Survive the Unthinkable Through Crisis Planning What is a Crisis? A crisis is a situation that has reached an extremely difficult or dangerous point. A crisis is an event, revelation, allegation or set of circumstances which threatens the integrity, reputation, or survival of an individual or organization. Crisis management means · having a plan in place, · having identified who will do what, · and having practiced the plan for most conceivable events. No organization can just "wing it." You need to develop a crisis management plan. You need to develop variations of the plan to cover any emergency your company might be expected to encounter. The goal of the plan itself is to ensure your people have the tools to get the crisis under control as quickly as possible to minimize the damage.   It's about Proactive vs. Reactive   Crisis Communications Planning is the process of managing the strategy, messages, timing and distribution channels necessary to communicate effectively with the media, employees, core constituencies, clients, customers and stake holders. The focus of the crisis communications function is to facilitate the rapid de-escalation of the crisis through timely and effective communications methods. Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act The idea behind success, in a dogfight, a business situation, or a crisis, is to complete loops of decision making that are faster than those around you, such as your adversaries. We want to shorten the life cycle of our decisions without increasing the failure rate of the decisions made. If we have no preparation, if we don't take into account all the elements of the environment, including the possibilities of problems that haven't occurred but may, then we are · either too slow in our decisions to be careful, and this allows the other guy to do things faster and thus better than us, · or we are either too hasty in our decisions, and this leads to costly errors. For crisis communication, preparation guarantees orientation · In a crisis, you job is not to minimize the stockholder expense, it is to maximize the company's chances of survival. You need to limit the cost, but also you need to limit the damage to the company's reputation and credibility.   · You need to react as quickly as a crisis breaks.   · By acting quickly, and doing immediately the things you are eventually have to do anyway, you maximize your chances of staying ahead of events where you have some chance to influence the story. What's the DEAL? An effective crisis communications plan should: ·  Define response strategies that can be implemented when a crisis occurs; ·  Assign crisis communications resources and responsibilities; ·  Enable you to reach target audiences with key messages, and ·  Launch public information and media relations campaigns immediately during a crisis. In a crisis tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. Other things to remember: · Never try to lie, deny or hide your involv.

1. Survive the Unthinkable Through Crisis Planning
What is a Crisis?
A crisis is a situation that has reached an extremely difficult or
dangerous point.
A crisis is an event, revelation, allegation or set of
circumstances which threatens the integrity, reputation, or
survival of an individual or organization.
Crisis management means
· having a plan in place,
· having identified who will do what,
· and having practiced the plan for most conceivable events.
No organization can just "wing it."
You need to develop a crisis management plan.
You need to develop variations of the plan to cover any
emergency your company might be expected to encounter.
The goal of the plan itself is to ensure your people have the
tools to get the crisis under control as quickly as possible to
minimize the damage.
It's about Proactive vs. Reactive
Crisis Communications Planning is the process of managing the
strategy, messages, timing and distribution channels necessary
to communicate effectively with the media, employees, core
constituencies, clients, customers and stake holders.
The focus of the crisis communications function is to facilitate
the rapid de-escalation of the crisis through timely and effective
communications methods.
Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act
The idea behind success, in a dogfight, a business situation, or a

2. crisis, is to complete loops of decision making that are faster
than those around you, such as your adversaries.
We want to shorten the life cycle of our decisions without
increasing the failure rate of the decisions made.
If we have no preparation, if we don't take into account all the
elements of the environment, including the possibilities of
problems that haven't occurred but may, then we are
· either too slow in our decisions to be careful, and this allows
the other guy to do things faster and thus better than us,
· or we are either too hasty in our decisions, and this leads to
costly errors.
For crisis communication, preparation guarantees orientation
· In a crisis, you job is not to minimize the stockholder expense,
it is to maximize the company's chances of survival. You need
to limit the cost, but also you need to limit the damage to the
company's reputation and credibility.
· You need to react as quickly as a crisis breaks.
· By acting quickly, and doing immediately the things you are
eventually have to do anyway, you maximize your chances of
staying ahead of events where you have some chance to
influence the story.
What's the DEAL?
An effective crisis communications plan should:
· Define response strategies that can be implemented when a
crisis occurs;
· Assign crisis communications resources and responsibilities;
· Enable you to reach target audiences with key messages, and

