Crisis Communications Handbook Författarnamn
Crisis Communications
Handbook
Swedish Emergency Managment Agency
Tel +46 8 593 710 00
Fax +46 8 593 710 01
[email protected]
ISBN 978-91–85797–11–0
ISSN 1652-3539
www.krisberedskaps
myndigheten.se
SEMA’s Educational Series 2008:3
P.O. Box 599
SE-101 31 Stockholm
Sweden
Summary and translation
of the Swedish
”Handbok i kriskommunikation”
SEMA’s Educational Series 2008:3
Crisis Communications Handbook
Title: Crisis Communications Handbook
Published by: Swedish Emergency Management Agency (SEMA)
Production: Jupiter Reklam AB
Illustrator: Kari Modén
No of copies: 1000
ISSN: 1652-3539
ISBN: 978-91-85797-11-0
SEMA’s reference number: 667/2008
Print: NRS Tryckeri, Huskvarna, February, 2008
The publication can be downloaded from the Swedish Emergency Management
Agency’s website www.krisberedskapsmyndigheten.se
Contents
Introduction
Foreword
Whatisacrisis?
Whatarecrisiscommunications?
Thetruthlieswiththereceiver
Mediashapethepictureofthecrisis
Whocontrolsthepicture?
Howtousethishandbook
Whoisouraudience?
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7
9
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10
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12
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13
Development and learning
Organizingcrisiscommunicationstraining
andexercises
Researchandstudies
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The Fundamentals of Crisis Communications
Whatarecrisiscommunications?
Whycrisiscommunications?
Thecrisis,crisisresponseandpictureofthecrisis
Credibility
Transparency
Accessibility
Expertise
Understanding
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3
4
Communication and cooperation
Cooperation
Thecontentsofcommunication
Organization
Communications officer
Channel responsibilities
Centre for victims/families
Internal information
Liaison officers
Horizon scanning and analysis
Documentation
Observer 32
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Media relations
Mediarelations
Interviews
Mediatips
Pressreleases
Pressconference
Difficultquestions
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48
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Communicating with people in a crisis
Preface
Coordinatingcommunicationefforts
Expertise
Manydifferentneeds-goalsandtargetgroups
Reachingvictims-yourmessage
Differentchannels
ExperiencesofRSOS
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5
kolumntitel
Introduction
6
introduction
Foreword Theartofcommunicationisdifficult.Andcommu­
nicatinginthemidstofacrisisisevenmoredifficult
thaneverydayinteraction.
Theintermediariesaremany,andtheriskofrumours
andmisunderstandingsisgreat.
Butdoesacrisishavetobelikethis?
Withtherightsystemsandprocedures,yourorgani­
zationcankeepatightgriponcommunications.But
onlyiftherightexpertise,proceduresandrolesare
inplacebeforetheevent.
Thishandbookwillhelpyouchartyourcourse.The
materialisprimarilyintendedforcommunicators
andpublicinformationofficers,butshouldnot
stopthere.Communicationisanintegralpartof
anyorganization,andmanagersandemergency
managementcoordinatorswillalsofindthisinfor­
mationuseful.Ifcommunicatorsfindsomeofthis
materialtoosimple,wehopeyouwillunderstand
thereasonswhy.
7
introduction
Thishandbookwillhelpyouplan,implement,monitor
andevaluateyourcrisiscommunicationsplan.It
beginswithachapterongeneralknowledge,and
endswithanexperiencebankoflessonslearned
frompreviouscrises.
Communicationrequirescoordination,cooperation
andagreatdealofinternalcommunication.My
adviceistoinvolveasmanypeopleaspossiblein
yourcrisiscommunicationsplans.Whenresponsibi­
litieshavebeendelegated,thetaskscanbecarried
outinsmallergroups.Andproceduresandmethods
shouldnotonlybedocumented.Practise,practise
andevenmorepractisewillensurethateveryone
involvedcanfunctionunderstress.
HelenaLindberg
DirectorGeneral
SwedishEmergencyManagementAgency
8
introduction
What is a crisis?
Acrisiscanoccuronseverallevels.Ourdefinitionofacrisisis...
…aneventthataffectsthelivesofmany
peopleandlargepartsofsociety.
Acrisiscanbetriggeredbyfloods,powercuts,gasleaks,breakdowns
orradioactivefallout.Itcanalsobecausedbyplannedattackslike
terrorism,sabotage,boycottsorhacking.
Acrisisistypicallyfast-paced,involvesmanyactorsand
requiresdecisionsmadeunderhighstressanduncertainty.
Mediaplayasignificantrole,becausetheyshapeand
conveythepictureofacrisis.
What are crisis
communications?
Ourdefinitionofcrisiscommunicationsis…
…theinformationthatisexchangedbyand
betweenpublicauthorities,organizations,the
media,affectedindividualsandgroupsbefore,
duringandafteracrisis.
Acrisishasthreedimensions,andallofthemaffectcrisis
communications:
•theactualcrisisevent
•howpublicauthoritiesandorganizationsrespondtothecrisis
•thepictureofthecrisis
Allactorsinvolvedinacrisisarealsodecision-makers.Yourorgani­
zationshouldfindoutwhatdecision-makerscanthink,feelanddo
aboutdifferenteventsandsituations.
9
introduction
The truth lies with the receiver Duringacrisis,decision-makersandcommunicatorswillactupon
theirownpictureofthecrisis.Thisisprobablythemostcommon
reasonwhycrisiscommunicationsgowrong.
Opportunitiesforbuildingdialogueandconfi­
dencewilldiminishifyourpictureofthecrisis
isdifferenttoeveryoneelse’s.
Regardlessofwhetherthereceiver’spictureofthecrisisisrightor
wrong,thisiswherecommunicationhastostart.Thetruthlieswith
thereceiver.Whenleadersandcommunicatorsaddresspublicconcerns,
questionsandanxiety,thepublicwilllisten.Informationmustbe
basedonwhatthepublicwantstoknow,notwhatauthoritieswant
tosay.
10
introduction
Media shape the picture of
the crisis
Thepublic’spictureofacrisisislargelyshapedbythemedia.Theneed
forinformationinacrisisishuge,andmassmediaarenearlyalways
firstandhavethegreatestimpact.Afalsepicturewillbedifficultto
adjustlater.
Thisiswhycommunicationwiththemediahastoworkfromthestart,
andinformationfrompublicauthoritiesshouldbeascorrectand
completeaspossible.
Respondingtothecrisisandthepictureofthe
crisisshouldgohandinhand.
RoadaccidentinvolvingatankertruckandabusonCrete,summer2006.Photo:KariKohvakka.
11
introduction
Who controls the picture?
Withthecorrectfactsandfigures,dailypapers,radioandtelevision
areapowerfulresourceforbothauthoritiesandthepublic.
Experiencefromnationalandinternationalcrisesshowsthateffective
communicationrequiresextensive(andperceptive)preparation.
Employeesmayneedtraining.Communicationresourcesmustbe
adequate,andcommunicationnetworksmustbeinplacebeforea
crisis.
Tocontrolthepicture,anorganizationmustcommunicateacareful,
comprehensibleandcohesivepictureofthesituation.Thisbuildscon­
fidenceandcreatesopportunitiesfor“settingtheagenda”.Another
vitalcomponentismentalpreparedness,whichisdevelopedbefore
thecrisisthroughcrisiscommunicationstraining.
TheÖstnyttteam-JaelSöderlundandLindaSandin,interviewJanBejrumoutsidePolice
HeadquartersinVisby.Photo:KarlMelander.
12
introduction
How to use this handbook Crisiscommunicationswillonlyfunctionifyourorganizationhasa
professionalcommunicationsunitbeforethecrisisoccurs.Thishand­
bookwillhelpyoudevelopthe“everydayexpertise”thatisneeded.
Usethishandbooktoplanyourcommunicationspoliciesandprocedures,
trainemployeesorsimplytoinspire.Learnhowtohandleyourcom­
municationsbefore,duringandafteracrisis.
Youmayhaveaccomplishedagreatdealalready,butmayalsohave
questionstodevelopanddiscuss.
Attheendofthebooktherearechecklists,referencestoothersources,
spacetojotdownyourideas,to-dolistsandcontacts.Theenclosed
CDhastemplatestomakeyourjobeasier.
TheSwedishEmergencyManagementAgencywillsendyouregular
updatesandinformationdependingonyourrole.Pleaseinformus
ifyouchangeyourjoboryouraddresssothatwecankeepyour
handbookuptodate.Andpleasedon’thesitatetotellushowwe
candevelopandimprovethecontents.
Wehopethishandbookgivesyouthesupportyouneedforyourcrisis
responseplanning!
Who is our audience?
Wehavesimplifiedsomeoftheconceptsinthishandbook.By”public
authorities”and”organizations”wemeanallpublicadministration,
includingcountyadministrativeboards,countycouncilsandmunici­
palities.Thetitlesof”communicator”and”publicinformationofficer”
areinnowayfixedorcloselydefined,ascommunicationsprofessionals
canholdanynumberoftitles.
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kolumntitel
14
development and learning
Development and learning
Effective crisis communicationscanlargelybedevelopedbeforeacrisis.
Onemethodistoacquireknowledgeandtraining.Asacommunicator
youmaybeaskedtoorganiseprofessionaldevelopment,ormight
decidetotakethestepsyourself.Thistrainingcouldtakethreedifferent
forms.
1)
Mobilise the whole organization
Raiseawarenessacrossthewholeorganizationofthe needforcrisiscommunications.Stresstheimportanceof
beinginvolvedincommunicationissues,regardlessofjob
position.Compilebestpracticesanddisseminatethem.
2) Train key people
Educateandtrainkeypeopleincrisiscommunicationswork.
Ifspecificgroupsintheorganizationarenotcommunicators
buthaveregularcontactwiththemedia,arrangespecial
trainingforthem.Thisusuallyrelatestomanagers,butthe
mediamayalsobeinterestedinotherpeople.
3) Prepare the communicators
Showcommunicatorshowtomastertheircommunication
tools.CommunicationtodayrequiresgoodITskills,and
communicatorsmustbeabletohandletheirequipment
effectivelyincrisissituations.
CommunicationchannelsincludeSMSandMMSmessages,
videotechnology,webpublications,internetsearchengines
andemail.Arrangeregularreviewsandupdatesforper-
sonnel.Thiswillalsoprovideopportunitiesforgettingto
knoweachother.
Themilitary,rescueservicesandpolicetookpartinarescueexercise
atKarholmen,Torslanda,withachemicalterrorismtheme.LillianBaxter
hasbeeninfectedbychemicalweaponsandisdecontaminatedby
rescuepersonnel.Photo:BjörnLarssonRosvall.
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kolumntitel
16
development and learning
Organizing crisis communications
training and exercises
Iftheorganizationimplementsemergencymanagementandchainof
commandexercises,theseshouldideallyincorporatecommunication
issues.Contactthepersonresponsiblefortheexercisesinyour
organizationanddiscusshowthiscantakeformandwhatresources
areneeded.
Youcanalsoarrangecritical incident exerciseswithemployeesandthe
peopleresponsibleforemergencymanagementtotraincommunication
channelsandinformationflows.
Practiseandtrainthecrisis communicationschainofcommand
regularly,notonlycommunicators.Don’tforgettotestthedifferent
channelsofcommunication:betweenpublicauthorities,betweenpublic
authoritiesandthepublic,betweenpublicauthoritiesandthemedia.
