roles and responsibilities in an emergency. That must include front line staff who'll be answering inquiries; anyone who will be required to speak on behalf of the organization; and the people who manage your own internal and external communication, including your press releases, website, twitter feed and social media pages.

2) Safety First.

Some emergencies involve an actual, physical threat; these can include fires, health emergencies, or critical incidents of violence.  Your first priority in any crisis of this nature is to ensure the security and well being of everyone concerned. If a critical incident occurs, your immediate concern is to provide information to protect safety. Use your media to communicate the nature, scope and scale of the threat, and provide critical information on what people need to do to avoid harm, sources of assistance, and updates on the threat.

3) Know who's in charge. 

Your crisis plan must identify one specific senior manager as communications coordinator, with executive authority to make decisions on communications when an emergency occurs. This may be your CEO, Executive Director, or Director of Communications. This person is not necessarily the spokesperson who will talk to media and the public, although they will brief the spokesperson: the coordinator's job is to determine what action is required, and oversee all communications matters relating to the issue or event.

4) Mobilize the team

The Communications Coordinator should organize an immediate meeting/teleconference of affected managers in order to share information, agree on immediate needs, agree on key information, messaging and spokespersons, and assign follow-up responsibilities. At that initial meeting, the team should:

• Agree on routing instructions for all front line staff (reception, administration, and others like to receive inquiries). These will specify where callers can seek further information, and direct inquiries for further information or media interview to the appropriate parties;
• Brainstorm Q and A’s for mandated spokespersons, providing recommended responses to all anticipated questions (and especially hostile ones);
• Agree on a primary online data source (website, facebook page and twitter feed) for rapid information feed
• Assign responsibility for media monitoring
• Identify any technical or specialized expertise that may be required to assist with messaging, including legal resource personnel if necessary

5) Speak with one voice. 

 It's critical to appoint ONE person to speak on behalf of the organization. Again, this may be the communications coordinator, or another designated spokesperson with good media and presentation skills - your CEO, the mayor, or the Chief. The Communications Coordinator should ensure that the spokesperson is constantly kept up to date with the latest information and messaging.

It's just as important to make sure that other are NOT speaking on behalf of the organization. On some controversial stories, journalists will often seek out multiple contacts with a board or a company, hoping to get additional information or a juicy, dissenting point of view. Ensure everyone on your staff and board know that ALL external queries are to be directed to the Communications coordinator for the duration of the crisis, and circulate an internal memo to that effect.

6) Become the preferred source.

The best way to control the messaging is to be the place that everyone comes to for information on the issue/event.

• Make sure that the information provided is accurate, timely, and consistent in all media and from all spokespersons.
• Update the information frequently, but don't sacrifice accuracy. 
• Don't rely on radio and TV journalists to tell your story: use all media that your audiences can access. Facebook, blog sites or a twitter feed are great for getting critical information to a wide audience quickly. 

7) Remember your internal audience

During a crisis we tend to focus on the audiences outside the organization - media, the general public, other organizations. It's just as important to keep everyone inside the organization informed about what's happening. It's a good idea to prepare and circulate a daily, in house briefing sheet for Board members, managers and staff, including:

• Incident or issue description
• Action being taken
• Key messages
• Authorized spokespersons and their contact information, and a reminder that no unauthorized personnel should consent to interview or issue statement 

8) And because it's worth repeating....Be Prepared!

Having the policy and procedures in place is a great first step. But people have to know (a) that it exists, and (b) how to do what it says they're supposed to do. Some tips:

• Develop your policy and procedure in consultation with staff, including the front line administration staff. You'll increase awareness of the policy, build buy-in, and capture some details you might not otherwise have thought of. 
• Hold a briefing session to review the completed policy and procedures with all staff.
• Add relevant crisis management responsibilities to all affected job descriptions. 
• Ensure that crisis management procedures are covered during staff and board orientation sessions.
• Provide training to senior staff, board members, and anyone else likely to be called on to speak on behalf of the organization, to ensure they can communicate comfortably in high pressure situations.