Crisis Communication Planning: Sustaining Effective Corporate Communication During Disasters, Emergencies and Critical Events, by Robert C. Chandler, Marci rae Blue, Jennifer Roberts, Morgana Wingard

CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLANNING:
SUSTAINING EFFECTIVE CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DURING DISASTERS,
EMERGENCIES
AND CRITICAL EVENTS
by Robert C. Chandler, Marci rae Blue, Jennifer Roberts, Morgana Wingard
Includes DVD and CD-ROM.

“Crises are inevitable. Every crisis has the potential to harm profits, people and the continuity
of your
business. Crises create unique communication needs and opportunities, as well as
challenges. The only
choice that one has is to be either prepared or unprepared to handle the communication
demands that
crises produce. Crisis communication preparedness is an essential part of duly diligent
business
continuity planning.”

With this quote, Dr. Chandler et al clearly communicate the importance of this new book.
Rapidly,
accurately, appropriately and consistently delivering messages or information is essential to
surviving
any corporate crisis, whether it falls under the heading business continuity, disaster recovery,
crisis
management or emergency management. Being prepared to deliver those messages is
essential - the
time to compose your thoughts and messages is well before they are needed, not in the heat
of the
event.

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Crises are inevitable. Crises create unique communication needs and opportunities, as well
as
challenges. Effective communication during crises is a key component of successful
management and
mitigation of the critical events. Businesses face common communication challenges during
crisis
events. These include receiving inaccurate, incomplete, and contradictory information,
especially early in
the critical events. Rapidly changing circumstances and a variety of sensitive information are
always a
challenge. Failing to adequately and appropriately recognize the nature of the crisis is an
almost certain
first step in failing to effectively manage a crisis event. Every business must choice to be
either prepared
or unprepared to handle the communication demands that crises produce. Crisis
communication
preparedness is an essential part of duly diligent business continuity planning.

This book covers the following major aspects of crisis communication planning:

1. Aspects of Crises
2. Laying the Groundwork
3. Intrinsic Communication Challenges
4. Implementation of Crisis Management
5. Crisis Communication Centers
6. Common Communication Failures
7. Staying on Your Message
8. Communication Channels
9. Alternative Communication Technologies
10. Automated Notification Systems
11. The Company Spokesperson(s)
12. Understanding News Media
13. Handling Challenging Questions
14. Crisis Communication Action Plan

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Also includes a DVD featuring interviews with Dr. Robert C. Chandler, and a CD-ROM
containing the
Durwood Fincher Video. This hilarious video features industry experts being interviewed by
Fincher as
bumbling Washington bureaucrat “Dr. Robert Payne.”

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This Book complies with the DRI International Professional Practices for Business Continuity
Professional and is endorsed by Disaster Recovery Journal.

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"Life is not a detective story with publics expected to solve
mysteries. If something is not clear, explain it so it becomes clear
and there is no room for misinformation or speculation."
- Nancy Lee'
Importance of Effective Communication

The importance of communication cannot be undervalued. How your business manages, or
fails to
manage, the communication game may make or break your business. Make sure that your
crisis
communication team is prepared to perform effectively. Your business may have done nothing
wrong, but
failure to confront the matter with communication aptitude can leave you in the gutter.

In 1995, Greenpeace aggressively protested Shell UK sinking their oil rig in the North Sea,
the Brent
Spar, because they felt it would cause more environmental pollution than disassembly on
land. They
failed to learn that Shell UK had already investigated the environmental costs of sinking the
rig verses
land disassembly and found sinking to actually be a more environmentaly friendly manner of
disposing of
the vessel. To Greenpeace it appeared to be only an economical decision (it cost about half
the price). A
plethora of high profile media images of a team of Greenpeace advocates boarding the vessel
in the
North Sea caused Shell UK to loose respect in the public's eye. Many Europeans boycotted
the gas
station, resulting in 20-30% losses in sales. Spraying the crusaders with water hoses in front
of
international television crews did not bolster the business's image either. Surprisingly, the
executive
director of Greenpeace, Lord Peter Melchett, later apologized to the chairman of Shell UK,
Christopher
Fay, for overestimating the pollution potential of sinking the structure. By then the business
had already
lost millions of dollars. Handicapped, it now faced the challenge of recovering its tarnished
image. If the
crisis communication team of Shell UK had been better prepared to communicate to the
protestors and
the media, they may have saved their business much headache and money. Although
situations like this
may raise fear, look at a crisis as a chance to let your business shine, revealing the
proficiency of its
design and integrity of its values and personnel.

