Effective Crisis Communication Workflow for Managing Emergencies

As we continue our conversation regarding getting ahead of misinformation and disinformation, one must understand the incident and communication workflow. While every incident is unique, all events have many similar characteristics. But first, let’s review the four phases of emergency response and management: Prevention/Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. 

• Prevention/Mitigation: This is where you assess your vulnerabilities and take steps to prevent harm or mitigate their impacts. This is also where you construct your response plans to assist you and your organization in preparing for and responding to an emergency should your prevention efforts fail, all in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of your identified risks.
• Preparedness: This phase is where your training, drills, and exercises come into play. This is all done in alignment with your response plans developed in the Prevention/Mitigation phase. In addition to preparing your organization to respond to these incidents, preparedness also educates your organization to recognize and respond to incidents before they reach an emergency level.
• Response: This is the action you take when an incident is initiated. The response is based on what you have done in the previous two phases. Simply put, the more you train, drill, and exercise, the better your response and outcome. 
• Recovery: The recovery phase involves steps to return your organization to as close to the pre-event state as possible. Typically, we think of recovery as a post-incident phase. Truth be told, recovery starts well before the incident. Recovery aims to reduce and prevent trauma. Planning to prevent trauma, providing for the mitigation of trauma, and how we are going to return to normal are key to successful recovery.

As we look at an incident timeline, we think of it starting at the point in time that we recognize it as an emergency, not when it actually started. Every incident starts long before we recognize it as an emergency. In many cases, emergencies begin before we can work through the four phases listed above. There is an old saying, “The best time to plant a shade tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is right now.” This is the same when discussing response to or preparing for an emergency. Because an emergency is beginning somewhere in your school, you haven’t recognized it yet. If you do experience an emergency, it generally looks something like this:

1. Emergency recognized
2. The organization responds to the emergency
3. Alerts staff and students about the situation and have them take protective action 
4. Students and staff start texting their circle of friends and family about what is happening, always thinking of the worst-case scenario
5. Those contacted start flooding the schools with phone calls, calling each other, and creating several variations of the worst-case scenario relayed to them
6. First responders arrive and address the situation
7. With the situation resolved, schools are left to reunify their students with their families and clean up

When you read the above action sequence, what scenario followed your thoughts? Likely, the worst case, an active shooter incident. But this happens in every incident, regardless of the type. Now, look at that sequence again. But, this time look at it from the perspective of the different types of events. Look at the points in the sequence where you need to communicate information with your stakeholder groups.  

Okay, now let’s talk about getting ahead of the information curve. Suppose we know that we have to prepare our staff for their response to an emergency during the planning process. Don’t we also have to identify all of our stakeholders and what information they will need at every step of the incident timeline? Don’t we have to train them on what information they can expect to receive during an incident and how they expect to receive that information? Shouldn’t we show them where to get the best information if they don't receive the information they expect? The answer to these questions is yes. We should do all of this and more.

• We should create templates with information that notifies all stakeholders that you are aware of the situation and are working with the first responders/authorities, etc., to resolve the issue.
• Tell them you will communicate with them in “XX” minutes to provide an update, even if that update is that there is no new information. Developing an information cycle is essential to building trust and reducing anxiety.
• Ensure everyone knows who the primary voice for the incident is and who is responsible for the message flow, both in and out.
• Every time you have a drill, you should also practice communicating with your stakeholders; every time!