Regardless of the crisis any organization may face, the common element to a safe, efficient and effective recovery is a solid communications strategy. Learn how to best approach this key aspect of your disaster plan.
Regardless of the disaster event you or your community may face, it is imperative that you prepare for who you need to communicate with, what you will communicate and how you will do so.
An effective crisis communications strategy is the central element to any successful disaster recovery or continuity plan. Start your planning today with the basics; then build on them until you are satisfied you will be able to reach your various audiences.
First, identify the primary threats your business may face and determine the resources necessary to maintain critical operations. Next, focus on the communications infrastructure you have in place (phones, email, texting) and how the threats you identified earlier may impact those avenues.
Finally, begin planning for alternate means of communication to support critical operations. Practice using these alternate channels and ensure staff members are familiar with them. Whether your plan calls for alert notification systems, online messaging platforms, simple phone trees or text messaging, your team must be familiar with each and capable of establishing access when normal communications lines are incapacitated.
Also remember to incorporate a means for communicating both internally and externally. Designate and train spokespeople for your firm and make sure employees know who they are. Consider your media plan and how to reach and properly interact with media outlets. And most importantly, maintain consistent communication. Even if your status hasn’t changed, keep a regular communications schedule. Your clients will appreciate updated information and proactive efforts to keep in touch.
Developing a crisis communications plan doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated, but regardless of the complexity of your strategy, you must establish, test and practice it regularly. Don’t let the next crisis catch you by surprise and leave you with no voice in the community—and no way to reestablish lines of communication.
For more information communication tips before, during and after a crisis, download the following checklists, developed by Agility Recovery, the Big “I”-endorsed provider of disaster recovery services:
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