To face a crisis it is necessary to be prepared. The first few hours and the first seven days are the most difficult, since quick decisions need to be taken at a time of stress and with missing or confusing data. The loss of control, the feeling of harassment and persecution, panic, and actions based on a short term perspective are all conducive to chaos and confusion.

Some people responsible for crisis management opt for denial and refuse to answer questions from the press, while others prefer to control the news and give out information that is partial and imprecise. In both cases the result is a lack of credibility with regard to those responsible for rescue operations, and the press try to investigate for themselves what has not been disclosed, putting more lives at risk and jeopardizing the whole success of a plan. There are relatively few crisis managers who seek to apply a more frank and open communication strategy. The best procedure is to keep the media sufficiently well informed about events while a more profound investigation is anticipated. The story should be communicated on the basis of facts; if there are difficulties, the press will make up the story.

Before

There are no set rules for drawing up a good communication plan for times of crisis. However well it is managed, there will always be room for improvement, because almost by definition crises happen in an unpredictable way. However, like emergency actions, the actions of communication require a protocol that should be disseminated by training the whole body of professionals involved in crisis situations. This means intense work before the crisis, when different scenarios should be created. At this stage it is necessary to identify all the human and technical resources necessary for carrying out the emergency plan. It is much more effective and economical to invest during the prevention stage than to do it at the last minute. At this stage the following advice is useful:

• Clearly define the role of communication in the specific emergency situation. This will help you to concentrate on your objective.

• Identify the public targeted by the emergency work. For example, the inhabitants of the worst affected areas, relatives of the victims, the press, donor governments and institutions, the international community, etc.

• Determine the needs of that public in an emergency situation. It is useful to carry out mental exercises and observations.

• Define the goals relating to the work of the communication team.

• Establish parameters of ethical conduct to be followed in the communication work. Discuss prior to a crisis whether, for example, the bodies of the victims of a plane crash should be allowed to remain exposed to photographers and video crews at the site of the disaster. Do not wait until the last minute to discuss it.

• Form a communication team, and train the team members. Journalists, communications technicians and newscasters experienced in daily journalism are the most responsive and can greatly facilitate the work, since they are accustomed to working under pressure daily as they search for information, prepare it and transmit it as rapidly as possible. Draw up an organization chart of the team. The chart should be simple yet detailed, and it should be posted in a visible place so that everyone knows his/her functions. Form a command team. Remember that this team should be available 24 hours a day during the first seven days. Consequently, there should be at least two people for each function. Members should take turns carrying out the different functions, given the high level of stress.

• Train all technical personnel in giving interviews, but make it clear that not everyone will have to do this. For this work possible spokespersons should be chosen. Make sure that the whole communication team is present at the training, the preparation of the contingency plan, and the drills.

• Prepare messages for your public and answers to possible questions from the press. At times of crisis, the press usually ask questions about known aspects, so you can have answers ready.

• Determine all the technological communication resources that can be made available in an emergency situation. Increase these resources to the maximum. Remember that formal resources such as telephone connections or electricity could fail during an emergency. There may be no way to send a fax, e-mail, etc. Prepare plans for data distribution in different technological scenarios, but bear in mind that in these situations radio and the Internet are privileged media.

• Prepare an emergency web site. During the crisis this should take the place of the home page of your organization. Create resources that can be adapted rapidly to the needs determined during emergency drills or previous experiences. Try to publish the web site on a server where it can be used as a reference to those seeking information.

• Prepare traffic and infrastructure plans for the press in the most critical areas. The press should be as close as possible to the emergency site. Define the isolation section through which the press will be permitted access. Schedule guided visits in order to prevent the press from taking risks by intruding into dangerous areas in search of a better picture.

• Reserve a work area for the communication team near operations command with all the infrastructure possible for the sending of messages, group interviews, the reading of bulletins, food, shelter and rest for the press.

• Develop a network of members who can help with human and technological resources. The widest reaching radio and television stations can be very useful and should be included at least as part of the pre-event training drills.