3. · Launch public information and media relations campaigns
immediately during a crisis.
In a crisis tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth.
Other things to remember:
· Never try to lie, deny or hide your involvement.
· If you ignore the situation it will only get worse.
· Don't let the lawyers make the decisions. While they are good
intentioned it may cause the crisis to escalate.
· The cause of almost all crises fall into two broad categories:
· Overt acts and acts of omission.
· Issues of competence or lack thereof in matters of public
perception.
Crisis Communications Plan Checklist
· Can we move immediately?
· Can we switch on a plan?
· Can resources be called out immediately, 7 days a week, 24
hours a day?
· Do we know what to say?
· Do we know who we want to reach - in order of priority?
· Do we have trained crisis communications managers to
implement our plan?
Steps to Plan for a Crisis
1. The need for, and benefits of, a plan.
2. The types of crises which your organization may face.
3. Categorize these under broad headings: accidents, financial,

4. personnel, abuse, etc.
4. Identify crisis management team - both permanent and ad hoc
members, the decision-making process, approvals, etc..
5. Establish protocols, sign-offs, responsibilities, time frames
(the goal is to short-circuit the usual decision-making approvals
to allow the organization to be able to react quickly enough in a
crisis). Identify third-party potential supporters or credible
experts who can play a role in public assurances (for example,
U.S. FDA Commissioner David Kessler's role of public
reassurance during the Pepsi syringe-in-a-bottle crisis was a
vital component of the Corporation's credibility).
6. Coordinate responsibilities with other Departments and
agencies, and corporations and how they are to be involved -
define criteria for designating lead agency status.
7. The principles which apply when communicating with the
media.
8. Identify and prioritize target audiences and then identify
channels of communications; update media list; consider
alternate communications sources: newsletters, Internet, email,
fax-on-demand, 1-800 lines,
9. Develop stand-by message and tactics. Prepare templated
media tools, ready-to-use: news releases, media statements, fact
sheets, backgrounds which should be prepared in advance, etc.
10. A system to test the crisis management plan.
11. How the crisis management plan can be assessed post-crisis
so that the organization can learn from each one.
· College Example:

5. http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jstill/3365/Plan_Example.htm
The Crisis Communication Team
Should be comprised of individuals who are key to the situation.
Include as a minimum...
· the CEO,
· the chief of Public Relations,
· the Vice President,
· the Senior manager from the division in charge of the area that
was involved in the situation that has brought about the crisis,
· the safety and/or security officer,
· the organization Lawyer,
· organization's designated spokesperson (and backup)
· anyone else who might be able to shed some light on the
situation such as eye witnesses.
Media Strategy and Plan
Here are the key things to remember when dealing with the
media in a crisis situation:
· Know what you want to say and repeat it often
· Don't wait until you have "something to tell them". If you
don't know, tell them you don't know and when you might have
an answer.
· Be honest.
· Stick to the facts. Don't guess or speculate.

6. · Be concise and direct.
· Be aware of non-verbal communication you give. Dress
appropriately, watch you mannerisms, and stay cool.
· Know the level of understanding of the reporter and their
audience and speak to that.
· Have talking points or key messages prepared.
Sample News Release:
http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jstill/3365/crisis_notes.htm#Sample
%20News%20Release
Designated Spokesperson
In a crisis, the communicator's responsibilities include:
· Ensuring that the quality of communications itself does not
become the issue.
· Driving the communications process pro actively rather than
in a merely reactive manner.
· Maintaining tight control over who speaks on behalf of the
organization. All media and public communications should be
limited to one spokesperson wherever possible. Utilize the
public role of the CEO or the Agency Head to the maximum
benefit. This means making the CEO visible early and at key
announcements throughout the process.
· Staying on message. Never make accidental news. Rigorously
brief key officials prior to any announcement and role-play all
awkward questions to ensure consistency of messages.
· Demonstrating empathy and caring about people; recognize
public anxiety - don't dismiss it.

