Crisis Communication
What is the most common problem during a crisis, or simulation exercise? Crisis Communication
Internal Communication
A crisis is a particularly stressful time and a lot of decisions are being made really quickly. When this happens – departments stop talking to each other, people stop talking to each other, and everybody makes decisions independently. If the first department to be made aware of the Crisis does not communicate what is happening to the rest of the organization, it means that everybody is left unprepared.
Every decision has consequences, or knock-on effects. It is important to make decisions in full knowledge of what else is happening, wherever possible.
How quickly information around an incident is disseminated to the correct teams is vital in ensuring a successful outcome. This outcome could be about saving your reputation, finances or more importantly, the health of anyone impacted. The most important element is to give everyone the knowledge they need to keep themselves and others safe.
External Communication
You should have a Communications Plan in place to inform interested parties and the media about what is happening during the crisis.
When there is no Communication Plan in place it’s easy to think, in the heat of the moment, that you should be hiding the truth. In most cases this is detrimental to the organization because it damages trust and ultimately your brand. Having a plan in place will stop your staff from defaulting to this defensive position.
Include in your plan who is responsible for writing and approving press-releases, who is going to be your spokesperson and your overall approach.
What is the solution?
Talk to each other and even better, invest in a solution that works for your organization (Emergency Notification System).
If you want to increase your Organizational Resilience, start with preparing a Business Continuity Plan and check out BCP Builder’s Business Continuity Planning Templates.