Exercises
Exercisesrequirepriorplanning,organizationandimagination.
Emergencymanagersmustbepreparedforacrisis,andanticipate
bothexistingcommunicationneedsandtheneedsthatmayarise.
Goodcooperationisalsorequiredbecauseanorganizationthatsends
conflictingmessageswillbeaccountabletoboththemediaandthe
public.
Media
Boththemediaandthepubliccantakepartinexercises.Thiswillmake
thechallengesmorerealisticandincreasepressureontheparticipants.
Role-playingjournalistscouldusedifferentmethodstoreportonthe
participantsandotherroleplayers-victims,relativesandthegeneral
public.
AfireatthenewfiretrainingcentreinLöddeköpinge.Nooneknowshow
thefirestarted,buttherewasnotrainingthatdayaccordingtofirebrigade
personnel.Anelectricalfaultmaybethecause.Photo:PatrickPersson.
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development and learning
Eitherrealfreelancejournalistsorpeoplewithjournalisticexperience
canplaythemedia.Anotheroptionwouldbetousejournalism
students.
Journalismcollegesandsecondaryschoolsareoftenwillingtotake
partinexercises.Roleplayingmassmediarepresentativescantake
partinmockinterviews,pressconferences,pressmeetings,etc.
Thereisoftenaneed–andadesire-totrainkeypeopleduringthe
exercise.Butmediatrainingisnotusuallyappropriateinthissetting.
Interviewtechniquesandcameraworkshouldbetrainedwithother
expertsandconsultantsinanenvironmentthatenablesmorepersonal
feedbackandtraining.
The public
Trainingcommunicationwiththegeneralpublicshouldbeasrealistic
aspossible.
Anumberofpeoplecouldbeengagedtomonitortheinformation
presentedbyrole-playingmassmediaandtheinformationcom­
municatedbyparticipants,viawebsitesforexample.Ifpossible,the
”public”canalsobeinterviewedbythemedia.
The”public”couldthenbeaskedtoreacttoinformationfrompublic
authoritiesandthemediaduringtheexercise,andcontactpublic
authoritieswithquestionsabouttheevents.Theycanrole-playvictims,
anxiousrelatives,personneloranyotherindividualsaffectedbythe
eventsthattakeplace.Theycanalsoprovideeyewitnessaccountsor
otherimportantinformation.
Nopreviousknowledgeisrequiredtoplaythepublic.Iftheorganization
doesnotuseitsownemployees-oremployeesfromtheothergroups
takingpart-students,pensionersanddramastudentscouldbeasked
tovolunteer.
Methods and channels
Dependingontheobjectivesoftheexerciseandthescenario,therole
playingmediaandpubliccanusedifferentchannelsduring(andeven
before)theexercise.Thiscouldbeatechnicalsystemthatneedstobe
tested,ordifferentformsofcooperationandnetworks.
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development and learning
Adisasterresponseexercise“Havsörn”(SeaEagle)atForsmarkNuclearPowerPlant.Police
OfficerBennyBengtssongivesinstructionstoUlfHenricssonandHeadoftheSwedishPolice
NationalCriminalInvestigation,LarsNylén.Photo:RolfHamilton.
Web newspaper
Informationiscommunicatedtoparticipantsviaawebnewspaperthat
wouldactuallybepublishedduringarealcrisis.Journalistsareneeded
toworkonthewebnewspaper,andthenewspapershouldbeeasily
accessibletoparticipants.Thejournalistscouldinterviewparticipants
bytelephone.
Mock press conferences
Mockpressconferencescanbearrangedtoincreasepressureon
participants.Thepurposeistoplanmeetingswithlargenumbersof
journalistsatthesametimeandpresentcoordinatedinformation.
Mediaandjournalismstudentscouldrole-playjournalistsatthese
pressconferences.Alternatively,freelancejournalistscouldbehired.
Pressconferencesandmediaactivitiesshouldbecoordinatedbythe
exercisecommandteam.Iflargenumbersofpeopleareinvolvedin
theexercise,roomsandtimesshouldbereservedwellinadvance,
andallpracticaldetailssurroundingthemockpressconferencesand
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development and learning
cooperationmeetingsshouldbehandled.Reportsfromeachpress
conferencearesenttotheliaisonpersonintheexercisecommand
teamtoenablerapidreconciliationandofferadvicetorole-playing
journalistsifnecessary.
Radio/Television
Radiostationsandtelevisionchannelssometimestakepartinexercises
totraintheirownemergencymanagementprocedures.
Radiostationsandtelevisionchannelscanbecontactedandinvited
totakepartintheexercise.Experiencedreporterscanbringtheirown
technicalequipmentandberesponsiblefornewsreportingduringthe
exercise.
Ateamofrole-playingtelevisionreporterscanmonitorofficialsinthe
organizationsthattakepartintheexercise.Thetelevisionteamcan
alsocovermockpressconferences.Televisionandradiofeatures(in­
terviewsandeditedpressconferences)shouldbesenttoparticipants
overtheinternetduringtheexercise.
TheEmergencyManagementUnitinRegionVästraGötalandheldapressmeetingtopresent
theresultsoftheirresponsesofartothetsunamidisasterinAsia.Theliaisoncentreisopen
24hoursperdayduringemergencies.Photo:BjörnLarssonRosvall.
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development and learning
Training
Trytofindoutwhatyourorganizationneeds,whatyouneedtoworkon
andwhoneedstraining.Youcanthenorganize4-houror2-daytraining
courseswithdifferentfeatures,suchas:
•Seminarorlecturewiththeorganization’semergencymanager,
whounderstandsthesignificanceofcommunicationduringcrises.
•Seminarorlecturewiththeorganization’scommunicationsofficer
orsimilarwhohascrisisexperience,preferablyfromarecent
examplethateveryoneknowsabout.Invitingsomeonefrom
anotherorganizationwouldprovideanewdimension,butusing
someonefromyourorganizationwouldalsowork.Amajorevent
thateveryoneknowsaboutbuthasnotstudied”fromtheinside”
wouldbesuitable.
•Arrangepracticalmediatrainingcourses-interviewtrainingwith
cameras-formanagersandotherrepresentatives.Somepeople
areafraidofbeinginterviewedontelevision,whichcouldbethe
reasonwhymanagersandotherleadersdon’twanttospeakto
media.Youprobablyknowwhotheyare.Setaside4hoursorone
dayformediatraining.Mediaconsultantscantrainindividualsor
groups,althoughpeoplewhoarenervousmightprefertopractise
infrontofsomeonetheydonotknowratherthanacolleague.
•Exercisesinhorizonscanningduringmajorevents–eventsthatdo
notaffectyourorganization,butcanprovidegoodpractice.
•SEMAalsoarrangestrainingcoursesincrisiscommunicationsat
differentlevels.
Contactwww.krisberedskapsmyndigheten.se
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development and learning
Research and Studies
Studyhowothersorganizationscommunicateinacrisisandhow
youwouldlikeyourownorganizationtocommunicate(ornotcommunicate!).TheSwedishEmergencyManagementAgency(SEMA)has
conductedseveralstudiesintocrisiscommunicationsduringdifferent
typesofevents.
Thedemandforinformationduringcrisesisalwaysacute.Researchis
carriedoutaspartofmedia/communicationandjournalismstudies.
SEMAsponsorsstudiesonhowsocietycommunicatesduringcrises,
bothinSwedenandinternationally.
Researchshowsthat60to80percentofcrisiscommunications
workinvolvesinformation.Thisiswhystudiesandresearchareso
important.Investigatingandestablishingthebackgroundtoacrisis,
andhowmunicipalities,countycouncils,publicauthoritiesand
organizationsrespondisimportant.Apictureoranideacancome
torepresentacrisis,whilethehugeflowofinformationthatforms
thebackboneisoftenovershadowedbymoredramaticevents.SEMA
commissionsresearchersatmajoruniversitiestostudydifferenttypes
ofcrises.Thesestudiesincludeanalysingmediacoverage,evaluating
publicconfidenceinthegovernmentandpoliticalleadersthrough
opinionpolls,orexaminingtheinternalandexternalcommunication
ofvariousactorsduringcoordinatedcampaignsbypublicauthorities.
Mediaareoftenaccusedofrunninginpacksduringacrisisandnot
challengingtheprevailingclimateofopinion.Thisiswhyastudy
ofmediacoverageduringthetsunamidisaster,forexample,isso
important.ThestudyshowshowmajorSwedishmediacompanies
didinfactmaintaintheirownfocusandworkmethodsintheir
crisiscoverage.Theaimisthatpublicauthoritiescanseehowmedia
portrayacrisisfrompreviousevents.Thereareobvioussimilaritiesin
howtheseeventsarecovered,butthegeneralaimisthatmunicipa­
lities,countycouncilsandgovernmentagenciescanlearnfromthis
coverage.
Studiesthatfocusprimarilyoninvestigatinganeventcanlater
providedataforresearch.Thisapproachhasprogressivelybeen
transformedintoamethodologyforcrisiscommunications.Study
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development and learning
andresearchformthebasisofcrisiscommunications,andprovidea
platformforthemethodologyandtrainingcoursesproducedbySEMA.
Crisesareoftenaggravatedbyinadequateinformationorconflicting
messagesfromactors.Thisaffectspublicconfidenceandundermines
opportunitiesforpublicauthoritiestoconveytheirmessage.
Communicationhasplayedavitalroleinemergencymanagement
duringseveralcrisesinSweden.TheseincludetheEstoniaferry
disaster,thetsunamidisaster,theGothenburgdiscofire,theGudrun
stormandavianinfluenza.
Ineachoftheseexamples,theresponsiblepeopleareputtothe
testandtheircredibilityisfundamental.Similarly,aneffectiveand
crediblecrisiscommunicationsmethodologyisbasedonstudiesand
researchinthefield.
InformationwarfareposesanewandsignificantthreattoSweden.TheSwedishDefence
WargamingCentreisalreadytrainingforthenewITwar.Ourformerenemy,Igor,ispictured.
Photo:FredrikFunck.
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kolumntitel
24
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
The Fundamentals of Crisis Communications
What are crisis communications
“Theinformationthatisexchangedbyand
betweenpublicauthorities,organizations,the
media,affectedindividualsandgroupsbefore,
duringandafteracrisis.”
Effectivecommunicationduringacrisisrequiresagoodabilitytocom­
municatebefore,duringandafterthecrisis.
Communicationbetweenthepublic,themediaandpublicauthorities
isultimatelybasedonconfidenceindemocracy.Communicationhas
toflowbetweenthesethreegroupsinbothdirections.Effectivecrisis
communicationsalsoincludesthecapacitytoidentifydifferenttarget
groupsandadaptcommunication.Intherelationshipbetweenthe
publicandpublicauthorities,publicauthoritieshavetounderstandthe
valueofcommunicatingwiththepublicinacrisis,beabletogather
anduseinformationfromthepublic,andprovideinformation.Ifaut­
horitiesdonotwanttogiveorreceiveinformation,iftheyappearclosed
ratherthanopen,publicconfidencewillplummetandcommunication
willbedifficult.Ifpublicauthoritiesareperceivedasinaccessible,the
publicwillfeellessinclinedtoofferanyinformationthatsupports
theircrisisresponse.
Crisiscommunicationsbyandbetweenpublicauthoritiesrequires
coordinationandcooperationbetweenauthorities,organizations
andbusinesses,butalsotheabilitytoinformandseekinformation.
SmashedshopwindowafterReclaimtheStreetvandalism.