7. Criteria for the spokesperson, backup spokesperson and crisis
communication expert is:
· comfortable in front of a TV camera and with reporters.
· preferably, skilled in handling media,
· skilled in directing responses to another topic,
· skilled in identifying key points,
· able to speak without using jargon,
· respectful of the role of the reporter,
· knowledgeable about the organization and the crisis at hand
· able to establish credibility with the media,
· able to project confidence to the audience,
· suitable in regard to diction, appearance and charisma,
· sincere, straightforward and believable,
· accessible to the media and to internal communications
personnel who will facilitate media interviews,
· able to remain calm in stressful situations.
In addition to the primary spokesperson and the backup
spokesperson, individuals who will serve as technical experts or
advisors should be designated. These resources might include a
financial expert, an engineer, a leader in the community or
anyone your company deems necessary during a specific kind of
crisis.

8. More on Media Handling, Presentation and Media Do's and
Don'ts
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < first news cycle
· What happened? (focus on facts or allegations)
· How much? (damage, money involved)
· Who was involved? (victims, accused etc.)
· What are you doing to help? Is there a credible response
underway?)
Nature of Initial Coverage:
· The media must report immediately with little or no
background or context.
Therefore, early on in a crisis, there is a heavy reliance on
rumors, eye-witness accounts, unsubstantiated comments. Even
though most journalists are responsible enough to label these
comments appropriately, it doesn't prevent them from reporting
rumors. This is particularly true of live radio or television
coverage. "There is a report, Dan, which we cannot confirm at
this time, that the company has had a history of these incidents
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < second news cycle
· What was the cause of the accident, incident, bank collapse?
(every conceivable cause is explored)
· Is this part of a pattern?
· Who will pay?
· What is the potential damage to reputation, stock price, ability
of campaign to survive, political support, or future plans?
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < subsequent news
cycles
With full-blown media coverage, the media are in a feeding
frenzy. It's no longer a case of defined "news cycles" (which
live broadcasts have virtually eliminated anyway). Instead, the
media are crawling over each other to report anything about the
case. Every morsel of information is feasted upon.
Verified and unverified information is treated equally. It still
doesn't have to be true, it just has to be "interesting". The
mistake most organizations make is to keep adding "wrinkles"

9. to the original story thus ensuring the issue stays in the news.
The event will spiral out of control into a full-blown crisis if a
new and damaging allegation or revelation comes along. When
new issues emerge some organizations are unfortunately still
fighting "yesterday's issue". The organization can become either
frozen in fear or fires back all guns blazing in a transparent
effort to shift the blame.
What will further seal the fate of the company is if the CEO
tries to stay out of it (under the mistaken impression that the
right image to convey is "business as usual").
Practicing Tough Questions
A crisis situation is always difficult when dealing with the
media. Therefore, tough questions and rehearsals are necessary
to help the spokesperson prepare.
It is important, at the onset of the crisis, that the spokesperson,
backup and advisors spend some time rehearsing prepared
statements and answers to possible "tough" questions that may
be asked by reporters. If possible, similar rehearsals should be
conducted prior to each media interview, briefing or news
conference. It is also important to anticipate and practice new
questions as the story evolves.
It is better to over-prepare than to be surprised by the depth of
questioning by the media. Be tough and be prepared.
The Communications/Public Relations staff should prepare
questions and answers for the practice sessions. These questions
and answers should be for internal use only and not for
distribution outside the organization.
Don't volunteer information unless it is a point the company
wants to make and the question hasn't been asked.
Don't talk off the record.
Prepared Statements
If you don't communicate immediately, you lose your greatest
opportunity to control events. (Below is a fill-in the blanks
news release that can be used with little or no preparation as
your first news release). Your first news release should include
at a minimum the who, what, when and where of the situation.

10. You must give the facts that have been gathered from reliable
sources and confirmed. Don't over-reach and don't speculate.
There is a limit to your role. To exceed that limit is a mistake.
If you do nothing more than show concern for the public and for
your employees in your first press interaction, you are already
on the right track. The corollary of expressing concern and
generating good will at the consumer level is securing the
loyalty of your customers and employees by taking the initiative
to share information with them. If your employees and
customers don't feel like insiders, they are going to act like
outsiders.
You must have a prepared statement on hand that can be used to
make an initial general response to the media when knowledge
about the crisis first becomes known on a widespread basis or
by reporters.
As the crisis progresses and new information and facts become
available, it is also advisable to develop prepared statements to
be made by the spokesperson at the onset of any media
interview, briefing or news conference.
These prepared statements also can be read over the telephone
to reporters who call to request information but are not
represented at news conferences or briefings. The statement can
also be sent by FAX or e-mail upon request.
Sample News Release
A ___________________ at ____________________ involving
__________________ occurred today at ________________ .
The incident is under investigation and more information is
forthcoming.
A (what happened) at (location) involving (who) occurred today
at (time). The incident is under investigation and more
information is forthcoming.
For instance:
An explosion at 1210 Market Street, the main plant for the
Acme Toy Company occurred today at 3 p.m. The incident is
under investigation and more information is forthcoming.
You could put down a definitive time for the next news

