Crisis Communication – Step In Communication

Fran Stephenson June 14, 2011 Leave a Comment

6 Mistakes Organizations Make During a Crisis

It happens to every organization at some point. Something sudden and unexpected happens which requires us to act. In tourism organizations, it can be as simple as a weather event which affects daily operation. Or as complicated as an event like the BP Oil Spill. Most disasters fall somewhere in between, but the key to survival is to have a plan and use the plan. Organizations who do not, often find themselves under more intense scrutiny and then, it’s easy to make mistakes.

Taking too long to respond is the most common mistake made during a crisis. Communicate early and often, particularly in this 24/7, “always on” media environment.
Getting angry with the media. It’s easy to lose your cool and the pressure from large volumes of media is unusual for most organizations, and they often have a hard time coping with it. Stay cool and you will survive.
Internal panic – in the face of a disaster, you need every cool head and may need to calm down those who haven’t been through something like this before. This makes it even more important to create roles and responsibilities for the team members responding to the crisis.
Dual roles – Many members of your leadership team will be wearing more than one hat during a crisis, which can complicate communication. Clarify as much as possible and afterward, figure out how to adjust roles for future events.
Underestimating interest by the public – When you’re on the inside of a crisis, the level of detail that the media and public are requesting often seems out of line. Organizations still aren’t used to sharing so often and it takes some adjustments to accept.
Leadership – This is the key to any organizations success or failure in a crisis. Whether it’s lack of leadership or, on the other hand, too many leaders, a crisis is the time for the best leader to step in and take the team through the process.

Identifying potential issues before a crisis strikes, will help an organization avoid them and master their next crisis.

This series is a resource for the 100 tourism professionals from around the state that I am working with this week on how to prepare in a crisis, as part of Travel and Tourism College. The week-long educational opportunity is an initiative of the Texas Tourism Industry Association (TTIA) and is now in its second year. Those who participate for 3 years will get certification as a tourism executive.

Part 1: First Advice in a Crisis: Do No Harm

Part 2: 6 Mistakes Organizations Make During a Crisis

Part 3: Crisis Planning Includes Packing a Bag

Part 4: Before Your Next Crisis: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

Fran Stephenson June 13, 2011 Leave a Comment

First Advice in a Crisis: Do No Harm

Do no harm. This was the first thing I was taught about crisis planning, back in the mid-1980s way before cell phones and Twitter. Twenty-plus years later and it’s still the best piece of advice anyone can follow. It is an integral part of every crisis planning and crisis response session I teach.

The second piece of advice came from my years as a Girl Scout: Be Prepared. While no one waits around for a crisis to happen, there are so many things you can do in advance of an unforeseen event that will help your organization manage it and move on.

Many organizations do crisis planning and response well, and literally scratch their heads when they see the gaffes committed by those organizations who make big mistakes under fire. If you haven’t yet thought about what would happen in a crisis, here are three objectives commonly used in visualizing the problem.

Contain the Risk

This means responding to the actual crisis, whether it is natural or manmade, accidental or intentional. It also means to secure the people and places that are involved in the event.

Resolve the Problem

This is pretty self explanatory for weather events. If it’s a fire, put it out. If it’s a thunderstorm, clean up the damage. For manmade or intentional events, though, the road to resolving the problem is far more complicated.

Communicate Effectively throughout the Process

This means to talk about what’s happening, give advisories, warnings, share images, updates and information. Where some organizations get into trouble is when they consider these three principles as happening one at a time, when in fact, they often happen simultaneously.

Smart organizations know that many elements of crisis planning CAN and ARE planned in advance. This can be as simple as creating a phone list or as involved as creating a triage team for larger incidents and practicing how you will respond.

But you’ve got to start somewhere. Here are some links to get you started in planning YOUR next crisis.

This series is a preview of my presentation tomorrow for 100 tourism professionals from around the state who are attending Travel and Tourism College. The week-long educational opportunity is an initiative of the Texas Tourism Industry Association (TTIA) and is now in its second year.

Part 2: 6 Mistakes Organizations Make in a Crisis

Part 3: Crisis Planning Includes Packing a Bag

Part 4: Before Your Next Crisis: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

Contain the Risk

Resolve the Problem

Communicate Effectively throughout the Process

Step In Communication

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