Preparing for Crises Today:
The “Whys” and “Hows” of the Crisis
Communication Plane
W. Timothy Coombs
Professor
Texas A&M University
Timothy.Coombs@tamu.edu
Preview
•
•
•
•
Changing nature of crises
Crisis communication plan
Are you prepared?
Developing a plan
Changing Nature of Crises
Zombies as a metaphor
Zombies
Share
• Desire for flesh, especially
brains
Differ
• Zombification process
• Strategy
Classical
• Operational focus
• Concern for public safety and welfare (focus
on stakeholders)
• Basic elements of crisis management
– Crisis management plan
– Containment efforts
– Responses
Ankara, Turkey Six Killed, need to
Evacuate
Modern (Reputation or
Social Media Crisis)
• Reputation emphasis
• Focus on the organization not stakeholder
Crises
Shared
• Pose threat to organization
and/or stakeholders
Differ
• Difficulty in identifying
• Difficulty in responding
The Crisis Communication Plan
Value
What it is
Digital
Crisis Team
Crisis Communication Plan (CCP)
• Not magic insurance policy
• Not step-by-step guide
• About 60% of major corporations have them
CCP Value
• Saves time in response
– Pre-collect information
– Pre-assign tasks
• Save lives, reduce exposure, and aid remedial
action
Crisis Communication Plan
•
•
•
•
Short and useable
Contact information
Pre-written messages
Reminders to document
CCP contact information
• Crisis Management Team Contact
• Secondary Contacts
Crisis Appendix
• Precollected information
• Templates for communications
• Past crisis knowledge
Responding to a
Reputational Threat
The Response
• Should the organization address the
reputational threat? (Does it matter?)
– Is it lingering
– Is it spreading
– Is it legitimate
• Does the organization need to make changes
or to defend its actions?
Do not forget Digital
Digital/Internet
• Link from home or separate page
• Dark site
• Stealth blogs (pre-prepared messages)
– Same for Twitter
Integration
• Digital channels linked
– Web site is core (most information)
– Other channels link to web site
– Adapt the message to the social media channel
• 140 characters Twitter
• Facebook post verses a blog
Crisis Team
Selection
Training
Are You Prepared?
Readiness Quiz
• Do you have a document(s) that assesses your
crisis risks?
– If yes, when was the last time it was revised?
– Is it comprehensive/integrated or a set of separate
documents?
Readiness Quiz
• Do you have a system for scanning for crisis
threats?
– If yes, do you identify specific red flags associated
with crises?
• Do you have a risk review committee that
meets regularly?
Readiness Quiz
• Do you have a crisis management plan?
– If yes, when was the last time it was revised?
– If yes, have you ever tested it?
Readiness Quiz
• Do you have a social media plan?
• Is there a connection between your crisis
management plan and social media plan?
Readiness Quiz
• Do you have a crisis team?
– If yes, was the crisis team given any training?
– If yes, when was the last training exercise?
Developing a Plan … and More
Developing a Plan
• What are your major risks?
– Types of crises
– Warning signs & Monitoring
• Who needs to be involved?
– Inside the organization
– Outside experts
• What channels are we using?
CCP is not Enough
False sense of security
Just a rough guide
A Living document
Must be tested