What Sets Us Apart

The Institute for Crisis Management has achieved a distinct position in the crisis consulting field since its founding in 1989. A number of attributes distinguish ICM from public relations agencies that offer crisis communications as one of their services and consulting firms that get involved in various aspects of contingency planning and disaster management.

Focus on crisis communications

ICM only does crisis communication planning, training and consulting. We help corporations, non-profit organizations and government agencies minimize the damage to their business from the negative perceptions created by crisis events that go "public" and the news coverage that results. From our standpoint, the best managed business crisis is the one the client's key stakeholders never hear about, and we work very hard to help our clients make that happen. If public disclosure has occurred or is unavoidable, we help our clients with communications strategies to minimize the negative reactions from the stakeholders so the client can restore its business to normal in the shortest possible time.

A research-based approach to crisis consulting

The ICM Crisis Database of more than 111,000 business crisis news stories, which is unique in the field of crisis consulting, helps ICM assess the trends in business crisis events as well as likely reactions and aftershocks when these disruptions occur. The ICM staff uses the data from the ICM Crisis Database to help its clients develop realistic contingency plans based on the most likely business disruptions in their business and to anticipate rapidly growing types of crises such as sexual harassment or workplace violence. In actual crisis situations, the ICM Crisis Database helps ICM determine the most likely aftershocks in that type of crisis so its clients can take action to prevent them or minimize the negative impact if they cannot be avoided.

Proven crisis communications planning techniques

ICM's crisis communications plans are based on the "crash cart" approach used in hospital emergency rooms, but with worksheets for the client's most likely sudden and smoldering crises that can be accessed quickly in chaotic conditions. ICM's plans have been used in many crisis situations involving industrial and environmental accidents, the sudden death of executives and in the aftermath of natural disasters. An ICM Crisis Communication Plan at the Childrens' Hospital in Oklahoma City helped its public relations staff to mobilize and respond to the hundreds of inquiries in the first hours after the tragic bombing of the Federal Building in 1994