11. conference or release of information if you know it but it is not
necessary. This will not solve your problems, but may buy you
enough time to prepare for the next news conference or release.
When you are answering questions . . .
- Remain friendly, cool-headed and confident.
- Answer only the questions asked and do so as succinctly and
clearly as possible.
- Remember that you do not always have to know everything.
You can say "I will have to check that out for you--please see
me after the meeting.
- Avoid allowing one person to dominate the questions by
moving on: "Thank you for your interest. I'll be glad to talk to
you about your concerns after the meeting. Right now let's see
if anyone else has questions for the group.
- See to it that arrangements are made for distributing
information materials to the group, if requested/appropriate.
Survive the Unthinkable Through Crisis Planning
What is a Crisis?
A crisis is a situation that has reached an extremely difficult or
dangerous point.
A crisis is an event, revelation, allegation or set of
circumstances which threatens the integrity, reputation, or
survival of an individual or organization.
Crisis management means
· having a plan in place,
· having identified who will do what,
· and having practiced the plan for most conceivable events.
No organization can just "wing it."
You need to develop a crisis management plan.
You need to develop variations of the plan to cover any
emergency your company might be expected to encounter.
The goal of the plan itself is to ensure your people have the
tools to get the crisis under control as quickly as possible to

12. minimize the damage.
It's about Proactive vs. Reactive
Crisis Communications Planning is the process of managing the
strategy, messages, timing and distribution channels necessary
to communicate effectively with the media, employees, core
constituencies, clients, customers and stake holders.
The focus of the crisis communications function is to facilitate
the rapid de-escalation of the crisis through timely and effective
communications methods.
Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act
The idea behind success, in a dogfight, a business situation, or a
crisis, is to complete loops of decision making that are faster
than those around you, such as your adversaries.
We want to shorten the life cycle of our decisions without
increasing the failure rate of the decisions made.
If we have no preparation, if we don't take into account all the
elements of the environment, including the possibilities of
problems that haven't occurred but may, then we are
· either too slow in our decisions to be careful, and this allows
the other guy to do things faster and thus better than us,
· or we are either too hasty in our decisions, and this leads to
costly errors.
For crisis communication, preparation guarantees orientation
· In a crisis, you job is not to minimize the stockholder expense,
it is to maximize the company's chances of survival. You need
to limit the cost, but also you need to limit the damage to the
company's reputation and credibility.

13. · You need to react as quickly as a crisis breaks.
· By acting quickly, and doing immediately the things you are
eventually have to do anyway, you maximize your chances of
staying ahead of events where you have some chance to
influence the story.
What's the DEAL?
An effective crisis communications plan should:
· Define response strategies that can be implemented when a
crisis occurs;
· Assign crisis communications resources and responsibilities;
· Enable you to reach target audiences with key messages, and
· Launch public information and media relations campaigns
immediately during a crisis.
In a crisis tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth.
Other things to remember:
· Never try to lie, deny or hide your involvement.
· If you ignore the situation it will only get worse.
· Don't let the lawyers make the decisions. While they are good
intentioned it may cause the crisis to escalate.
· The cause of almost all crises fall into two broad categories:
· Overt acts and acts of omission.
· Issues of competence or lack thereof in matters of public
perception.

14. Crisis Communications Plan Checklist
· Can we move immediately?
· Can we switch on a plan?
· Can resources be called out immediately, 7 days a week, 24
hours a day?
· Do we know what to say?
· Do we know who we want to reach - in order of priority?
· Do we have trained crisis communications managers to
implement our plan?
Steps to Plan for a Crisis
1. The need for, and benefits of, a plan.
2. The types of crises which your organization may face.
3. Categorize these under broad headings: accidents, financial,
personnel, abuse, etc.
4. Identify crisis management team - both permanent and ad hoc
members, the decision-making process, approvals, etc..
5. Establish protocols, sign-offs, responsibilities, time frames
(the goal is to short-circuit the usual decision-making approvals
to allow the organization to be able to react quickly enough in a
crisis). Identify third-party potential supporters or credible
experts who can play a role in public assurances (for example,
U.S. FDA Commissioner David Kessler's role of public
reassurance during the Pepsi syringe-in-a-bottle crisis was a
vital component of the Corporation's credibility).
6. Coordinate responsibilities with other Departments and
agencies, and corporations and how they are to be involved -
define criteria for designating lead agency status.
7. The principles which apply when communicating with the
media.