ErikaMalmgrenfromGinaTricotbehindthebrokenwindow.
Photo:LarsEpstein.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Effectiveinternalcrisiscommunicationsalsorequireperception:the
abilitytomakeassessments,tounderstandthepresentsituation,to
explainandconveyinformation,topredictfutureneeds,toanticipate
whowillbeaffectedandbeabletoinformthem.Aboveall,effective
crisiscommunicationsrelyontheabilitytogatherandanalyseinfor­
mation,andcommunicatedecisionsandmeasures.
Oneimportantconditionforeffectivecommunicationbypublicaut­
horitiesisknowinghowthemediaworkbefore,duringandaftera
crisis.Understandingtheroleofthemedia,theworkingconditionsof
individualjournalists,andtheroleofthemediaduringcrises.
Rapidtechnologicaldevelopmentshaveincreasedopportunitiesfor
individualstocommunicatedirectlywiththemediaandspreadtheir
ownmessages.Thereisariskthatpublicauthoritiesseehowthis
phenomenonbenefitsthemediawhileaffectingthemnegatively.
Publicauthoritiesshouldaccountforthistrendintheiremergency
managementplansandtakestepstoinfluenceandutilizethesituation,
withthepublicasthetargetgroupandcrisiscommunicationsastheir
means.Publicauthoritiesshouldalsodeveloptheirknowledgeofhow
thepublicreacts,howtocommunicatebeforeandduringacrisis,and
howpeopleincrisiscommunicate-especiallywiththemedia-in
realtime.
Why crisis communications?
Communicationaffectsthedevelopmentofeventsandshapesthecrisis
response.Crisiscommunicationsmustthereforebeconsideredan
integralpartofemergencymanagement;acorefunction.Thepublic
expectpublicauthoritiestocommunicatebefore,duringandaftera
crisisandinadequatecommunicationhasalwaysaggravatedcrises
andledtolackofconfidenceinpublicauthoritiesanddemocratic
processes.Trainingandexercisescanimprovethiscapacity,butthe
responsibleactorsmustindividuallydecide-dependingonthetype
ofcrisis,theirorganizationandresources-howtheiroperativecrisis
communicationswillbeorganisedandrun.
DemonstratorsatMedborgarplatsenin
Stockholm.Photo:StefanSöderström.
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kolumntitel
27
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Crisisresponseandcrisiscommunicationsarenotexactsciences.The
factorsthatdeterminesuccessareoftenintuition,personalknow­
ledgeandexperience,flexibilityandimaginationandanabilityto
combineallofthesefactorswithestablishedprinciplesandlessons.
SEMA’sgoalisthereforetobeaknowledgecentre,ameetingpoint
wherecrisiscommunicationsexperienceandlessonsarecollected,
analysed,validatedandthentransformedintoknowledge,methods
andtraining.Eachindividualisthenresponsibleforintegratingthis
knowledgeintothecrisisresponsestrategiesoftheirownorganiza­
tionbasedontheconditionsoftheirorganizationandthenatureof
thecrisis.
The crisis, crisis response and
picture of the crisis
Anyonewhorespondstoacrisismustunderstandhowpeoplebase
theirviewsofthecrisisandtheresponseonthepicturetheyreceive
ofthecrisis.Thispicturecancomefromdifferentdirections,depen­
dingonthestageofthecrisis,andthemediaareoftenimportant
conveyersforthosewhoarenotdirectlyinvolved.Crisisprofessionals
shouldunderstandthatpeople’sviewsofacrisisareimportant,no
matterhowfartheyarefromthetruth.People’spictureofthecrisis
willinfluencetheirviews,andtheirconfidenceinsocialinstitutions
andyourorganization.
Credibility
Byalwaysstrivingtobeopen,honestandcompetent,yourorga­
nizationwillmaintainahighlevelofcredibilityatalltimes.An
organizationwithgenuinecredibilityismorelikelytosucceedinits
effortstocommunicateandconveymessages.
Thebiggestjob–layingthegroundworkforcredibility–takesplace
beforethecrisisoccurs.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Credibilityisbasedonstablerelations,andcreatinggoodrelations
withthemedia,yourpartnersandthegeneralpublicwillhelpyou
developeffectivecrisiscommunications.Thisappliesforbothcom­
municationprofessionalsandmanagers.Theserelationswillalsosay
howotherpeopleseeyourorganization.
Transparency
Themostimportant-anddifficult-conceptwhenrespondingtoa
crisisis“transparency”.Thepublic’swillingnesstotrustandfollow
anauthority’sinstructionsduringacrisisisbasedonthatauthority’s
credibility.Aclosedorganizationgeneratessuspicionsofbadmana­
gement,incompetence,etc.Butthisisacomplexarea,becausethe
wholepicturedoesnotusuallyemergeuntilmuchlater.Information
canbeunreliableduringtheearlystages,andauthoritiesdonotwant
tosounduncertainorunknowing.
RescueworkersexamineaplasticcontainerafteraprobablegasemissionontheFinlandferry
CinderellaatStadsgårdskajeninStockholmonSunday,May21,2006.Photo:KristerLarsson.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Transparencyappliestowardsthemedia,thepublicandother
authorities.Transparencyisaprerequisiteforeffectivecooperation
betweenactorsinacrisis.
Youmustalsobeclearandopenevenwhenyoucannotexplainorsay
why.Explainingthatsecrecyisbasedonconsiderationsforprivacy
isoftenrespected,ifnotbythemediaatleastbythepublic.The
principleofpublicaccesstoofficialrecordsappliesinacrisis.The
AdministrativeProcedureActontheobligationsofadministrative
authoritiestowardsthegeneralpublicalsoapplies.
Accessibility
Creatingsystemsfordialoguepromotesaccessibility-forboththe
publicandmedia.Theseencompassexpertise,technology,systems,
relationsandprocedures.Anauthority’schannelsmustbeinplace
beforeacrisis:technology,website,telephonenumbersandprocedures
formaintainingcontactwiththemediaandhandlingthequestions
theyask.
Employeesmustbeopenandaccustomedtohandlingthemedia.This
appliesspecificallyforcommunicatorsbutalsoforotheremployees.The
managementshouldalsoconsiderdialogueasanintegralpartoftheir
role-evenindifficultsituations.
Expertise
Expertiseprovidesabasisforcredibility–ahard-workingorganization,
anorganizationalculturethatvaluesexpertise,andmediarelations
characterisedbyprofessionalismandrespectforindividualjournalists.
Thisappliesformanagers,communicatorsandanyotherrepresentatives
oftheorganization.
Transparencyalsomeansthatyoucanadmitandexplainwhysome
informationcannotbedivulged,whichisanothersignofexpertise
-astrategicchoicebasedonknowledgeandexperience.
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THE FUNDAMENTALS OF CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
Understanding
Organizationsandindividualemployeesthatshowunderstanding
willinfluencehowthepublicperceivesacrisisandthepeoplewho
respond.Effectivecrisisresponseisbasedonunderstandingand
sympathyforthevictims.
Youmaynototherwiseknowwhatmeasuresareneeded.Oneimportant
pointtoremember-nomatterwhattypeoforganizationyourepresent
–isthatlivesandhealtharealwaysmoreimportantthanmaterial
damageorlossofproperty.
Understandingpeoplewhowantordemandinformationisalso
important,evenwhenyoucannotgivethemtheinformationthey
require.Shouldeveryonebetreatedequally-orcanyouunderstand
whysomepeoplefeelbadlytreated?Theseissuesmayalsoarisewhen
workingwithothercrisisresponseactorsorinmediarelations.
Themurderof5-year-oldSabinainArvikaon11September,2003.AdrawingforSabina.
Photo:TorbjörnAndersson.
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
Communication and
cooperation
Cooperation
Acrisismeansthatmanydifferentauthoritiesandorganizationswill
havetoworktogethertosolvethesituation.Thesameappliesfor
communication.Thisispositive,ofcourse,andaprerequisitefor
buildingpublicconfidenceinanorganization’scapacitytohandlethe
crisis,butthiscouldalsobeamatteroflifeanddeathifthesituation
concernsmedicaladviceorinstructionsforhandlingtoxicsubstances.
Conflictinginformationfromorganizationsinthiscontextisunaccep­
table.Andalsothereasonwhycooperationaroundsendingcommon
messagesisprioritisedincrisisresponsetoday.
Aneffectivemethodistodevelopeverydaycooperationbeforea
crisis.Createnetworkswithothercommunicatorsandemergency
managersinsimilarpublicauthoritiesandorganizations.“Similar”
inthiscontextmeansorganizationsthataregeographicallyand
professionallysimilar.Inacrisis,itiseasiertoworkwithpeopleyou
know,oratleasthavemetbefore.
Effectivecrisiscommunicationsalsomeansthinkingbroadly-antici­
patingwhowillbeaffectedbythecrisisandinformingthem.Ifseveral
peoplefromacommandorganization,fromdifferentorganizations,are
goingtotakepartinapressconference,theyshouldmeetbeforehand
topreparethemselves.
Rapidlyestablishingtextmessagecontactoremailgroups,or
communicationinanyotherway,shouldbesecondnatureforcom­
municationsofficers.Aswellasanticipatingtheconsequencesof
variousdecisionsforotheractorsandknowingwhentocontactthem.
Messagesthatareintendedtocreateareactionoracertaintypeof
behaviouraremuchmorepowerfulwhentheyaresentbyseveral
actorsinthesameway.
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
Anotherimportantelementofcooperationiscommunicationbetween
publicauthoritiesandthegeneralpublic,andothertargetgroupsinthe
crisisresponsesystem.
Someexamples:
•Groupswithspecialneeds
•Familymembers
•Employeesandtheirfamilies
•Volunteers
•Employers
•Internationalcontacts
Nomatterwhatgroupsareinvolved,channelsmustberapidlyesta­
blishedformaintainingcontact.Trytousethechannelsthatalready
exist.Yourorganization’sapproachshouldbethateventhoughthese
groupsmayneedsupport,theycanalsocontributetotheresponse.
”Targetgroups”canbeavaluableresource.
Acrackintheearthcausedthecollapseofeighthouseson
PåskvägeninVagnhärad.Photo:PressensBild.
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
The contents of communication
Whatdoesthepublicwanttoknow?Whatcanthepublictellyou?
Whoisyouraudience?Themediaisameansforreachingthepublic,
butthepublicisnotananonymousmass.Theyarevictims,families,
witnesses,volunteers,perpetrators,politicians,employees.Formulate
amessagethatservesyourpurpose.Whatreactions,protective
measures,transportationorevacuationsdoyouwanttoachieve?Or
doyouwanttoinstilseriousness,stabilityorreassurance?
Whenyouprepareyourinformationplan,workoutamessagebasedon
thethreemostimportantquestionsthatyouwillhavetoanswer.For
example:Whatareyou,yourdepartmentororganization,doingrightnow?
Whataretheissues,andhowdoyouintendtoaddressthem?Theseare
thequestionsthatjournalistswillask,andtheinformationthatpeople
willhavearighttoknow.Saywhatyouthinkismostimportantfirst.This
isvitalinalivebroadcast.Donotworryaboutrepeatingyourself.
Trytounderstandyourtargetgroupsandtheirneedforinformation.
Peoplewanttoknowhowtheyshouldthinkandactrightnow.What
aretheconsequencesformeandmyfamily?HowcanIfindoutmore?
Questionswillariselateronaboutwhathappenedandwhy,about
whoisresponsibleandwhethercompensationordamagesaredue.
