We have moved a step further toward completion of our crisis communications plan template. Again, we wish to remind the PTSC-Online community that our plan is based on our suggestions and is not meant as the definitive answer in formulating such a plan.

The key additions include activation procedures and checklist, as well as, activation thresholds you might want to consider. The main principle being flexibility and the most efficient use of available resources. These suggestions will serve to guide you in your planning process to determine what type and amount of resources and staff might be needed.

Secondly, we looked briefly at what smaller organizations might use in terms of notifications. There are many software and products available commercially to help organizations conduct efficient alerts and notifications electronically. Any Google search will reveal at least a dozen options available to you depending on your needs and financial resources. We won't list them here to maintain a commercial neutrality! But we'd certainly recommend considering such a system to help you notify key stakeholders (internal and external), clients and audiences at the onset of a crisis. In a fast paced world such as ours, speed counts.

Finally, the last section deals with your media relations policy during a crisis. It offers a couple of options that reflect the ongoing debate about how open or controlled should your external communications efforts be during a disaster or business disruption. Barry and I both favour the option of empowering your employees and give them the basic skills and training they might need to communicate during a crisis. In some cases, your employees who deal with the public and clients on a daily basis, will be the face of your response. They should be prepared to do so.

Many law enforcement agencies and the military use this approach. Their people on the ground can talk to the media about their own area of expertise and involvement. They refer more global or strategic issue to designated spokespersons. The same goes for potentially contentious issues. At the very minimum, your people should be able to respond to media requests and refer the journalist to your spokesperson in a professional and courteous manner. You want to avoid the "No comment" or "I've been told not to talk to the media." ...

So, one example of a "restrictive" media relations policy might be this one (from a non-profit association):

Only the chief spokesperson and back-up spokespeople are authorized to release information to the media and to the public. All other staff, board and committee members should be professional and helpful to the media by connecting them with the spokespeople, but will neither speak to the media, nor provide any information.

Here's an example of a more "enabling" policy, where employees are allowed to speak with the media within certain parametres (from a municipality):

In their official emergency response capacity, employees with an emergency response or recovery role (i.e. Fire Chief or designate) may agree to be interviewed by the media provided they only speak about matters within their area of responsibility. At no time should these people speak to the media on political, strategic operational decisions or policy issues.

How you proceed is really up to each organization, depending on its size, internal structure and own approach on dealing with the media.

An important thing to consider though, is the fact that your employees might already be talking about your organization's response to their friends, family and others, often on social media platforms (Facebook or Twitter) that are monitored by media outlets. 

This brings me to what our next blog entry will be about: social media and web monitoring. This activity is now an essential part in dealing with any crisis that may involve your organization. To be able to react quickly, counter false information and build solid situational awareness, you need to know what's being said about you!