15. 8. Identify and prioritize target audiences and then identify
channels of communications; update media list; consider
alternate communications sources: newsletters, Internet, email,
fax-on-demand, 1-800 lines,
9. Develop stand-by message and tactics. Prepare templated
media tools, ready-to-use: news releases, media statements, fact
sheets, backgrounds which should be prepared in advance, etc.
10. A system to test the crisis management plan.
11. How the crisis management plan can be assessed post-crisis
so that the organization can learn from each one.
· College Example:
http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jstill/3365/Plan_Example.htm
The Crisis Communication Team
Should be comprised of individuals who are key to the situation.
Include as a minimum...
· the CEO,
· the chief of Public Relations,
· the Vice President,
· the Senior manager from the division in charge of the area that
was involved in the situation that has brought about the crisis,
· the safety and/or security officer,
· the organization Lawyer,
· organization's designated spokesperson (and backup)
· anyone else who might be able to shed some light on the

16. situation such as eye witnesses.
Media Strategy and Plan
Here are the key things to remember when dealing with the
media in a crisis situation:
· Know what you want to say and repeat it often
· Don't wait until you have "something to tell them". If you
don't know, tell them you don't know and when you might have
an answer.
· Be honest.
· Stick to the facts. Don't guess or speculate.
· Be concise and direct.
· Be aware of non-verbal communication you give. Dress
appropriately, watch you mannerisms, and stay cool.
· Know the level of understanding of the reporter and their
audience and speak to that.
· Have talking points or key messages prepared.
Sample News Release:
http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jstill/3365/crisis_notes.htm#Sample
%20News%20Release
Designated Spokesperson
In a crisis, the communicator's responsibilities include:
· Ensuring that the quality of communications itself does not
become the issue.

17. · Driving the communications process pro actively rather than
in a merely reactive manner.
· Maintaining tight control over who speaks on behalf of the
organization. All media and public communications should be
limited to one spokesperson wherever possible. Utilize the
public role of the CEO or the Agency Head to the maximum
benefit. This means making the CEO visible early and at key
announcements throughout the process.
· Staying on message. Never make accidental news. Rigorously
brief key officials prior to any announcement and role-play all
awkward questions to ensure consistency of messages.
· Demonstrating empathy and caring about people; recognize
public anxiety - don't dismiss it.
Criteria for the spokesperson, backup spokesperson and crisis
communication expert is:
· comfortable in front of a TV camera and with reporters.
· preferably, skilled in handling media,
· skilled in directing responses to another topic,
· skilled in identifying key points,
· able to speak without using jargon,
· respectful of the role of the reporter,
· knowledgeable about the organization and the crisis at hand
· able to establish credibility with the media,
· able to project confidence to the audience,

18. · suitable in regard to diction, appearance and charisma,
· sincere, straightforward and believable,
· accessible to the media and to internal communications
personnel who will facilitate media interviews,
· able to remain calm in stressful situations.
In addition to the primary spokesperson and the backup
spokesperson, individuals who will serve as technical experts or
advisors should be designated. These resources might include a
financial expert, an engineer, a leader in the community or
anyone your company deems necessary during a specific kind of
crisis.
More on Media Handling, Presentation and Media Do's and
Don'ts
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < first news cycle
· What happened? (focus on facts or allegations)
· How much? (damage, money involved)
· Who was involved? (victims, accused etc.)
· What are you doing to help? Is there a credible response
underway?)
Nature of Initial Coverage:
· The media must report immediately with little or no
background or context.
Therefore, early on in a crisis, there is a heavy reliance on
rumors, eye-witness accounts, unsubstantiated comments. Even
though most journalists are responsible enough to label these
comments appropriately, it doesn't prevent them from reporting
rumors. This is particularly true of live radio or television
coverage. "There is a report, Dan, which we cannot confirm at
this time, that the company has had a history of these incidents
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < second news cycle