Thinkabouttheformulationofyourmessage.Speaktoyourcolleagues
andagreeonkeywordsandphrases.Expressingyourselfclearlyisvital
inacrisis,withnoriskofmisinterpretation.Writeyourideasdownon
paperandsticktothem!Especiallyfordifficultquestions.Themedia
canpickupexpressionsusedbypublicfigures.Whatwordsshouldwe
usetodescribevariouspeople,groupsorevents?
Knowingthattheworkgrouphasagreedonhowandwhatinformation
willbecommunicatedwillhelpyourespondtojournalists’questions.
Thisappliesforallcontactwithjournalists,writingandsendingpress
releases,whoanswerswhatquestionsandhow,visitsandguidedtours,
howtheseareplannedandwhowillrepresentyourorganization.
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
Youshouldalsothinkabouttheinformationthattargetgroupscan
provideinthiscontext.Howshouldyouformulateyourmessageand
howshouldyouconveyit?Doyouwantskilldescriptionsforthe
individualswhohaveofferedtohelpyoufindtherightpeople?Ordo
youneeddescriptionsofmissingpeopletohelpintheidentification
ofvictims?Doyouneedtipsfromthegeneralpublicaboutsuspected
perpetrators?Yourorganizationmustbeabletolisten.Whatcanthe
publictellyou?Whatdoesthepublicwanttoknow?
Howyourorganizationactsindifferentcommunicationsituationswill
affectthepublic’sconfidenceandtheirwillingnesstohelp.
Organization
Awarenessandknowledgebeforeacrisiswillhelpyoumobiliseyour
crisiscommunicationsteamduringacrisis.Crisisresponseactorsmust
understandthesignificanceofcommunicationduringacrisis.They
mustbeabletoidentifycommunicationneedswhenacrisisisathand
andbuildupacommunicationsteam,likeanyotherfacetofcrisis
response.Everymunicipality,countyadministrativeboard,county
councilandgovernmentagencyshouldhaveatleastonefull-time,
professionalcommunicatorwhoworkswiththeseissuesintheorga­
nization.Thecommunicatorshouldbetrustedbythecrisisresponse
team,preferablybeamemberoftheteamandalsotakeanactivepart
inregionalcommunicationnetworks.Thepersonwhoisresponsible
forcommunicationshouldalsobeauthorizedtoreinforcethecom­
municationsunitwithotherdesignatedandspeciallytrainedpeople.
Allofthisshouldbeimplementedduringtheplanningstagewhenthe
organizationdrawsupandvalidatesacrisiscommunicationsplanthat
outlinesmandates,authoritiesandtasks.
Communications officer
Thepersonresponsibleforcommunicationsshouldpreferablybepart
ofthecrisisresponseteam.Thispersonshouldhavesomeformof
mandatesuchasconveningpersonnel,makingdecisionsaboutinfor­
mationthatispublishedonthewebandstaffingdifferentunitsinthe
organization.Theroleshouldalsoinvolvesupervisoryresponsibilities
forcommunicationspersonnel,suchasdisseminatingtasks,schedules,
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
workinghours,etc.Duringacrisis,acommunicationsunitoftenworks
likeanewsroom,andonepersonshouldbeassignedtocoordinatethe
effort.Personnelissuesarealsoimportant.Someonehastoensurethat
personnelgetfood,restandifnecessary,crisissupport.
Channel responsibilities
Notwocrisesarealikeandallcommunicationhastobeadaptedtothe
crisisathand.Someofthemostcommonchannelsarethewebsite,
email,telephone,mediaormeetings.Butallcrisesdemandflexibility
andimaginationandyouwillprobablydiscoveranduseotherchannels.
Someonemustalwaysbeavailabletohandlethemostcommonformats.
Istherealwayssomeoneatworkwhocanpublishinformationonthe
website?Aretherealwayspersonnelwhocanstafftheswitchboardor
informationcentre?
Centre for victims/families
Mediaattentionandtheneedforinformationatcrisescentresis
usuallyintense.Thispressurehastobehandledsothatvictimscan
receivethesupportandinformationtheyneed,andsothatmedia
personnelwhoarriveonthesitereceivetheinformationtheyneed.
Atthesametime,peopleinshockrequirespecialconsideration.Set
upaprivateandsecludedplacewherevictimsandtheirfamiliescan
meet.Specificpersonnelshouldbeassignedtohandlethemediaso
thatvictimscanavoidanyunwantedattention.
Internal information
Peoplewithaccesstoregularlyupdatedinformationcaninformothers.
Rememberthatpersonnelnotworkingdirectlywiththecrisiswillalso
wantandneedinformation.
Liaison officers
Thecommunicationsmanager-andstrategist–shouldnothave
todealwithtoomanydetailed,practicaltasks.Thiscreatesaneed
forliaisonofficersfromdifferentunitsandacommunications
headquarters.
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COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
Horizon scanning and analysis
Inthiseraofmediaandfastflowinginformation,activehorizon
scanningisalsoneededduringacrisistoidentifyanyneworchanging
risks.Amisleadingrumourmayemergefromacrediblesource,ora
debatemayfocusonacompletelynewangle.Internationalmediaare
oftenoverlookedinhorizonscanningeventhoughtheyareaprimary
sourceofinformationformanypeople.Horizonscanningshouldhelp
acommunicatoranticipatedifferentissues,analyse,proposemeasures
andpresentthemtothecrisisresponseteam.
Documentation
Gooddocumentationisimportantfrombothalegalperspectiveandto
keeptrackofwhathasbeensaid.Fromacommunicationperspective,
knowingwhathasbeensaidandwhatanswershavebeengiven
duringpressconferencesisimportant.
Observer
Anindependentobservercanconductanevaluationandreviewof
yourunit.A”non-operative”resourcecanalsobevaluableduringa
crisis,someonenotdirectlyinvolvedinthecrisiswhocanofferadvice
andassistance.Thispersoncouldalsogivefeedbackandhelpevaluate
theprocessaftertheevent.
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40
media relations
Media relations Newsmediaarethemostimportantandfastestmeansofreaching
peopleincrisis.Andusuallythefastestwaytoreachpersonnel.
Servicingthemediaisthereforeanimportantpartofthecommunica­
tionsprocess.
Oneoftheweakestlinksincrisisresponseoftenappearswithinthe
firstfewhours.Havingthewronginformation,perceptionorapproach
intheearlystagescandeterminehowthesituationishandled.The
abilitytorespondquicklyisvital–tointerprettheseriousnessand
scopeofthecrisis.Thisisalwaysdifficultbecauseinformationduring
theinitialstagesisunreliable.Butmobilisationcanbepreparedin
advancebyestablishingclearwarningsystems,warningroutesand
contacts.
Iftheorganizationhassomeformofafter-hoursmediaorcommunica­
tionsunit,thefirstindicationsofacrisismayappearhere.Themana­
gementmightalsodecidetomobilisethemediaunitfirst,toseehow
thesituationdevelops.Thischapterdealswiththefactorsthataffect
amediaunitduringacrisis.
KonstantinTitovmeetsthepressafterthesuspensionofhis
governorshipwasdeclaredinvalidbytheSupremeCourt.
Photo:AlexeiMaishev.
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media relations
A new media landscape
Themedialandscapehaschangeddramaticallyoverthepasttenyears.
Newsandmediaarenowmoreaccessibleandweconsumethemdif­
ferently.Wecanread”eveningpapers”ontheinternetandwatchthe
morningnewsontelevision.Freenewspapersarehandedoutonthe
streetsandwecanreadthemorningpaperatwork.Breakingnews
alertsaresentdirecttoourmobilephones.
Butmoreinformationviaonlinenewspapers,freenewspapersand
televisionleadstogreatercompetitionandpressure.Thequestionis
whethergreaterspeed,varietyandpressurehaveaffectedquality?
Theanswerisnotcategoricallynegative.Pressureincreasestherisk
forblunders,errorsandmiscalculations,butopportunitiesforthe
publictoaccessimportantinformationhavedramaticallyimproved.
TommySuharto’sdefencelawyerischasedbyphotographersafterhisclientfailedtoappear
incourttohearhisjudgement.October2,2000inJakarta.Photo:EdwardWray.
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media relations
Fast information to the media
Pressureonauthoritiesanddecision-makershasincreased,aswellas
theneedforfastandaccurateinformation.Thetimeframeforaut­
horitiestoinformthepublicandconfrontthemediahasdecreased.
Opportunitiesforpublicservantstolieandcheathavealsodecreased.
Inacrisis,mediaeffortswill initially focus on establishing what
has happened.Timeisshort,andanyonewithsomethingtosaywill
attractmediaattention.Themediaworkshardtofindeyewitnesses.
Telephonenumbersaresetupfornewstips,andreaders/watchers/
listenerscancall,emailorsendtheirphotosandvideosofbreaking
news.Themediahasaccesstoanynumberof”roamingreporters”
wherevereventsunfold.Apublicauthoritycannolongerwithhold
informationuntilthewholepictureemerges.The“wholepicture”will
notberevealeduntilmuchlaterandbythattimeotherswillhave
toldtheirstory.Apublicauthoritycanonlybenefitfromsayingwhat
itknows,whatitintendstodo,andannouncewhereandwhenthe
nextupdatewillbeavailable.
Thenextphasewillfocusonin-depth information.Journalistsproduce
backgroundmaterial,facts,graphics,statistics,pictures,andcompare
othersimilarevents.
Thefinalphaseisoftenrememberedlongestbyauthorities:the
evaluation phase.Effortstofindoutwhatreallyhappened,whyit
happenedandnotleast,whoisaccountable.Thisisanormalprocess
inallcrisesandanimportanttaskforthemedia.Thepublicisalso
interestedinthisinformation,bothvictimsandothers.Thepeople
whoareresponsiblewillneveravoidthisphase,buttheoutcome
willdependonhowcommunicationwashandledduringthefirsttwo
phases.Iftransparencyandwillingnesstocommunicatehaveledthe
way,evenduringthelesssuccessfulpartsofthecrisis,theevaluation
phasewillbeeasierandtheneedforscapegoatswillbelessacute.
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media relations
Identify information sites
Knowinghowmediaworkisvital.Inacrisis,youshouldappointa
meetingplaceforjournalistsandconsidertheneedforhavingcom­
municatorsonsite.Travellingtothesceneofanaccidentisrelatively
easy,buttheremaybeothersituations.Thisshouldbeaccounted
for,andpreferablybeforeitcausescommunicationproblems.Other
locationscouldbeterminals,waitingrooms,meetingplaces,head
officesoranyotherplacewhererelativesorvictimscangather.You
shouldbepreparedforyourroleasanofficialrepresentativeandto
providetheinformationthatpeoplewantandneed.
Anofficialrepresentativeshouldalsobepresentwhenjournalistsmeet
inordertoanswertheirquestions.Thispersonshouldhavedirect
contactwiththecrisisresponseteamandbeabletogiveup-to-date
information.
GermanForeignMinisterFrank-WalterSteinmeiermeetsthe
pressafterGermany’sdecisiontosendtroopstoLebanon
onaUNpeacekeepingmission.August18,2006inBerlin.
Photo:GeroBreloer.
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media relations
Interviews
Contactwiththemediausuallytakesplacebytelephone–either
personalinterviews,providinginformationorrespondingtorequests
forinterviewswithotherpeopleintheorganization.Thepersonwho
handlesmediacontactmustunderstandhisorherrole-spokesperson
orpresssecretary.Whicheverrole,thefollowingquestionsshouldbe
answeredbeforeeveryinterview:
Why? –Whyshouldweagreetotheinterview?
