Transcript Click to add title - Central Colorado Area Health

Module 1 – Introduction to Crisis
and Emergency Risk Communication
Deborah Grigsby Smith
State of Colorado
Director of External Communications
Homeland Security
Agenda
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Definitions
What is a/an crisis, disaster,emergency
Potential crisis situations
Crisis communications complications
Examples good/bad crisis communications
Crisis communication lifecycle
Parting thoughts/handouts
Questions and thank yous
Obligatory disclaimer
• Not an expert in any form of public health,
healthcare
• Basic overview only
• Much more to learn, so it’s okay to be
confused at this point
• Don’t have all the answers, but I’m willing
to help you track them down…
CDC Module 1 says…
• Four types of communication
– Crisis communication
– Issues management communication
– Risk communication
– Crisis and emergency risk communication
Some definitions
• Crisis communication
– Experiencing something unexpected
– Organization must respond
– Implies lack of control by the organization
Communicator: participant
Time pressure: urgent and unexpected
Message purpose: explain and persuade
What is a crisis, exactly…?
• Unexpected
• Uncontrolled
• Disrupts or impedes normal operations
• Intense public and media attention
• Interferes with achieving organizational
goals
• Threatens reputation/public trust
• Damage can be real or PERCEIVED
How well you perform…
• Will ALWAYS be front page news
– Media coverage of the 911 Commission hearings
• “…apparently contradictory evacuation orders…”
AFP Coverage
• “…conflicting advice from emergency teams…”
Reuters
• “…communication gaps…lack of coordination…”
Associated Press
Some definitions
• Issues management communication
– Similar to crisis
– Organization has luxury of forewarning and can
plan response to stakeholders
– Organization is central to the event
Communicator: participant
Time pressure: anticipated, can be controlled
Message purpose: explain and persuade, and
empower decision making
Some definitions
• Risk communication
– Flourishes in environmental health field
– Provides the receiver with information about the
expected outcome from a behavior or exposure
Communicator: Expert that did not participate in
event; is neutral regarding the outcome
Time pressure: anticipated, little or no time pressure
Message purpose: explain and empower receiver’s
decision making process
Speaking of exposure risk…
Some definitions
• Crisis and emergency risk communication
– Different from crisis as communicator is not
perceived as a participant
– Effort by experts to provide information to
stakeholder to make the best decision about
their well-being within impossible time
constraints
Communicator: expert who is post-event participant
invested in the outcome
Time pressure: urgent and unexpected
Message purpose: explain and persuade, and
empower decision making
Emergencies, disaster, crises
• What do they all have in common?
– Simply something bad has happened, is
about to happen, or is currently happening
– Can be called an emergency, disaster, or a
crisis depending on the magnitude of the
event and the current phase of the event
Potential crisis situations
• Fatality
• Natural disaster
• Terrorism
• Workplace violence
• Health and Safety
issues
• Environmental issues
• Law suits
• Criminal activity
•
•
•
•
•
Security
Activists
Racial issues
Failure
Sudden change in
management
• Sabotage
• Financial actions
• Implication by
association
Crisis Complications
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increasing population densities
Lots of people in high-risk areas
Increased technology risks (hazmat)
Aging population
Emerging diseases and antimicrobial resistance
Increasingly mobile society
More international travel
Terrorism
Instantaneous communication
Some recognizable crises…
• Airline crashes (TWA 800, Pan Am 103, AA 587)
• World Trade Center Bombings (1993 and 2001)
• Exxon Valdez
• Ford Firestone Recall
• Enron
• Tylenol Cyanide incident
• Monica Lewinski Scandal
• Ebola virus
Good crisis management:
• Tylenol Cyanide Incident
– Jim Burke, Johnson & Johnson CEO immediately
expressed commitment to and concern for
customers
– Was not afraid to pull product and lose sales in
the short term in order to protect public safety
– Honest and commitment elevated customer trust
and reputation damage was minimal (full market
share restores within 12 months)
– Redefined how companies deal with public
safety—take action, don’t just talk.
Bad crisis management:
• Ford Firestone™ Recall
– Ford dribbled out information as they were
pressured by the media.