19. · What was the cause of the accident, incident, bank collapse?
(every conceivable cause is explored)
· Is this part of a pattern?
· Who will pay?
· What is the potential damage to reputation, stock price, ability
of campaign to survive, political support, or future plans?
Media Questions and Focus of Coverage < subsequent news
cycles
With full-blown media coverage, the media are in a feeding
frenzy. It's no longer a case of defined "news cycles" (which
live broadcasts have virtually eliminated anyway). Instead, the
media are crawling over each other to report anything about the
case. Every morsel of information is feasted upon.
Verified and unverified information is treated equally. It still
doesn't have to be true, it just has to be "interesting". The
mistake most organizations make is to keep adding "wrinkles"
to the original story thus ensuring the issue stays in the news.
The event will spiral out of control into a full-blown crisis if a
new and damaging allegation or revelation comes along. When
new issues emerge some organizations are unfortunately still
fighting "yesterday's issue". The organization can become either
frozen in fear or fires back all guns blazing in a transparent
effort to shift the blame.
What will further seal the fate of the company is if the CEO
tries to stay out of it (under the mistaken impression that the
right image to convey is "business as usual").
Practicing Tough Questions
A crisis situation is always difficult when dealing with the
media. Therefore, tough questions and rehearsals are necessary
to help the spokesperson prepare.
It is important, at the onset of the crisis, that the spokesperson,
backup and advisors spend some time rehearsing prepared
statements and answers to possible "tough" questions that may
be asked by reporters. If possible, similar rehearsals should be
conducted prior to each media interview, briefing or news
conference. It is also important to anticipate and practice new

20. questions as the story evolves.
It is better to over-prepare than to be surprised by the depth of
questioning by the media. Be tough and be prepared.
The Communications/Public Relations staff should prepare
questions and answers for the practice sessions. These questions
and answers should be for internal use only and not for
distribution outside the organization.
Don't volunteer information unless it is a point the company
wants to make and the question hasn't been asked.
Don't talk off the record.
Prepared Statements
If you don't communicate immediately, you lose your greatest
opportunity to control events. (Below is a fill-in the blanks
news release that can be used with little or no preparation as
your first news release). Your first news release should include
at a minimum the who, what, when and where of the situation.
You must give the facts that have been gathered from reliable
sources and confirmed. Don't over-reach and don't speculate.
There is a limit to your role. To exceed that limit is a mistake.
If you do nothing more than show concern for the public and for
your employees in your first press interaction, you are already
on the right track. The corollary of expressing concern and
generating good will at the consumer level is securing the
loyalty of your customers and employees by taking the initiative
to share information with them. If your employees and
customers don't feel like insiders, they are going to act like
outsiders.
You must have a prepared statement on hand that can be used to
make an initial general response to the media when knowledge
about the crisis first becomes known on a widespread basis or
by reporters.
As the crisis progresses and new information and facts become
available, it is also advisable to develop prepared statements to
be made by the spokesperson at the onset of any media
interview, briefing or news conference.
These prepared statements also can be read over the telephone

21. to reporters who call to request information but are not
represented at news conferences or briefings. The statement can
also be sent by FAX or e-mail upon request.
Sample News Release
A ___________________ at ____________________ involving
__________________ occurred today at ________________ .
The incident is under investigation and more information is
forthcoming.
A (what happened) at (location) involving (who) occurred today
at (time). The incident is under investigation and more
information is forthcoming.
For instance:
An explosion at 1210 Market Street, the main plant for the
Acme Toy Company occurred today at 3 p.m. The incident is
under investigation and more information is forthcoming.
You could put down a definitive time for the next news
conference or release of information if you know it but it is not
necessary. This will not solve your problems, but may buy you
enough time to prepare for the next news conference or release.
When you are answering questions . . .
- Remain friendly, cool-headed and confident.
- Answer only the questions asked and do so as succinctly and
clearly as possible.
- Remember that you do not always have to know everything.
You can say "I will have to check that out for you--please see
me after the meeting.
- Avoid allowing one person to dominate the questions by
moving on: "Thank you for your interest. I'll be glad to talk to
you about your concerns after the meeting. Right now let's see
if anyone else has questions for the group.
- See to it that arrangements are made for distributing
information materials to the group, if requested/appropriate.
Julie Zink, Ph.D.