Who?
–Whoshouldspeak,aspokespersonoratopmanager?
What?
–Whatshouldwesay,whatwillourmessagebe?
Who?
–Whoisourtargetaudience?Whodowewanttoreach?
Newspaper?Radio?Television?Livetoair,ortaped?
Willotherpeopletakepartintheinterview-victims
ortheirfamilies?
Thesituationisobviouslymoreurgentinacrisis,butyoushouldstill
requestaround15minutesbeforeagreeingtoaninterview.Thatwill
giveyoutimetoconsiderthequestionsaboveand,ifyouarebeing
interviewed,toformulateyourkeypoints.
AngelaMerkelduringahastypressconferenceafter
shewasoverwhelminglyre-electedaspartyleader.
September20,2005inBerlin.Photo:WolfgangKumm.
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Media tips.
Always:
•Takeyourtime
•Thinkbeforeyouanswer
•Staywithinyourfieldofcompetence
•Saythatyoucannot,orarenotpermitted,
toansweraquestion
•Sticktothefacts
•Assumethateverythingis“ontherecord”
•Befirm,fairandhonest
Youshouldalsoconsiderwhetheryouoryourorganizationshould
infactbeansweringthequestions.Themessagemayneedtobe
coordinatedwithothercrisisresponders(see”Coordination”).
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media relations
Media tips.
Never:
•Lie,guessorpresentyourowntheories
•Becomeupsetorangry
•Letthesituationorthereporteraffectyou
•Usejargon
•Discussclassifiedinformation
•Say”Nocomment”
•Speakaboutissuesoutsideyourfieldof
competence
Seeeveryinterviewasanopportunitytobecomemoreconfidentand
clear,orwhateveryouneedtoimproveupon.Allinterviewsituations
willimproverelationswiththejournalistswhocovertheissues
handledbyyourorganization.
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media relations
Press releases
Thesamequestionscanbeaskedbeforeissuingapressrelease.
1.
Whycommunicatethroughapressrelease?
Toheighteninterest,orannounceimportantinformation?
Whoshouldthesenderbe?
Shouldwesendthereleasetogetherwithourpartnersand
formulateajointmessage?
2. Whatisourmessage?
Dowewanttoprovokesomekindofactionorresponseandifso,
fromwhom?
Whattoneshouldweuse,howseriousisthesituation.
3. Whoshouldwesendthereleaseto?
Whatmediaoutlets:local,national,international?
Tradepress,specialtymagazinesorspecificreporters.
ApressreleaseshouldneverbelongerthanoneA4page.Yourorgani­
zationshouldhaveamailinglistwithfaxnumbersandemailaddresses
fortherelevantmediaoutlets.Thetextshouldalsobepublishedon
theintranetwiththenameandtelephonenumberofthepersonwho
isresponsibleforthepressrelease.Thispersonshouldbeaccessibleby
mobilephoneforatleast24hoursafterthemessagehasbeenreleased.
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media relations
Press conference
Apressconferenceisbothanopportunityandarisk.Thedramaturgy
isoftencreatedbythemediathemselves,andcanprovideenough
materialforaseparatechapter.
You,yourorganizationandanypartnersmustbeveryclearabout
themessageyouwanttodeliverbeforethepressconference.Doyou
wanttoannounceimportantinformationorsendaspecificmessage?
Doyouwanttospreadcalmorcaution?
Youshouldbeveryclearaboutwhocontributesandwhy,andwho
participates.Thepressconferenceshouldbeledbyamoderatoror
presssecretarywhowelcomesparticipants,introducesthespeakers,
chairsthemeetingandcallsforquestions.Youshouldalsobevery
clearaboutwholeadsthespeakers,anddecideswhoanswerscertain
questionsifuncertaintiesarise.
AnnaBergerKettner,chairpersonofStockholmTransport(SL)atanextraordinaryboardmeeting
todiscusstheresignationofmanagingdirectorGunnarSchönfollowingabusinesstripwithhis
wife.May9,2003inStockholm.Photo:JanECarlsson.
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media relations
Yourkeymessageshouldbeveryclear.Thecommunicatororprimary
spokespersonisusuallyresponsibleforgatheringparticipantsbefore­
handanddecidinghowyouwillrespond.He/sheshouldalsoanticipate
anydifficultquestionsandsuggesthowtheyshouldbeanswered,and
bywhom.
Who to invite?
Youshouldprepareatargetedlistofmediasources;thelocalornational
mediaoutletsthatyouandyourorganizationusuallydealwith,and
anyspecialorinternationalmediathatmaybeinterested.Formulate
apolitepressreleasethatinvites(notorders)themtoattend.Faxor
emailisfastestinanurgentsituation.Inanemergency,youcansend
materialtotheSwedishCentralNewsAgency(TT)-callthemifneces­
sary-andtheywillcoordinatetheinformation.
Dress
Participantsshouldalsothinkabouthowtheydressforapresscon­
ference.Checksandpin-stripesarenotsuitablebecausethecolours
becomedistortedontelevision,butthewayyoudresswillsenda
message.Doparticipantswearauniformatwork?Shouldtheywear
theiruniformsatthepressconference?Whatimpressiondoyouwant
tocreate?Formalorrelaxed?Professionalorfriendly?Seriousorreas­
suring?Willoperationalorstrategiclevelpersonneltakepart?Youcan
alsoinvitearangeofparticipants.Ifyouwanttoshowthatseveral
organizationsareworkingtogether,policeandmedicalprofessionals
forexample,theycouldallweartheirrespectiveuniforms.
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media relations
Planning specifics
Therearemanypracticaldetails.Youshouldplaninadvance,andbe
preparedforacrisis.
Whatroomwillyouuse?Itshouldbeeasilyaccessibleandcloseto
reception.Thereshouldalsobeadjacentroomsforinterviewsafter
thepressconference.
Theroomshouldbeequippedwithgoodlighting,microphones,visual
aids,electricaloutlets,broadband(forsimulcasts,etc).Whenyou
decidetoholdapressconference,makeachecklistforthepeople
whosetuptheroom.
Press conference checklist
• Printoutallpressmaterial(descriptionofparticipantsandany
othercontactpeoplewithcorrectlyspeltnamesandtitles,and
telephonenumbers)
• Namebadgesforparticipants
• Whatdoesthebackgroundlooklike?
• Water,plasticcups
• Notepads,pensonthepodium
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media relations
Difficult questions
Informationpresentedbythemediacanreassurethepublicandspread
confidence.Butadifficultsituationcanarisewheninformationis
sensitiveorconfidential.
Journalistscanresorttomethodsthataredesignedtoweakenyou
andyourcolleagues,andmakeyoudisclosesensitivedetails.
Ifyouarepoliteandservice-minded,whichpublicofficialsshould
alwaysbe,youwillprobablywanttoanswertheirquestions.Butdon’t
fallintothistrap!Say”Wecannotanswerthatquestionatpresent”or
somethingsimilar,andexplainwhyyoucannotanswer.
Anothermethodusedbyjournalistsistoaskthesamequestionina
varietyofwaysuntiltheygetananswer.Thereisariskthatyouwill
givethemtoomuchinformation,justtobepolite.Itisokaytorepeat
youranswer,i.e.whateveryouhavedecidedonbeforehand.
Inahigh-pressurepressconferenceenvironment,reportersmay
demandinformationbecausetheyhavecometoapressconference.
Butpublicauthoritiesmustcommunicateontheirowntermsandnot
bowtomediapressure.Theworkgroupandthecommunicatorshould
agreeonastrategyforhandlingcommunicationandsticktoit!
Leaksandinappropriatecommentscanoftenbeavoidedifthemanager
showsthatheorshehasacommunicationplan.“Leaks”areoften
causedbyinexperienceorlackofplanning,proceduresorguidance.
Theycanalsobeavoidedbydiscussingcommunicationintheareas
thatyouexpectmediatofocuson,andexplainingtopersonnelwhy
goodmediarelationsaresoimportant.
Personnelwhodealwithjournalistsshouldseethemasanasset,an
opportunitytobroadlydeliverimportantinformation.Inaworst-case
scenariowhenlivesareatstake,journalistscanalsobeavaluable
resource.
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media relations
Thereisalwaysariskthatjournalistswilltrytointerviewpeoplein
shock.
Ifyouandyourcolleagueswanttoprotectpeopleinshock,speakto
thejournalistsandexplainwhysomepeopleshouldnotbeplacedin
frontofaTVcamera.
Tips
• Informjournalistsaboutyourorganization;invitethemtopress
meetings,lectures,seminars.
Creategoodeverydaymediarelationswiththemedia–both
•
communicatorsandmanagers.
• Implementdailyhorizonscanning:
”Whatdopeoplethinkaboutusrightnow?”
In a crisis:
• Appointapressofficeranddecideonhis/hermandate,spread
his/hernameandphonenumberthroughouttheorganization.
• Themanagementshouldformulateacommunicationpolicy
andmaintainregularcontactwiththepressofficer.
• Scheduleinformationmeetingswiththemediaandkeepthem.
• Appointanindependentobserver/horizonscanner.
• Topmanagementmustalsobeavailableforthemedia,atleast
onceaday.
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56
communicating with people in a crisis
Communicating with
people in a crisis
Preface
Inthissection,Iwilldescribecommunicationwith
individualsandgroupswhoareseverelyaffectedby
acrisisevent.Theinformationisbasedoncrisiscom­
municationsresearch,myownexperienceandthework
carriedoutbytheSwedishCoordinationCouncilfor
PeopleAffectedbytheTsunamiDisaster(RSOS).
BirgittaDarrell
Coordinating communication
efforts
Duringandafteramajorevent,communicationwithvictimsmustbe
coordinated.Allcrisesinvolvealargenumberofactors.Coordinating
communicationcaninvolveworkingtopromoteeffectivecommunica­
tionbetweenpublicauthorities,familymembersandsurvivorswhile
simultaneouslymaintainingclosecontactwithinsurancecompanies,
voluntaryorganizationsandreligiousgroups.Therearegoodgrounds
foranalysingwhatthiscoordinationimplies.Becauseoftheway
Swedishpublicadministrationisorganized,anindividualgovernment
agencycannotorderotheragenciestotakemeasuresorcoordinate
actionsunlessthisisspecificallyregulatedbylaw.Noindividual
authoritycandirecttheactionsofanotherauthoritybecauseofa
particularevent.Authoritiescanendeavourtoachievecoordination
throughpublicinformationcampaignsorotherefforts,however.
FivethousandpaperlanternsfilltheskyinKhaoLak
ataremembranceceremonyfortsunamivictims.
Photo:AdreesLatif.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Anorganizationthatissetupurgentlytoprovidesupportforvictims
ofacrisisneedstomakeimportantdecisionsfromthestart.Verifying
howthesedecisionsaremadeandwhoisauthorisedtomakethem
shouldtakeplaceassoonaspossible.Thisregulatesthedecision­
makingstructureandcreatesclarityforthepeopleworkinginthe
organization.
Expertise
Anorganizationthatprovidessupporttovictimsandtheirfamiliesand
promotescoordinationrequiresavastarrayofexpertise-lawyers,in­
vestigatorsandotherexperts.Arelativelylargepartofthisworkwill
involvecommunicatingwithauthorities.Asaresult,peopleworking
intheorganizationshouldhavein-depthknowledgeofgovernment
systemsinordertomeettheneedsofthoseaffected.Themost
commontaskisusuallyconveyinginformationbetweenvictimsand
theirfamilies,andpublicauthoritiesandotherorganizations.Crisis
communicationskillsareimportantbecausetheorganizationmust
knowandunderstandhowcommunicationfunctionsbestinacrisis.