Initial phase

• Identify a spokesperson in operations command and work out together with him/her a strategy for interviews and to prevent obstruction of the rescue work. Make sure that the highest command authority is not exposed to the press: this is a resource for preventing chaos and reinforcing the credibility of the work during the most serious moments of a crisis. This person should delegate to an assistant the transmission of information and eventual press conferences. There should be a single voice for the crisis, and the appointed spokesperson should transmit security and credibility and help the public maintain trust in the command unit. Trust means submitting to the protection of someone or something. Remember the potential spokespersons who were identified during the training.

• Quickly define two or three messages for that initial moment. This is the time to keep public anxiety to a minimum and offer timely, precise, and up-to-date information, mainly about the victims. At that moment the command will be identified. People want information now ; they want to know exactly what happened, where, and what is being done. It is important to give clear information on what the threat consists of, how long it will last, the number of victims, and how the problem is being tackled. But do not be satisfied with giving a vague indication of how the problem will be solved. Improve your message and describe the precautions to be taken, and in how many minutes, days or hours you expect a specific result, which will be presented to everyone. Every message should clearly transmit the desire of the command to clarify the situation or correct any problem.

• Do not waste time on bureaucratic processes or attempt to approve or distribute communiqués or messages written by third parties. The organigram and flowchart of the work team, previously prepared, should be posted in a visible place and reflect a time of emergency in which the flow of information needs to be as simple as possible. Trust has to be placed in both the communication team and the operations team.

• Coordinate the frequency of interviews and news bulletins with operations command and with the press. Draw up a schedule for guided visits. If necessary, restrict as far as possible the presence of the press in the closest isolation sections, giving priority to photographers and film crews. If possible, take images and photos of the areas for distribution.

Visits by authorities to the site of the events are an important part of the work and can be very stressful. Paradoxically, these visits are usually scheduled to calm nerves and feed the public perception that solving the problems is a political priority and that the highest ranking authorities of the government organization are carrying out exhaustive follow-up on the crisis situation. Coordinate beforehand with the advisors of these authorities a strategy for the visits and interviews so that you will not be working blindly. Be prepared to respond to difficult situations, such as criticism, nervousness, arguments between authorities and the victims, commotion, confusions with the press, etc., which give an image of chaos and lack of control.

It can be challenging to face the media under any circumstances. The “sources” and the media have different objectives. The “source” wants the public to have a favorable perspective, or at least wants the source’s position in a certain situation to be explained clearly, accurately and fairly. On the other hand, this is usually the least important concern for the media. What they want is to publish a story on something that people do not know about, something interesting and which will have an influence on the population.

Remember that in this game the media have the last word. Don’t argue with the journalist or lose your composure. You will never win an argument of that kind. Some newspapers deliberately provoke an argument to arouse an interesting response. In any case, do not forget that they are the ones who will be reporting the information.

Maintenance of the crisis

At this stage it is essential to transmit messages about rehabilitation, that is, the actions for a speedy restoration of basic services and the repair of the physical and social damage that has occurred in the community.

Providing the press with information and being accessible are fundamental if rumors are to be prevented. Keep a close watch over the news items published so that any erroneous information may be corrected.

Remember that during emergency events the press are always looking for stories that increase the public’s empathy with the effort and the suffering of the victims (for example, the fire fighter who risked his life to save a child, the teenager who was able to survive so many days without food or water, the dog that found a child, the man who was rescued because he had a mobile phone in his pocket, an emotional reencounter of long-lost relatives, emotion and stress in the work teams). These are examples of the stories that the media explore exhaustively and that should also be explored by the communication team in order to motivate the population and reinforce trust in the command. People are more motivated to change their behavior by cultural and emotional aspects than by the objective information they are given.

The public should feel that they are capable of taking action in a crisis, so that the probability of their falling victim to the crisis is reduced, and this lessens their fear. Physical and mental preparation free people from anxiety, even if they face potential injury or death. A message of action can make people feel that they are able to take steps to improve a situation and not be passive victims of the threat.

Everything possible will be done to ensure that people understand and support the plans for emergency response and recuperation. As the crisis evolves, it will be appropriate to anticipate the persistent interest and scrutiny by the media. Unexpected developments, rumors or false information can cause the media to assume a negative attitude toward the communicators of the organization. Other professionals, opinion leaders, experts, or professionals unrelated to the organization, may make public comments about the crisis issues and in some cases contradict or misinterpret the message. Expect criticism about your management of the situation.