22. CRISIS COMMUNICATION
What is a Crisis?
An unpredictable event that threatens important expectancies of
stakeholders and can seriously impact an organization’s
performance and generate negative outcomes.
Questions to Ask
What are the worst things that can happen to my organization?
What can we prevent?
What are we willing to do to prevent the event/incident?
Can we afford the risk?
How will we deal with it?
What is the reporting and communication process during the
crisis?
Common Mistakes

23. Inadequate planning
Failure to bring the business into the planning and testing of
your recovery efforts
Failure to gain support from senior-level managers
Nine Steps of Crisis Response
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Crisis Occurs
Verify situation
Conduct notification
Conduct assessment (activate crisis plan)
Organize assignments
Prepare information and obtain approvals
Release information to media, public, partners through arranged
channels
Obtain feedback and conduct crisis evaluation

24. Conduct public education
Monitor events
3 Keys to Crisis Communications
Honesty
Let everyone on your team know that your integrity is the most
valuable commodity you have in a crisis and it must not be
compromised.
Speed
The dynamics of a crisis can change based on external events.
Once identified, empower your team to make the tactical
decisions required to communicate events as they unfold.
Images
People believe what they see over what they hear. You can have
great talking points and a great spokesperson destroyed because
the words are out of sync with the images coming from the
scene.
What the Public Will Ask First
Are my family and I safe?

25. What have you found that may affect me?
What can I do to protect myself and my family?
Who caused this?
Can you fix it?
What the Media Will Ask First
What happened?
Who is in charge?
Has this been contained?
Are victims being helped?
What can we expect?
What should we do?
Why did this happen?
Did you have forewarning?
Elements of a Complete Crisis Communication Plan
Signed endorsement from director
Designated staff responsibilities
Information verification and clearance/release procedures
Agreements on information release authorities
Media contact list
Procedures to coordinate with public health organization
response teams
Designated spokespersons
Emergency response team after-hours contact numbers
Emergency response information partner contact numbers
Partner agreements

26. Procedures/plans on how to get resources you’ll need
Pre-identified vehicles of information dissemination
Julie Zink, Ph.D.
CRISIS COMMUNICATION
What is a Crisis?
An unpredictable event that threatens important expectancies of
stakeholders and can seriously impact an organization’s
performance and generate negative outcomes.
Questions to Ask
What are the worst things that can happen to my organization?
What can we prevent?
What are we willing to do to prevent the event/incident?
Can we afford the risk?
How will we deal with it?
What is the reporting and communication process during the

27. crisis?
Common Mistakes
Inadequate planning
Failure to bring the business into the planning and testing of
your recovery efforts
Failure to gain support from senior-level managers
Nine Steps of Crisis Response
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Crisis Occurs
Verify situation
Conduct notification

28. Conduct assessment (activate crisis plan)
Organize assignments
Prepare information and obtain approvals
Release information to media, public, partners through arranged
channels
Obtain feedback and conduct crisis evaluation
Conduct public education
Monitor events
3 Keys to Crisis Communications
Honesty
Let everyone on your team know that your integrity is the most
valuable commodity you have in a crisis and it must not be
compromised.
Speed
The dynamics of a crisis can change based on external events.
Once identified, empower your team to make the tactical
decisions required to communicate events as they unfold.
Images

29. People believe what they see over what they hear. You can have
great talking points and a great spokesperson destroyed because
the words are out of sync with the images coming from the
scene.
What the Public Will Ask First
Are my family and I safe?
What have you found that may affect me?
What can I do to protect myself and my family?
Who caused this?
Can you fix it?
What the Media Will Ask First
What happened?
Who is in charge?
Has this been contained?
Are victims being helped?
What can we expect?
What should we do?
Why did this happen?
Did you have forewarning?
Elements of a Complete Crisis Communication Plan
Signed endorsement from director

30. Designated staff responsibilities
Information verification and clearance/release procedures
Agreements on information release authorities
Media contact list
Procedures to coordinate with public health organization
response teams
Designated spokespersons
Emergency response team after-hours contact numbers
Emergency response information partner contact numbers
Partner agreements
Procedures/plans on how to get resources you’ll need
Pre-identified vehicles of information dissemination