The document discusses the six stages of crisis communication: warning, risk assessment, response, management, resolution, and recovery. It provides details about what should be communicated, to whom, and how at each stage. The stages are interdependent and messaging needs to adapt as the crisis evolves. Effective crisis communication requires assessing audience needs and using clear, empathetic language to convey complex information.

1. Crisis Management and
Effective Messaging
Dr. Robert C. Chandler
Director, Nicholson School of Communication

2. Do you know what you will
say during a crisis?

3. Incident communication challenges push
people, processes, and tools to the limit
• Incidents are complex
with many facets Duration
• Each incident changes
Frequency
Frequency
and evolves over its
Severity
duration, requiring you to
adapt your approach
Type
• There are many types Complexity
of incidents

4. Crisis Lifecycle Analysis:
What do we communicate, when, and how do we say it?

5. Every stage of the crisis dictates your audience’s
information requirements and your response
1. Warning
2. Risk Assessment
3. Response
4. Management
5. Resolution
6. Recovery

6. 1 Warning
• Communication is often precautionary and intended to
heighten awareness
• Certain incident types have very distinct warning
phases
Examples: Hurricanes, snowstorms
• Other incidents have no warning periods or very
subtle warning signs that often go unnoticed
Examples: Power outages, workplace violence,
earthquakes

7. 2 Risk Assessment
• Communication is geared toward assembling the right people
to determine how to handle the situation
• Focus on “internal” communication – your team, your people,
and your resources
• In the moments after an incident occurs and/or is reported,
the crisis response team activates the organization’s
emergency response plan
• Communications are sent only to decision-makers during
risk assessment. “Public” communications occur during
the response phase

8. 2 Risk Assessment
Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
Emergency communication pitfalls
Communication processes
Information flow
Communication
Psychological dimensions
Messages
Perception and interpretation

9. 2 Risk Assessment
Part 1: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
Communication shifts in low to high-stress situations
Low Stress High Stress
Recipients process average Recipients process average
of 7 messages of 3 messages
Info processed at average grade Info processed at
level of about 10th Grade (general 6th-grade level or below
population)
Focus on competence, Focus on listening, caring,
expertise, knowledge empathy, compassion

10. 3 Response
• Once the emergency response plan is activated, crisis team
members call first-responders into action and begin to notify
the “masses” about the incident
• Focus is geared toward making constituents aware of the incident,
providing instructions and seeking confirmation of response
• Includes emergency notification messages

11. 3 Response
Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
Convey complex information and instructions using the 3-3-30 rule
“ Pandemics will occur in
waves of about 7 weeks
each over a period of
time. Outbreaks may
occur in different places
at different times.
Different people may be
affected differently.
”

12. 4 Management
• Crisis either moves toward resolution or gets worse with
deepening layers of complexity
• Organizations must respond differently according to
the progression of the crisis
• Organizations must provide regular status updates to their various
audiences, change or add to previous instructions, control rumors,
and conference with leadership and responder teams
• Course correction may be needed to respond to changes
in the situation

13. 4 Management
Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
A crisis complicates conventional communication
Technical, industry-specific jargon may confuse and intimidate
an audience already under stress
“ A railcar containing anhydrous ammonia is
breached as the result of a large rupture forming
a gaseous ammonia cloud 27km east of Denver,
Colorado. The nearest residential structures are
1 km (0.62 miles) downwind. Wind speed is
estimated to be 1 meter/sec. We don’t know
whether a liquid pool form will continue to
evaporate or how long the ammonia cloud might
last or exactly where it will go, however the
emergency instructions are for you to remain
indoors, shut windows, and shelter-in-place.
”

14. 4 Management
Part 2: Six Stages of a Communication Crisis
“ A railcar has ruptured that has
released dangerous gas east of
Denver, Colorado. Please remain
indoors, shut your windows. Turn off
your air conditioning and wait for
further instructions.
”

15. 5 Resolution
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
• Once the crisis has been resolved and is drawing to
conclusion, crisis team members communicate that
resolution to all audiences in the form of all-clear alerts
and messages of reassurance.
• Indicate status return to “normalcy”
• Closure
• Indicate transition to “recovery”
• Recall or demobilize emergency response or
management protocols and procedures
• Change (transfer) of command authority or structure

16. 5 Resolution
• Who to communicate with: Target audiences who have been actively impacted
by the management of the crisis; constituents and stakeholders; emergency
responding personnel; assigned individuals, agencies, and teams that will take
charge of the operational recovery phase
• Critical factors to consider: Psychological and cognitive issues; lingering
confusion and misinformation “pockets”; sequential communication delays,
breakdowns, and “information ripples”
• How to communicate: both PUSH and PULL measures; multiple (direct and
indirect) channels; both PUSH and PULL measures; multiple (direct and
indirect) channels; and source credibility (authority)
• What to communicate: Simple declarative closure measures; change of status,
transition; information on anticipated recovery steps; how to obtain resources or
additional information – reassurance, confidence, and stability are all important
meta-message aspects to communicate

17. 6 Recovery
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
• Goal of this stage is to convert this turning point into opportunity
• Focus on healing and getting back to normal
• Communication revolves around post-crisis counseling,
a return to pre-crisis policies and operations
• Offer relief, celebration, acknowledgement for getting
through the event
• Instill trust and confidence with your audience
• Acknowledge short comings and how they will be
rectified in the future
• Damages, losses and costs are examined and analyzed, and planned
recovery strategies are evaluated, modified and executed

18. 6 Recovery
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
• Who to communicate with:
• Affected target audiences
• Constituents and stakeholders
• Assigned individuals, agencies, and teams in charge
• Critical factors to consider:
• Coordinated communication management
• Prevention of rumors and misinformation
• Avoiding inefficiencies and breakdowns and
• Getting thing back to “business as usual”

19. 6 Recovery
Part 3: Six Stages of a Crisis
• How to communicate:
• Use both PUSH and PULL measures
• Use multiple (direct and indirect) channels
• What to communicate:
• Focus on operational (pragmatic) information
• Keep alert for changed circumstances and people
• Explanation and post-event analysis
• Beware of blaming or negative focus
• Communicate changes in policies, procedures, and
facilities that are being implemented

20. Communication
Contact information resources
White papers, literature, case studies
www.everbridge.com/resources
blog.everbridge.com
twitter.com/everbridge
facebook.com/everbridgeinc
youtube.com/user/everbridge
Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.
rcchandl@mail.ucf.edu
1.407.823.2681

21. Communication
Contact information resources
White papers, literature, case studies
www.everbridge.com/resources
Francis Willett blog.everbridge.com
twitter.com/everbridge
Director of Services Delivery facebook.com/everbridgeinc
francis.willett@everbridge.com youtube.com/user/everbridge
818.230.9512
Rory Peters Ellen Rollins
Training & Education Service Manager Senior Account Manager
rory.peters@everbridge.com ellen.rollins@everbridge.com
818.230.9755 760.644.8403
Marc Ladin Patrick Struver
Chief Marketing Officer Senior Account Executive
marc.ladin@everbridge.com patrick.struver@everbridge.com
818.230.9733 818.230.9724