Somepersonnelshouldalsohavebehaviouralsciencetraining.This
expertiseisneededtoprovidebehaviour-basedsupportforvictims
andtheirfamilies,andsupportforpersonnel.
Many different needs – goals
and target groups
Whensupportingvictimsandtheirfamilies,youmustworkproactively.
Youhavetobeflexibleandinnovative,andanticipatethescenarios
andeventsthatvictimsmayhavetoface.Youhavetobaseyourlong
term-plansonacomprehensiveanalysisofthetargetgroup.Acareful
analysisofthetargetgroupwillhelpyoudelivertherightmessage
andinformationviathemostappropriatechannels.Youmayalso
needtoidentifycertainindividualsandgroupsforspecificpurposes.
Assoonastheeventhasbeenidentifiedandanalysed,setrealisticgoals
foryourwork.Definebothbehaviouralandcommunicationgoalsat
anearlystage.Abehaviouralgoaliswhentargetgroupsorstakeholders
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communicating with people in a crisis
havetodosomethingthattheywouldnotnormallydo.Thiscouldin­
volvecontactingsomeonetoobtaininformation,visitingawebsiteor
encouragingvictimstocontacttheorganization.Acommunication
goal,whichisobviouslysteeredbybehaviouralgoals,aimstochange
receivers’viewsoftheworldbyinfluencingtheirattitudes,knowledge,
norms,involvementandintentions.Thiscouldinvolveincreasingtheir
willingnesstocontactauthorities,raisingtheirknowledgeofwhereto
seekpsychosocialsupport,beingpreparedtoaskforpsychiatrichelp
orwhatevertheactualpersonbelievesisimportantorunimportant.
Thegoalsshouldbewrittendownandunderstoodbecausethiswill
bemoreeffective,andshowhowevenmorechannelsareavailable
forreachingyourobjectives.
StudentsandpolicegatheratBrommaUpperSecondarySchoolaftera16-year-oldwasshot
deadattheschool.Photo:AndersGustafsson.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Reaching victims – your message Formulatingmessagesisadelicatetask–andprobablythemost
difficulttaskduringthewholeprocess.Messagesshouldbeadapted
tothetargetgroupandthechannelsthatareavailable,andaccount
foranyfactorsthatwillpreventthetargetgroupfrominterpreting
themessage.Communicatingwithindividualsandgroupsincrisisis
difficult.Youmustadaptyourinformationtotheseriousnessoftheir
situation,andtheircapacityforreceivingmessages.
Howyouformulateamessagedependsonthepurposeofyourcommu­
nication,i.e.whetheryouwanttopresentnewfacts,orchangeattitudes
orbehaviour.Whateveryourpurpose,trytoremembersomekeyfactors:
Simplicity. Keepyourmessagesimple.Avoidtechnical,scientificand
bureaucratictermswhereverpossibleandleaveoutanyinformation
thatisnotrelevantforthetargetgroup.
Consequence.Actorsoftendisagreeonwhatshouldbecommunicated
andwhatindividualsshoulddo.Trytoavoidthisconflictinyour
messagebecauseitwillonlycreateconfusion.Clarityshouldbeyour
overallgoalwhentryingtoreachpeopleincrisis.
Key point.Makeyourkeypointclear–donotburyyourpointinless
importantinformation.Presentyourkeypointfirst.Considerthe
peoplewhoarenotcapableofreadingthewholetext.
Tone.Yourtonecanbepositiveornegative.Whateverstyleyouchoosewill
determinewhetheryouraudiencefollowsyouradviceandinstructions.
Credibility.Thepersonpresentingthemessagemustbecredible,and
themessagemustbeclearandconvincing.
Needs of the target group.Inaworldofinformationoverload,your
messagehastoreachyourtargetgroup;theyhavetounderstandits
significance.Yourmessageshouldtellreceiverswhattheywantto
know,notwhatthesenderwantstosay.
Communicationcannotwaituntilyou“finishthinking”,becausethe
targetgroupmightfeeldeceived.Layyourcardsonthetable:say
whatyouaredoing,whatconsiderationshavetobemade,andsoon.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Thetargetgroupwillfeelinvolved.Andbepreparedtochangeyour
tacticsifyoudiscoverthatthetargetgroupdoesnottrustthesenderor
feelsufficientlyinformed.Horizonscanningandcontactwithvictims
willhelpyouidentifytheseproblems.Theimportanceoffeedbackon
communicationinitiativescannotbestressedhighlyenough.
Youshouldalsobeawarethatothersenderswillbetryingtoreachthe
victims.Toavoidconflictinginformation,analysethesedevelopments
andcarefullyreviewtheirsources.Thiswillminimisesuspicionand
speculation.Silencebreedsspeculation.Yourmessageshouldbe”We
don’t know what is happening but as soon as we do, you’ll be the
first to know.”
The“sender”canbethepersonwhoformulatesamessage,orthe
personwhodeliversthemessage.Havingtherightsenderisvitalfor
bothyourgoalandthetargetgroup.Ifyouchoosethewrongsender
foraspecificgroupofpeople,youcouldcreateanegativeeffect,where
thevalueliesinnotfollowingthesender’sadviceandinstructions.
Communicatingwiththetargetgroup–reachingthemandinforming
therightpeople-iscentral.Ifyoudonothaveaclearpictureofwhothe
targetgroupis,communicatingwiththemwillbedifficult.Avaluable
experiencefromthetsunamidisasteristhatvictimsandtheirfamilies
wouldhavelikedtoseealetterorsomekindofcommunicationfrom
someoneinthepublicsectorimmediatelyafterthedisaster.
LawfirmGernandt&DanielssonpaystributetoThomasAnderwhodiedinthetsunamidisaster.
Photo:IngvarKarmhed.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Different channels
Beforechoosingamediumorchannel,youshouldaskyourselfthe
followingquestion:HowcanIreachthetargetgroup?Or:Mymessage
isclearandaddressestheneedsofthetargetgroup,butwhyadvertise
inthemorningpaperifthetargetgroupwon’tseeit?Differentmedia
havedifferentqualities.Communicationtacticsrangefromconventional
massmediatopersonalinfluence,andeachhasitsownstrengths
andlimitations.
Organizationsshoulduseseveraldifferent,complementarychannels.
Examplesareatelephonehelplineservice,website,informationletters,
brochures,flyers,seminars,meetingsorads.Yourstartingpointshould
becontentthataddressesthepracticalneedsofthetargetgroup.The
telephonehelplineserviceandwebsiteareusuallythemostimportant
channelsduringtheinitialstage,butnotallofyouraudiencewillbe
receptiveduringthisprocess.Noteveryoneinthetargetgroupwillbe
capableofsearchingforinformationinthemidstofatrauma.Sub­
groupsoftheseverely-affectedtargetgroup,suchaspeoplesuffering
fromacutepsychologicalstress,maynotbecapableoflookingfor
informationbythemselvesorevendefiningthequestionstheyneed
toask.
Website
Awebsiteisoneofseveralchannelsforreachingthetargetgroup.The
purposeofthewebsiteistoinform,summarise,explainandprovide
support-preferablyinrealtime.
Theobjectiveshouldbetoprovidepublicaccesstouptodateand
relevantinformation.TherecouldbeapagewithRSSnewsfeeds
(headlineslinkedtodailynewspapersandothermedia),linksto
othermediaandifnecessary,apagefordisclaimers,correctionsand
explanations.
ThepublicgathersoutsideNKdepartmentstoreinStockholm
tohonourthememoryofForeignMinisterAnnaLindh.
September12,2003.Photo:ClaudioBresciani.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Examplesofwebsitesectionsinadditiontothehomepagecouldbe:
”Questions and answers”, ”Where to find help”, ”Crisis update”,
”Contact us”, ”About Us”and”News”,plusa”Corrections”subsection
whereinaccurateinformationfromthepressandothersourcesisre­
futed.Therecouldalsobeasectionfordifferentkindsofinformation
letters.
Theobjectivecouldbetoproduceyourowntexts,andreproduceany
otherinformationthatisrelevantforthetargetgroup.Thehome
pagewillprovidelinkstoothersectionsandfeaturepuffpieceswith
breakingnews.
Thecontentonthewebpageforpeopleincrisiscouldhavethe
followingcategories:
•Informationfromothergroupsandauthorities(e.g.,theSwedish
GovernmentOffices,thePolice,theSwedishNationalTaxBoard,the
SwedishRescueServicesAgency,voluntaryorganizationsandthe
SwedishChurch)
•Expertadvice
•Factualinformation(thegrievingprocess,custodyandfinancial
issues,etc)
•Explanatorytextandgraphics(maps,translations,etc)
•Reportswithtextandphotos
•Contactdetails,andotherinformationabouttheorganization
•News(fromyou,andotherorganizations)
•Searchfunctionforfamilieswhoaretryingtolocateeachother
Aneffectivemethodforadaptingthecontentstothetargetgroupis
toalwaysconsidertheirneeds.Theinformationshouldberelevant,
current,adaptedandqualityassured.Anothermethodcouldbeto
processandadaptinformationfromauthoritiesandotherorganizationsiftheycannotprovidetheirowninformationfastenough.This
informationcouldbepublishedinthe”Questionsandanswers”sec­
tion.Insteadofdescribingtheservicesofferedbyeachorganization,
theservicescouldbepresentedaccordingtothespecificneedsof
thetargetgroup.Thiswouldincludeidentification,financialsupport,
familylawandsoon.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Victimsdonotalwaysneedtoknowwhatorganizationsareresponsible
fordifferentissues.Ifsometopicsarenothandledbyanyspecific
organization,produceyourowntexts.Contactexpertswhocananswer
thequestionsthatneitheryounoranyotherorganizationcananswer.
Youshouldalsoanalysetheinformationthatthisspecifictargetgroup
wantsandneedswhenitvisitsyourwebsiteduringthefirstweeksand
months.Thetargetgroupconsistsofpeopleincrisis;theymayhave
lostfamilymembersortheirlivelihoodandinsomecasesbephysically
injured.Whatquestionsareimportanttoanswerquickly?Whatneeds
aremosturgent?Whatdovictimsandtheirfamiliesexpectfromus?Is
informationfromothersourcesadequate?
Andfortheyoungestmembersofthetargetgroup,youcouldpublish
andreproduceinformationthatisparticularlyrelevanttochildrenand
theirfamilies.OneexampleisaQuestionLetterbox,whereexperts
answerchildren’squestions.
AwallwithphotosofpeoplewhodiedintheSeptember11attack.TributeVisitorCenterhas
beencreatedtoshowglimpsesandfragmentsofthetwotowersandthepeoplewholost
theirlivesthere.Photo:SethWenig.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Work processes and distribution of responsibilities
for the website
Thewebmastercouldbetaskedwithselecting,compiling,editingand
publishinginformation,sometimestogetherwithotherpageowners,
forthetelephonehelplineserviceandtheinformationlettereditor.The
webmastercouldalsoproposenewfunctions,assistdeveloperswith
testingandfeedback,andoverseenewfunctionsandtechnology.
Eachpageshouldalsohaveanowner.Thiscouldbesomeonewith
specialknowledgeinaspecificfieldorwhoisotherwisequalified
toknowwhetherthecontentonapageisappropriateandcorrect.
