ICM
Crisis Communications Plans
Overview
The ICM approach in developing a Crisis Communication Plan will
follow the principles outlined in “When You Are the Headline”
so that a timely, accurate response can be provided to any media or other key audience
inquiry within 60 minutes of the first notification of a
crisis. The plan also will provide you with the
procedures for an "Early Warning System" that will detect
and quantify the potential damage from problems that are smoldering
crises and have the potential for costing the organization
millions of dollars if they are not addressed by top management.
When it is completed, the Crisis Communication Plan becomes an
integral part of the organization's overall business crisis
plan.
Research
In addition to ICM database research, ICM will review relevant
parts of existing crisis operations plans. We will then meet
with key executives and staff members to discuss our findings and
get their personal observations regarding possible problems and
vulnerabilities that could impact communication in a crisis.
That vulnerability assessment will be reviewed with members of
top management to determine potential communication problems which should be
addressed in the organization’s response to any crisis.
Other types of crisis events that have been defined in our database
research and interviews with managers of the organization will be
discussed to decide which crises, if any, should be anticipated
in the Crisis Communication Plan.
Developing
the Crisis Communications Plan
The specific plans for responding to the various types of sudden
and smoldering crises will be developed into a crisis response
handbook so that designated employees have the essential information
they need to carry out their assignments quickly and correctly. The
plans will integrate the operational and communication responsea to
ensure a coordinated effort and minimize any chance of misinformation.
In drafting the Plan, we will:
- Clearly define the necessary actions for each type of crisis and who should be responsible for communications/media
relations, as well as any operational and legal details they need
to know to carry out their jobs.
- Integrate the communication plan into the existing operational,
legal and managerial procedures for responding to sudden or smoldering
business disruptions.
- Edit the pertinent details into a format that can be easily grasped
in the midst of the interruptions, phone calls and frenzied conversations
inherent in any crisis situation.
- Add relevant checklists, worksheets, log sheets and other materials
that will be utilized
in specific types of crises.
- Review the Plan with the organization's executives
and their staffs to make any text or procedural changes they suggest.
Handbook
Format
- The writing style will relate to the innate concerns of the organization
and staff so all will be encouraged to read and follow the procedures.
- Editing, formatting, bold-faced text, boxed paragraphs and other
techniques will be used to make the step-by-step actions as foolproof
as possible.
- The Plan will be contained in brightly-colored, three-holed notebooks.
Our experience has shown that brightly-colored notebooks are preferable
because they can be easily located and because specific pages can
be easily removed. Crisis response team members can pass the pages
to assistants who can place phone calls, make copies, etc.
Each of the notebooks will have pockets for Emergency Call Record
Forms, Incident Reports and other materials, depending on who
will be using it.
Quarterly
Updates and Crisis Trend Analysis
- If the organization chooses, ICM will manage the updating and
duplication process for the Plan with a set of 3-hole inserts being
sent out to each of the notebook holders on a quarterly basis.
- The quarterly updates will include a crisis analysis with text
and graphs designed to alert Crisis Communication Team members
to significant crisis events affecting your business,
as well as the trends in the coverage of business crisis events
in general. As a result they should be in a better position to anticipate
and manage potential crisis situation.
To discuss your
specific needs or request a proposal, Contact
ICM |