Information Disclosure

A crisis creates an information vacuum that needs to be filled as soon as possible. Do not
wait too long.
If you do not fill the void, someone else will, and they may not have the best interest of your
business in
mind.
55
Example of Poor Message Management
After the Challenger explosion in 1986, NASA delayed contact with the media for hours in
search of
details. When they finally made their presentation on air, all they did was repeat what millions
of viewers
had already seen. This was the first of many of NASA's public relations blunders in the
ensuing crisis.

Example of Good Message Management
After the Tylenol poisoning scare in 1986, Johnson & Johnson sent out "half a million warning
mailgrams
to distributors, doctors, and health care practitioners by mid-afternoon of the day on which
the first deaths
were announced. Its domestic employees received two letters to keep them updated and to
thank them
for their support. The business established a toll-free consumer hotline that received more
than 30,000
calls."

Withholding information can cast a guilty shadow. In contrast, openness can increase
positive
perceptions. After the Tylenol poisoning scare, Johnson & Johnson's "public disclosure and
media
relations efforts demonstrated that the business placed social responsibility before all other
considerations."

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

DR. ROBERT C. CHANDLER is the Communication Division Chair and Blanche E. Seaver
Professor of
Communication in the Center for Communication and Business at Pepperdine University in
Malibu,
California. He holds a Master's degree from Wake Forest University and a Ph.D. from the
University of
Kansas. His research and teaching specializations include organizational communication,
diversity and
intercultural communication, crisis management planning, crisis communication, and
employee ethical
behavior. Dr. Chandler has authored numerous articles, is a nationally recognized researcher,
frequent
workshop and seminar leader and presenter, and a highly regarded speaker to business,
industry, and
government audiences who specializes in human factor and communication processes during
crises,
assessment and training, psychometric behavior analysis, and the continuity planning
processes.

MARCI RAE BLUE is a manager for an international contract security business. She joined
the business
in 1992 as the Manager of Human Resources for the Los Angeles Basin after completing her
bachelor's
degree in business administration from California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo.
From there
she advanced to national account operations handling the security needs for Fortune 500
companies
across the entertainment, automotive, and property management industries. Most recently
she works on
the regional level utilizing her 13 years of experience in the industry to maintain and expand
the business
development and established reputation of the business. She is currently pursuing her
Masters of Arts in
Communication at Pepperdine University and is scheduled to graduate in December 2005.

Marci rae was raised as an Army brat, moving every couple years through high school. Her
favorite
locale was her time spent in the late 70s in Seoul, South Korea. There she experienced
firsthand the
necessity of preparation for crisis as the country often drilled with air raids and blackouts. Her
exposure
to the DMZ was sobering and left an impressionable mark.

JENNIFER CELESTE ROBERTS is a graduate student at Pepperdine University. Her
emphasis is in
business communication and public relations. She attended California State University,
Northridge
where she received her BA in Communication Studies. She plans to graduate from
Pepperdine
University in Spring 2006 with a MS in Communication.

She has worked several different types of jobs, but her favorite was a year-long internship at
her local
councilman's office. There she learned the importance of establishing strong relationships
with
constituents in the community. Currently, she is employed with Marriott, learning about the
hospitality
industry and meeting people from all over the world.

MORGANA WINGARD is a recent graduate from Pepperdine University with a degree in
International
Studies and a concentration in Intercultural Communications. She headed up the marketing
and public
relations for the Pepperdine Student Programming Board as Executive Director of Public
Relations.

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2005, book plus DVD and CD-ROM. Order #DR783.
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