Thewebmasterandpageownersshoulddecidetogetherwhatpages
arepublished,modifiedordeleted.Thepageownerswillensurethat
allcontentontheirpagesiscorrect,currentandinformative.The
webmasterwillensurethatthecontentisgrammaticallycorrectand
comprehensible.The”manager”shouldbelegallyresponsibleand
haveultimatecontroloverthepublishedcontent.
Thebiggestproblemwillbekeepingthepagescurrent.Approvingand
modifyingtextsisusuallyeasy:eitherthewebmasterasksthepage
ownerstopublishapage(thatthewebmasterhasproduced),orthe
pageownersrequestnewtextsorupdates.
Theorganizationshouldsynchroniseallofitscommunicationand
measures.Allchannelsshouldpresentthesameinformation,regard­
lessoftheformat.Andeverymemberofthecrisisresponseorganiza­
tionshouldbeawareofanyplannedmeasures.Followingtheevents
ofSeptember11inNewYork,allrespondersweregatheredunderone
roof.Allpublicauthorities,voluntaryorganizationsandgroupsthat
victimsneededtocontactweresituatedinthesamebuilding.This
modelcouldbeworthcopying;apractisethatwouldfacilitatevictim
supportandimprovecoordinationingeneral.
Adapting the website to the target group
Thewebsiteshouldfocusonvictimsandtheirfamilies.Thetarget
groupcanbedividedintosubgroups.Thesubgroupscouldbe:people
whowerethereandlostoneormorefamilymembers;peoplewho
werethereandwereinjured,butdidnotloseafamilymember;
peoplewhowerenotthere,butlostafamilymemberwhohasnot
beenidentified,andsoon.Thefirstandprimarytargetgroupshould
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communicating with people in a crisis
alsobedividedintoadultsandchildren.Asecondtargetgroupisthe
generalpublic,inthiscaseSwedeswhowerenottherebutwanttoknow
abouttheresponse.Athirdtargetgroupisotherpublicauthorities;a
fourthisvoluntaryorganizationsandothersupportgroups;afifthis
themedia.
Thefirstgroupisobviouslythemostimportant.Thisgroupisalso
special,becausemostofthevictimsandtheirfamilieswillbeweak,
fragileandunfocused.Someofthetargetgrouparechildrenwho
arealsoinastateofshock.Someofthetargetgrouparepresumably
physicallydisabled.Theseconditionsplacegreatdemandsontherole
oftheinformationsender,specificallyintermsoflanguage,navigation
andcontent.
Other aspects
Thelanguagemustbeextremelyclearandeasytounderstand.Itshould
beadaptedtothereceiversandunbureaucratic,withoutcompromising
thecontent.Complicatedlegaljargoncanalwaysbeexplainedin
plainEnglish.Thelanguagelevelshouldbeadaptedtoolderchildren
andmostadults.Experienceshowsthatthisisthemostappropriate
levelforpresentinginformationwithoutanylossofmeaning.The
websitemustbeeasytonavigate.Informationshouldbeeasytofind
anduse.Coordinationbetweenthewebsiteandotherchannelsisalso
important.Thewebsiteeditorialteamcouldpresentanddistribute
thesameinformationasthetelephonehelplineserviceandaflyerfor
example.Thismayprovedifficultinpracticehowever.Procedures
shouldbedevelopedforsharingortransferringinformationbetween
thewebsiteeditorialteamandthetelephonehelplineservice.Aperson
couldthenbeassignedtocheckinformationflowstoandfromthe
telephonehelplineserviceandholdregularmeetingswiththepurpose
oftransferringthisinformationtothewebsiteeditorialteam.What
couldoptimiseawebsitethatofferssupporttopeopleincrisis?
Speed
A website should be set up for people in crisis as soon as possible.
Theformatcanbesimpleatfirst.Ideally,apermanentcrisisresponse
websiteshouldbesetupwithanaddresssimilartotheSOSnumber,
112.Differentcrisescouldhavedifferentsectionswithuniquedomain
addresses.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Functionality
Thewebsiteshouldprovidetargeted,adaptedandstraightforward
informationforvictimsandtheirfamilies.Theinformationshould
alwaysbebasedonthevictim’sperspective.Awebsitethatrequires
aloginandpassword,likethewebsiteinNewYorkafterSeptember
11,isprobablythemostfunctionalandsupportiveformatforacrisis
responsewebsite-especiallyifaliaisonofficercanworkwithindivi­
dualfamilies.Amember’spageshouldoffermoredetailedinforma­
tionthanpublicpages.Thewebsitecouldalsoprovideaforumand
otherinteractiveservicesforvictims,aswellassupportforumsrun
byprivatepeopleandotherorganizations.Asaresponsibleauthority,
youmustbeproactive.Agoodexamplewouldbeachecklistfor
everythingthatavictimmightneedtotakecareofandfindout,and
suggestionsforhowproblemscanbesolved.Bringinexpertswhocan
answerquestionsfromvictims,thepublicandthemedia.
Transparency
Sayeverythingyouknow.Victimshaveahugeneedfordetailed
information.Whetherthepageispublicorprivate,information
mustberelevantandclear.Tellthetruth.Avoidingcertainwordsor
somedetailscausesmoreconfusionandconcernthanbeingclear
andopen.Sayeverythingthatyouknowassoonaspossible.Donot
censorinformation.Silence,half-truthsandrewritestendtobackfire
andcomplicateanalreadydifficultsituation.Neverlosesightofthe
victim’sperspective-donotactlikeanauthority.Actlikeyouwould
wantotherstoactifyouwereavictim.
Be yourself
Beyourselfwhenyouspeaktovictims.Andlistentowhattheyhave
tosay.Onceagain-neverlosesightofthevictim’sperspective!Be
openandclearaboutwhatyouwanttoachieve.
Describeyourgoalsrightfromthestart,thatsupportwillendandthe
possibleoutcome.”This is what we can give. This is what we can
achieve together!”Repeatyourgoalsuntiltheysinkin.Pumpthe
informationoutthroughallchannels.Victimslisten,buttheydonot
“receive”likeotherpeople.It’sokaytopush.Toomuchattentionis
betterthantoolittle.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Other information channels
Communicationshouldtakeplaceviaseveralcomplementarychannels.
Thewebsite,atelephonehelplineservice,informationlettersand
otherprintedmaterial,seminarsandmeetingsformthebasis.
Information letters
Informationlettersaredesignedforpeoplewhowanttoreceiveinfor­
mationbymailordonothaveinternetaccess.Aninformationletter
couldhavelesstextandmoregraphicsthanthewebsite.Theadvantage
isthatpeoplecanreadinformationletterswhentheyhavetime.
Ads
Advertisinginnewspaperswillhelpyoureachlargeandunknown
targetgroups.Adscandescribethesupportthatisavailable.Youcan
alsosendflyerstoorganizationsthatdealwithtargetgroups,suchas
insurancecompaniesandsupportgroupsforfamilies,relativesand
friends.
Advertisingcanalsotakeplaceviasupportgroupforumsontheinternet.
Onceagain,receiversshouldconstituteyourstartingpoint.Noteveryone
inthetargetgroupmaybereceptivetonewinformationontheday
youradispublished.
Telephone helpline service
Youcouldsetupatelephonehelplineservicetofacilitatecommunica­
tionbetweenvariousorganizationsandfamiliesorvictims.Thisservice
shouldhavetoppriority.Itmustbeabletohandletheexpectedvolume
ofcalls,andrespondtoquestionsviaemailorletter.
Theaimoftheservicecouldbetoguideindividualstotherelevant
departmentsinpublicandmunicipalauthorities,i.e.areferralfunc­
tion.Theservicecouldalsoofferadviceandinformationoninsurance
companies,voluntaryorganizationsandreligiousgroups.Theprimary
taskwouldbetoprovideinformation,however,andtrytomakelife
easierforvictimsandtheirfamilies.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Aprofessionalhelplineservicerequiresthemobilisationofasolid
knowledgebaseatshortnotice.Youshouldstudyalloftherelevant
organizations’websitesandcompileanyinformationthatmaybeuse­
ful.Thematerialcanthenbedividedintodifferenttopics.Youcould
engageofficialexpertsorcontactpeopletomaketheknowledgebase
ascomprehensiveandrelevantaspossible.Witheachnewquestion,
theknowledgebasewillgrow.Telephonehelplinepersonnelshould
undergo”training”thatfocusesoninformationthatcouldberelevant
forvictimsandtheirfamiliesduringtheinitialstage.The”training”
shouldalsoincludecrisiscommunications,credibilityandhowto
handledifficultcalls.
Supportandguidancemustbeeasytoaccess.Duringperiodswhen
helplinepersonnelarenotavailable,callsshouldbedivertedtoa
receptioncentrewherecallerscanleavetheircontactdetailsandbe
contactedlater.Otherpointstoconsiderarethesuitabilityofperson­
nelforthetelephonehelplineservice,andthatanypersonnelwho
receivelargenumbersofdifficultorcomplicatedcallsmayalsoneed
support.
Media relations
Respondingtotheneedsofthemediabyproducinguptodate
informationandansweringtheirquestionswillpromotegoodmedia
relations.Themostimportantreasonforthisistoprovideuptodate
andaccurateinformationforvictimsandtheirfamilies.
Relativesgathertomourntwosisterswhowerekilledinthe
Gothenburgdiscofirein1998.Photo:ÅkeThim.
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communicating with people in a crisis
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communicating with people in a crisis
Experiences of RSOS
Effortsthatfollowedthetsunamidisastersoonshowedthatvictims
andtheirfamilieswantedmorethanatelephoneservicethatreferred
themtotheresponsibleauthoritiesandorganizations.Theirneeds
weremuchmorecomplex.
Peoplewhocalledthehelplineservicesoughthelpinawiderange
ofareasandwantedurgentanswerstotheirquestions.Callerswere
indeepcrisisandamerereferralservicewouldhaveworsenedtheir
situation.Helplinepersonneldealtwithallkindsofquestions.Ifthey
couldnotanswerthemselves,theyaskedcallerstoleavetheircontact
details.Personnelthencontactedgovernmentagencies,companies
andorganizationstofindtherelevantinformation.Theytriedtogive
individualsthemostcomprehensiveanswersthatwerepossible.The
levelofknowledgerequiredbypersonnelwasmuchhigherthanan­
ticipated.Somequestionsledtominorinvestigations,andtheneed
foramorepermanentorganizationgrew.Asnewissuesemerged,
theknowledgebaseexpanded.Theaimwasthatboththetelephone
helplineandthewebsitewouldprovidethesameinformation.
Thehelplineservice,whichhandledbothphonecallsandemail,
showedhowsettingupabroadknowledgebaseasearlyaspossible
canhelpanswerexpectedquestionsfromvictims.Buttheknowledge
basemustbeconstantlyupdatedbecausequestionswillchangeover
time.Thisserviceshouldbeprioritizedatanearlystage.
Thecounsellingpanelthatgavesupportandadviceviatelephone
andemailaccountedformostofthecontactwithvictimsandtheir
families,andwasinitiallytheonlypointofcontactthatRSOShad
withthesepeople.Anothermethodforreachingthetargetgroup
wasthroughfamilysupportmeetings.Familysupportmeetingswere
arrangedbyRSOSaftersuggestionsfromsomefamilymembersatan
earlystage.Theaimofthesemeetingswastoanswerquestions,and
RSOSinvitedexpertsfromtherelevantorganizations.Whentheiden­
tificationprocesswasmostcritical,representativesfromtheSwedish
NationalPoliceBoard’sHomeCommissionattendedthemeetings.
