Crisis and Communication

As our largest program of the year approaches, I have been spending time working on our Emergency Operations and Communications Plan. Whenever we bring large groups of our members together for an event, we coordinate with the hotels, vendors, security staff and local convention and visitors bureaus to be sure that we have a plan in place should the worst case scenario happen. Thankfully, we've only had to implement the Emergency Operations and Communications Plan once in the past ten years, and that turned out to be a false alarm.

One of the strangest things that happens when I work on this plan is that I become "hyper-sensitive" to the different warnings and notifications about security, as well as the way in which the threat or problem is communicated. So, when I read this article about the toxic sludge in Hungary I was shocked to read this line:

The aluminum factory has said it will pay for the victims funerals.

I understand that disasters happen. Further, I understand that during these times you want to comfort those people who are left grieving or in need (especially due to your negligence). However, isn't there a better time and place to make a statement like that?

I quickly reviewed our Emergency Operations and Communications Plan, and was relieved to see that our guidelines say that only authorized people are allowed to talk with the media. Further, the authorized people are listed out so it is clear for anyone reviewing our document who can speak in an official capacity on behalf of our organization. Finally, we offer some tips:

• Be prepared with the facts. You must have a clear, factual and complete understanding of the situation (as possible).
• Remain calm and in control.
• Be honest. If you tell the truth, you do not need a good memory.
• Be sincere.
• Do not release the names of any victim(s) without authorization.
• Do not speculate. Do not assign blame to others. Do not estimate financial loss.
• Respond to media inquires immediately.
• Give the reporters the respect that you want them to give you.
• Do NOT allow yourself to be hurried by reporters.
• Do NOT allow the media to wander around unescorted at any time.
• Never go off the record. Tell the media only what you want to see on the headline news.
• Be prepared. Be truthful. Be prepared.

Now, using these guidelines may not have prevented someone from saying that the aluminum factory was going to pay for funerals...but it may have made someone think twice about what they were saying, and how it was going to be perceived...and that's as much as you can ask in a crisis.