– Started with a partial recall of a defective product
– Withheld important information and pointed
fingers.
– Did not put safety and security of customers
first—made litigation strategy the focus
– Penny-wise in this case was indeed pound foolish
Crisis comm lifecycle
PRECRISIS
• Be prepared
• Foster alliances
• Get consensus
• Test messages
INITIAL
MAINTENANCE RESOLUTION
• Acknowledge the
event with empathy
• Help public clarify
risks
•Explain and inform
the public in simple
terms about the risk
•Background and
detailed info for
those who need it
•Establish agency
and spokes person
credibility
•Gain
understanding and
support for
response and
recovery plans
•Provide
emergency courses
of action (include
where and how to
get information)
•Commit to freeflowing information
•Listen for feedback
and aggressively
correct
misinformation
•Empower
risk/benefit
decision-making
• Improve response in
similar emergencies
through education
• Honestly examine
problems/successes
• Persuade the public
to support public
policy and resource
allocation to problem
• Tell the story of your
successes and
capabilities (internally,
externally)
EVAL
• Evaluate
communication plan
performance
• Document lessons
learned
• Determine specific
actions to improve
crisis systems and/or
your crisis plan
Pre-crisis phase
• Be prepared
– Go-kit (backgrounders, key messages)
– JIS/JIC/Virtual JIC
– Shadow Web site
• Foster alliances, share information
– Critical for consistent messages
• Develop consensus recommendations
• Develop and test plan and messages
Initial phase
• Acknowledge the event with empathy
– “I understand.”
• Explain and inform the public, in the
simplest terms, about the risks involved
• Establish org/spokesperson credibility
• Provide emergency courses of action
(how/where to get more information)
• Commit to continued and open
communication
Crisis maintenance
• Help public and stakeholders more
accurately understand their own risks
• Provide backgrounders to those who need it
• Gain understanding and support for
response and recovery plans
• Listen to feedback and aggressively correct
misinformation
• Explain emergency recommendations
• Empower risk/benefit decision making
Crisis resolution
• Improve appropriate response in future
emergencies through education
• Honestly examine problems/successes
• Persuade public to support public policy
and resource allocation
• Tell your story to everyone! Promote your
activities and capabilities…reinforce your
corporate identity both externally and
internally.
Evaluation
• Evaluate communication plan performance
• Document lessons learned
• Determine specific actions to improve
crisis system and/or crisis plan
• Seek feedback from partners and other
organizations involved—yes, even the
media.
Parting thoughts
• Planning is the key
– Develop a crisis communication plan in writing
• Names, numbers, checklists, role clarification
• Arrange MOU with sister organizations
• Order supplies (pens, paper, CDs, DVDs,
diazepam in the large economy jug)
• Build your shadow Web/virtual JIC
• Meet regularly and train, brainstorm
• Write key messages, backgrounders, collect stock
photos, build a Go-kit.
More parting thoughts
• Don’t reinvent the wheel
– Use others’ work as learning tool
– Ask other for help, advice, direction
• Don’t even imagine doing it by yourself
– Build your human resources now
• Train receptionists, interns, non-essential
personnel to help (phone calls, log queries)
– Plan for the very worst, then scale back as
you need
More parting thoughts
• Remember to make provisions in your
plan to take care of yourselves and your
team
– By planning for a crisis now, you divert stress,
chaos and disorganization
• Proper tools for the job
• Budget for equipment, software, etc.
• Sleep, food, mental health, family responsibility
Most importantly
• Trust your instincts…
– If it doesn’t look right, or feel right…ASK
– Don’t be afraid to challenge the information
you receive
• Use the Internet, other experts in other
departments or jurisdictions if you need
– Don’t allow yourself to be bullied
• Your job is to help ensure ACCURATE information
• Don’t be afraid to do your job
– Develop networks, resources and tools.
• And if something happens that you do
have to make an uncomfortable exit….
Questions and thank yous!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Thank you!
¡Gracias!
Danke!
Merci!
Shukran !
Mahalo nui loa!
Domo arigato!
Tack så mycket!