ApaperlanternforeachvictimlightsupthedarknessonSeptember26,2005.
Relativesandthelocalpopulationstandsidebysideinremembranceoftheir
lovedonesoneyearafterthetsunami.Photo:AdreesLatif.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Familysupportmeetingshelpedtheorganizationreachvictimsand
theirfamilies.Reactionstothesemeetingswereverypositive.RSOS
couldspeaktotargetgrouprepresentativesaboutspecificissues,
provideimportantinformationandlearnhowtheirownservices
couldbeimproved.Someofthesemeetingswereformal;othersgave
familymembersandfriendsanopportunitytospeakface-to-face
toRSOSpersonnel.Thiswasarrangedaftersuggestionsfromsome
familymembers.Thisexperiencealsoshowedhowfamilysupport
meetingsshouldbebasedontheneedsofthetargetgroup,andbe
flexible.Whenarrangingfamilysupportmeetings,allmembersofa
groupshouldbeinasimilarsituation.Atthefirstmeetingarranged
byRSOS,peopleexpressedastrongdesiretomeetotherswithsimilar
experiences.Thiswasexpressedbybothseriouslyaffectedvictims
(lostaclosefamilymember,child)andthosewhowerelessseriously
affected.Thelattergroupfeltthattheirgriefwasnotasgreatasthe
worst-affectedvictimsandtheydidnotwanttoattractunwarranted
attention.
Throughoutthewholeperiod,anticipatedquestionswereanalysed
andanswerswereproduced.Potentialquestionsandanswersfrom
families,thepublicandmediarepresentativeswerepreparedso
thatthepersonnelworkingwithfamiliescouldfeelwellequipped
andconfident.Thecounsellingpanelalsoregisteredthenumberof
callsandtheirnature,whichprovidesagoodbasisforbuildingcrisis
responseorganizationsinthefuture.
Counselling groups and cooperation with voluntary
organizations
Regularcontactwithvoluntaryorganizationsisrecommended.This
willprovidevaluablefeedbackfromvictimsandtheirfamilies.Many
voluntaryorganizationssetupcounsellinggroupsafteramajorcrisis
andtheseareledbyexperiencedcounsellors.Allparticipantshave
similarexperiencesandmeetregularlyforoneyear;onceaweekin
thebeginningandthengraduallyatlessfrequentintervals.Thereare
specialgroupsforchildrenandyoungpeople.Thesupportgroupsare
sometimesdividedintothosewhohavelostaclosefriendorfamily
member,andthosewhohaveexperiencedtheeventbutnotsuffered
anyloss.CounsellinggroupsofferedbytheSwedishRedCross,Save
theChildrenandErstaDiakoniafterthetsunamidisasterwerewell
receivedbyvictimsandtheirfamilies.Counsellinggroupsshouldbe
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communicating with people in a crisis
organizedsothatparentswhohavelostchildrenmeetothersinthe
samesituation,andthosewhohavelostapartnermeetotherswho
havesufferedthesameloss,etc.Childrenandyoungpeoplealsoneed
theirownspecialgroups.Victimnetworkshavealsobeenformed
withoutprofessionalcounsellors.Atonefamilysupportmeeting,
participantssuggestedthatanyfundsforhandlingpsychosocial
supportinthefutureshouldbeinvestedincounsellinggroupssothat
morepeoplecouldtakepartinacounsellinggroupwhentheyneeded
itmost.Anotherexperienceisthatthesupportofferedbycounselling
groupsisimportant.Somepeopleclaimedthatpsychologistsshould
betrainedincrisisinterventionandpreferablyhavegoodknowledge
ofthecrisisathand.Otheractivitiesrunbytheorganizationscouldbe
publicandprivateinternetforums,meetingplacesandface-to-face
therapy.
Concluding reflections
Acentralinformationchannelforvictimsandtheirfamiliesthat
providesrelevantanduptodateinformationrequiresaccessto
information.Bothhorizonscanningandasolidknowledgebaseare
essential.Relevantwebsitesshouldbeconstantlyreviewed.
PhotosofmissingpeopleaftertheBoxingDaytsunamiataHelpCentreinKhaoLak,Thailand.
Photo:SEMA.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Contactwithpublicauthoritiesandorganizationsshouldbemaintained.
Mediacoverageshouldbecarefullymonitored,anddialoguewith
victimsandtheirfamiliesshouldcontinue.
Thestartingpointforcommunicationshouldbethattheinformation
mustberelevanttovictimsintermsoftimeandhowfartheyhave
progressedintheirgrievingprocess.Questionsandanswersthat
crystalliseinthehelplineservicecanbepublishedonthewebsite
underthe”Questions and answers”section.Asdifferentproblems
emergeviathehelpline,thesecanbeaddressedonthewebsiteand
ininformationletters.Thispresentsopportunitiesforpredictingsome
oftheissuesthatmayarise.
Informationtovictimsmustalwaysbebasedonthereceiver’s
perspective.Thecommunicationstrategycanalsoconfirmthatall
information/communicationshouldreflectexpertise,accessibility,
transparencyandfacts,fairness,understandingandsympathy.
Expertise
Dealingwithpeopleincrisisrequiresexpertise,i.e.knowingwhattodo
andwhen.Oneexampleisprovidingsupportbybeingabletoanswer
questionsandreferringpeopletothemostappropriatecounselling
groupsandotherpsychosocialsupport.Anotherexampleisknowing
whatotherorganizationsareresponsibleforandcommunicatingthis
informationthroughdifferentchannels.Knowingwhattoexpectand
beingabletopredictthetargetgroup’sneedsinadvanceisanother.
Peopleworkingwiththesetasksshouldhavein-depthknowledgeof
theirsubjectareas.
Accessibility
Accessibilitycantakedifferentforms.Beingcloseathand,always
answeringquestionsandlisteningtothetargetgroup’sneedsfor
informationareseveralexamples.Anotherisusingclear,plain
English.Longopeninghoursforthetelephonehelplineservice,
andendeavouringtoansweremailswithin24hoursarealsogood
examples.Anotherexampleisclear,easytonavigatewebsitesthat
helpusersfindtheinformationtheyneed.Yourmessageshouldbe:
”We are here when you need us”.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Transparency
Communicatingalloftheinformationthatyouhavecanbesensitive
andsometimesdifficult.Butendeavouringtodosoalsosignals
transparency.Youmayacquireinformationthatistoodetailedand
sensitiveforthetargetgroup.Asanorganizationthatisnotthe
soleproviderofinformation,knowinghowmuchandexactlywhat
informationyoushouldconveyisextremelydifficult.Youcouldeven
beaccusedofwithholdinginformation.Butbecausetheinformation
willeventuallyreachthetargetgroupthroughotherchannels,you
couldbecriticisedforlackoftransparency.Forthisreason,youshould
alwayscommunicatewhateverinformationyouhave.Decidingwhat
factsshouldbepublishedisadifficultbalancingact.Youshould
provideanyfactsthatarerelevant,however.Differentpeopleindif­
ferentorganizationshavedifferentviewsontransparency.Deciding
whatandhowmuch“sensitive”informationshouldbepublishedis
alsodelicate.Butnotdisclosingthefactsmaycostyouyourcredibility
asasendernexttime,nomatterwhyyouchoosetodoso.Discussion
mightbeneededtodecidewhat,whenandhowinformationshould
becommunicated.Agreeingonwhattransparencyimpliesisessential.
Fairness
Fairnessincommunicationmeanstreatingallvictimsequally,ensuring
thateveryonehasequalaccesstorelevantinformationandmaking
surethateveryoneunderstandstheinformationthatisprovided.This
usuallyleadstoanunderstandingforthemeasuresyoutakeandawil­
lingnesstocontribute.Althoughthisisabasicdemocraticprinciple,it
doesnotalwaysapplyincrisiscommunications.Ifeveryonereceives
thesameinformation,i.e.”everyone gets all the information all the
time”,themessagemightbesogeneralthatitpassesbyunnoticed
orhasaminimaleffectonthetargetgroup.Differenttargetgroups
willbeatdifferentstagesdependingontheirrelationtothecrisis.A
refinedtargetgroupdefinitionwillhelpyouadaptyourmessageto
differentneeds.
Describethefocusofyourorganizationanditsdecisionprocesseson
yourwebsite.Somefamilymembersmightalsohavepersonaland
specificrequirements.Describeyourbackground,motivationandcon­
siderations.Thiswillhelppeopleunderstandthedecisionsyoumake.
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communicating with people in a crisis
Understanding/Sympathy
Yourattitudetowardsvictimsandtheirfamiliesmustnotbeoffensive
inanyway.Theabilitytofeelsympathyandunderstandisnotenough;
youhavetocommunicatesympathyandunderstanding.Speakingina
mannerthatissensitive,non-bureaucraticandcannotbemisinterpreted
willalsoshowunderstanding.Yourattitudemustbeprofessional.
Basingyourworkonthesefivevalueswillinspireconfidenceinyour
abilitytoactandcommunicate.Butbecausesomanyactorsare
responsibleinacrisis,thesameinformationshouldbecommunicated
througheachsender’schannel.Extracareandeffortisneededtocheck
thesources.Maintainconstantcontactwithauthoritiestodetermine
whoisresponsibleforinformationandcheckthesources.
Havinganumberofdifferentcommunicationroutesisalsorecommen­
ded.Peoplewhoaredeeplyaffectedbylosscannotalwaysdistinguish
betweenrumoursandinaccuraciesandcorrectinformation.Communi­
cationeffortsshouldfocusonclarity.Andinformationshouldbechecked
topreventrumoursandmisunderstanding.
Communicationeffortsthatfocusonpeopleincrisisrequireahighdegree
ofexpertise.Thinkinginformativelyisvital,andtransparencyand
accessibilityshouldbetheprimarygoalsforyourinformationprocesses.
Transparencyandaccessibilityarenotalwayspresentinapublicsector
setting.Allcommunicationshouldbeguidedbyarealisticanddetailed
pictureofthetargetgroups:thevictims,thepublicauthoritiesand
organizationswhorespondtothecrisis,thegeneralpublicandpotential
employers.
SavetheChildrenSwedenhaslongexperienceofworkingwithchildrenandgrief.
Photo:JanECarlsson.
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communicating with people in a crisis
79
SEMA´s Educational Series in English
2008:3
2008:2
2006:1
2003:4
2003:2
2003:1
80
CrisisCommunicationsHandbook
LargescaleInternetattacks
InternationalCEPHandbook2006–CivilEmergencyPlanning
intheNATO/EAPCCountries
CrisisJournalism–Aguidanceforgovernmentagencies
InternationalCEPHandbook2003–CivilEmergencyPlanning
intheNATO/EAPCCountries
CrisisCommunicationHandbook
Crisis Communications Handbook Författarnamn
Crisis Communications
Handbook
Swedish Emergency Managment Agency
Tel +46 8 593 710 00
Fax +46 8 593 710 01
[email protected]
ISBN 978-91–85797–11–0
ISSN 1652-3539
www.krisberedskaps
myndigheten.se
SEMA’s Educational Series 2008:3
P.O. Box 599
SE-101 31 Stockholm
Sweden
Summary and translation
of the Swedish
”Handbok i kriskommunikation”
SEMA’s Educational Series 2008:3