What does the perfect crisis

response team look like?

Issue or Crisis?

2

ISSUE CRISIS

Potential threat Immediate threat or damage

Still under control Out of control

Can be dealt with through regular management procedures and existing organisation

Needs dedicated organisational structure with condensed line of command

Preparation

Good leadership…

Within a clearly defined structure…

Of trained and competent professionals…

Implementing agreed process…

With helpful tools...

However, flexibility and adaptability are

also crucial in a crisis

Critical Success Factors

Strong leadership

Quick decision making

Proactive approach

Taking responsibility without being liable – say “sorry”

Clear, proactive and continuous communication with all major stakeholders, including media

Good stakeholder relationships

Robust crisis management structure with clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities

Well trained and exercised teams

4

Communicating during a crisis

Communication is vital – both internally and externally

Communication and operational response must go hand in hand:

Setting our response in context is essential - crises are not managed in a vacuum

Responding differentlySocial media has slightly changed the way in which we need to think about communications and this is further enhanced in a crisis:

Prepare by listening to the conversation, identify potential detractors, and assessing areas of weakness (platform/non 2-way channel communication) 

● Google alerts, social monitoring tool

Develop a social media crisis response process so that you can act quickly to crisis on social media

● Tailor responses to platform● Engage in a non-defensive tone and in a consistent manner (it’s a 2-

way dialogue)● Provide information and communication on multiple touchpoints

● Consider using ads or dark site to provide information for crisis-related search

● Maintain regular monitoring of all social media estates

Minimize search legacy with positive SEO/SEM and engaging online advocates and community

Typical challenges

Feeding the 24/7 media (online and traditional)

Multi-agency response

Internal communication

Community relations

8

Reputation is too valuable an asset

9

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Scenarios and Simulation

Don’t worry about topic, ensure realistic

Trust, chemistry, tools, and infrastructure

There is always something that you wont anticipate

If you fail to prepare, be prepared to fail

Where are we now?

What could happen next?

What does this mean for us?

What does this tell us?

What are our priorities?

What assets and resources can be deployed to influence the situation?

Identify routes to take

Current Situation

Best / Worst / Most Likely Scenario

Review options

Asset / Resource consideration

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• 2

• 3

• 4

• 6

• 7 Mitigation Action Plan

• 5

S W

O TSWOT analysis

People, environment, reputation, business continuity, company liability,

customer relations

Scenario planning tool

Summary

Know your businesses strengths and vulnerabilities

Understand your stakeholders and know who is influential

Continually monitor and evaluate importance/impact versus volume of content online

Ensure your team has both the right skills AND the right temperament