On what should we base our crisis communications efforts for this plan and how do we prioritize messaging based on the risks that our organization may face?

Risk management and analysis should be a key factor in the development of any crisis communications plan. It's the basis for any sound business continuity or emergency management program. In fact, in Ontario, every municipality has to conduct a basic hazard identification and risk analysis (HIRA) review. Here's an excerpt from the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act:

Hazard and risk assessment and infrastructure identification

(3)  In developing its emergency management program, every municipality shall identify and assess the various hazards and risks to public safety that could give rise to emergencies and identify the facilities and other elements of the infrastructure that are at risk of being affected by emergencies. 2002, c. 14, s. 4.

Here's a link to the Act on the government's website: Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act

The same really applies for any other organization that puts together a business continuity or emergency management program. To prepare, you need to know what could come. The benefits are highlighted in this paragraph taken from Ontario's Emergency Management Doctrine, revised in 2010:

A risk management approach provides a recognized, flexible and effective means to reduce risk. It has direct application to emergency management and results in a tailored emergency management program to reduce high‐priority risks. Organizations using risk management processes are able to identify and exploit opportunities, make good decisions quickly, respond to and adapt to unexpected events and are better equipped to meet their objectives.

Any risk management program must also include a communications component that guides how you will talk to your audiences about potential emergencies or disruptions that may surface. Therefore, an ongoing risk communications/public education program is most often linked to any serious threats identified in the HIRA process.

Here's a good example of a comprehensive, yet very applicable, HIRA process, coming from Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-term Care:

http://www.ptsc-online.ca/documents/crisisemergencycommunicationsproject/projectresources/reference/hazardidentificationandriskassessment/publichealthmohltcpdf

 

Here is an example of the results of a HIRA conducted by our neighbours in Ohio: http://www.ptsc-online.ca/documents/crisisemergencycommunicationsproject/projectresources/reference/hazardidentificationandriskassessment/ohiohazardrankingdoc

When preparing key messages, your first option is to review your organization's risk management program and HIRA, if it exists. Consider it a bonus if it exists and is up-to-date because they will identify the top hazards and the degree of risk for your organization or agency. When ranking these risks, a separate consideration should be your audience's perception of these risk.

 

We have undertaken this project to 'advance crisis and emergency communications' as communicators. In a larger organization, there would likely be a separation of the roles of the business continuity planner and/or the emergency management coordinator and the PIO. However, in a smaller outfit/agency, those functions could be fulfilled by one person only.


As a PIO writing the crisis communications plan, you may want to ensure that the HIRA is viewed through a communicator's eye. Make certain that any risk identified in your analysis is twinned with some sort of measurement of the public's perception of that risk. This factor can greatly affect your ability to remain in control of the situation during the crisis and return on 'normal' operations in the aftermath. So you might want to take a risk ranking or grid and add another layer to it to illustrate the 'perceived risk' by your key audiences.

This grading of "risk perception" should determine the level of details to which you plan your communications efforts and messaging. It is extremely important to remember perception of risk may be completely different among your audiences than in your own evaluation. It would make sense for example to prepare series of key messages or message maps for the five or six most likely risks your organizations faces, add one or two where your vulnerabilities might be more exposed, and for good measure, add another pair related to high level of 'anxiety' among your audiences. You would then have message maps on approximately 10 different disaster or business disruption scenarios.

We will look at how you develop these message maps in upcoming posts in our project.

Here's a link to a short clip from Dr Vincent Covello, Director of the Centre for Risk Communications, that illustrates why it's important to take public perception of risks into account:

http://www.ptsc-online.ca/documents/crisisemergencycommunicationsproject/projectresources/socialmedia/covelloriskshortwmv

Therefore, don't assume that the listing of facts about a specific risk is what you will base you key messages on. As the PIO, you need to understand what is going on in the minds of your key audience,

You have to take into consideration when drafting key messages that will be used during a crisis, the difference between how people comprehend and process information under stress as opposed to a routine situation. Effective messages reflect this different approach and enable your audiences to adopt the behaviour you wish them to adopt (evacuation or sheltering in place, for example).

Some of the best examples of crisis communications plans use some grid or matrix to layout and identify the hazard/risk assessment. They then outline the communications initiatives and messages for each key audience or stakeholder.

It has been our experience that a crisis communications plan is where a PIO needs to stake his/her territory and clearly address the needs of those people caught in the crisis. Because you understand their 'state of mind' and their limitations to absorb too much information, you are in the best position to discuss with the crisis management team lead or the Incident Commander, how best to present the emergency information you're your audiences need.

Debating the key messages and strategy with the Incident Commander or senior executives, is very counter-productive and will slow down your communications response. Having prepared a series of risk scenario-based message maps and having them approved ahead of time, ensuring your leadership is familiar with them and how they're used and, finally, having exercised them, is the best way to shine during a crisis!

But also remember this quote from Albert Einstein … about the imponderables … the unexpected that can happen at any time to really challenge you despite your best planning and measurements:

"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."