Resolution

As the crisis is resolved, one returns to the normal work situation with a complete understanding of what has happened, while at the same time all recovery systems are put into motion. This phase is characterized by a reduction of interest on the part of the public and the media. Once the crisis has been resolved, it may be necessary to answer inquisitive questions from the media about how the event was managed. This is an opportunity to reinforce public health messages while the topic is still present. It may be necessary to set up public education campaigns or make changes in the Internet web site. Research has shown that a community is normally better disposed to risk prevention and more receptive to education about disaster mitigation immediately after a disaster has occurred.

Once the crisis has come to an end it is also essential to evaluate the performance of the communication plan, document the lessons learned, and determine any specific actions that can lead to an improvement in the system or the crisis plan.

Some bad practices that contribute to a poor public response, and which can be redressed by means of planning, coordination, research and training include:

• Mixing the messages of different experts.
• Delays in issuing information, which make the events appear debatable.
• Messages that attempt to over-reassure.
• Recommendations to the public that have not been checked with care.
• Allowing gossip and rumors to circulate without confronting or correcting them.
• Spokespersons with inadequate behavior, showing a lack of empathy or inappropriate use of humor.

It is possible that harmful human conduct combined with bad communication practices will lead to inappropriate reactions, and such situations can be overwhelming during crisis response period.

Under these conditions, good communication is essential for preventing negative responses in the following ways:

• Carry out a sound communication plan in a crisis
• Be the first source of information
• Express empathy and care
• Demonstrate competence and experience
• Show an open, honest attitude
• Commitment and constant dedication to emergency response and recuperation of the situation.

Needs and types of audience

The needs of the audience can be identified in three ways:

There are different audiences to whom communication about risks in emergencies and crises should be directed:

Determine a strategy for each public in your communication plan. To start with, concentrate on the first four listed above.

The role of the spokesperson

The role of the spokesperson in an emergency is to communicate to the public the information desired or needed in order to reduce the incidence of disease and death.

The spokesperson is responsible not only for transmitting the messages, but also for being involved in their preparation in order to make them his/her own. The words and the person must agree. The spokesperson not only reads the message but actually is the message, and should show that he/she believes in what he/she is saying. If the spokesperson does not perfectly understand the purpose of the message or the recommendations, he/she will find it difficult to show the confidence necessary to transmit assurance and credibility.

After an event, indignation is bound to be universal and extraordinarily high, whether the danger is real or imaginary. One of the goals should be to help people find a balance, far from denial and from paralyzing fear, and to ensure that they become more rational once they perceive a caring attitude and clear information. Nevertheless, one must be honest with the people about the hazards they may face; otherwise confidence will be lost.

In the case of man-made disasters, it is very difficult to tell the people that one is sorry about what happened when they are angry; however, offering apologies is one of the most effective mechanisms for reducing their indignation. To say you are sorry, follow these five steps:

In every emergency the organization encounters two emotionally painful tasks: to acknowledge and face the emotions that the public feels or denies and to acknowledge and face the emotions that the organization itself feels or denies. The health communicator has to manage three levels of excitation and of emotional denial: that of the public, that of the scientist, and that of the communicator himself/herself. It will not be easy, but it is part of the work and it has to be done.

The spokesperson must be available 24 hours a day and provide telephone numbers where he/she may be reached at all times. He/she should never speculate about unknown situations. To boost confidence, prepare packages of general information in advance, and try to keep the information up-to-date. Lapses in the flow of information give rise to speculation and increased anxiety.

Keep discussion focused on the facts.

In the event of a personal session, the following is recommended:

• If you come under personal attack, remember that the person is not angry with you but rather with the situation.
• Remember to use open body language (see the section on this subject).
• Speak in a soft tone and at a lower volume than the angry individual.
• Take notes on the concerns and questions of the people.
• When you hear a concern or complaint, repeat what you have understood and ask if you understood correctly.
• Allow people to express their feelings and ask them for permission to write down their concerns.
• Admit it when you do not know the answer. Offer to find out, and do so as soon as possible.
• Do not make promises that you cannot keep; explain that certain variables cannot be controlled (the weather or the results of laboratory analyses, for example), but that you will do everything you can in a reasonable time period.

How to give a good interview:

10 commandments:

References