In addition to new legal and regulatory mandates, there is an emerging expectation of the right to be informed and notified of critical incidents. Demonstrating emergency notification capabilities is no longer an optional activity, but one for which we are being held increasingly accountable. Despite new technologies, best practices, and lessons learned from highly publicized crisis response successes and failures, challenges abound. Distinguished crisis communication expert Dr. Robert C. Chandler discusses communication challenges and opportunities during emergencies and how to master the fine art of sending the right message to the right people when disaster strikes.

1. Conquering Tough Challenges
for More Effective Emergency Notification
Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.
Director, Nicholson School of Communication

2. About Everbridge
• Leader in incident notification systems
• Fast-growing global company with
more than 1,000 clients in more
than 100 countries
• Serve the Global 2000, healthcare
systems, state and local government,
federal government, military, financial
services firms, and universities
• 100% focused on incident notification
solutions that merge technology
and expertise
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3. Agenda
Part 1: Presentation
• Emergency notification pitfalls
• Audience characteristics in disasters
• How to respond during each phase of a crisis
• Anatomy of an emergency notification message
• Best practices for emergency messaging
Part 2: Q&A
4

4. Note:
Q&A slides are currently
available to everyone on
blog.everbridge.com
Use the
Q&A
function to
submit
your
questions.
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5. Conquering Tough
Challenges for Effective
Bracing for the 2010
Emergency Notification
Hurricane Season
Dr. Robert Chandler
University of Central Florida

6. The crux of the notification challenge
Contacting the right people at the
right time with the right message
is the basic challenge for effective
emergency notification.
Dr. Robert C. Chandler
Emergency Communication
(2010) p.153

7. Expectations for notification
In addition to new legal and regulatory mandates, there
is an emerging expectation of the right to be informed
and notified of critical incidents.

8. Regulations and mandates for notification
• WARN Act
• PL 110-53 (Title IX)
• NECP
• CAP
• ISO/PAS 22399
• NTIA Dept. of Commerce
Guidelines
• Alarm/Signal Code

9. Accountability for notification
Demonstrating that you have emergency notification
capabilities is not an “optional” activity.

10. Lessons learned
Effective notification may be a life-and-death matter in
emergency situations.

11. New tools for notification
• New communication technologies
• High-mobility communication modalities
• More connections and “channels”
• Multi-channel and high redundancy media
• Simple and effective dissemination vehicles

12. Challenges for effective notification

13. Emergency notification pitfalls
Messages
Information Procedures, protocols,
quality and processes
Information timing
and load Psychological
dimensions
Communication (High stress and
cognitive anxiety)
Sequential
breakdowns
Perception and
Mobile and geographical interpretation
dispersed audiences (Misunderstandings)
Technical aspects
(Systems and tools)

14. Audience characteristics in emergencies
• High stress (distress)
• Cognitive dissonance
• Changes in perception /
focus attention
• Risk perception
• Cognitive processing
dysfunctions

15. Major implications for
incident notification planning
• Communication goals and objectives
• Audience analysis: Communication/information needs
• Six Stages of the Crisis: Communication for the
contexts of a crisis or disaster
• Organizing communication planning into each of the six
stages
• Identifying target audiences/messages/timing
sequences

16. Six Stages of a Crisis
Every stage of the crisis dictates your audience’s information
requirements and your response.

17. Best practices for emergency messaging
• Optimal redundancy:
Routine communication systems are usually
inadequate for emergency communication needs.
• Procedures:
It is necessary to establish, implement, and maintain
procedures to swiftly and accurately disseminate
alerts, information, and notification messages to the
target audience.
• Dependable internal communication:
Ensure reliable internal communication between the
various levels and functions within your organization
and with external partners.

18. Best practices for emergency messaging
• Emergency notification - messages:
Demonstrate and validate capability to quickly and
decisively warn those impacted by an emergency.
• Documentation:
Document what was known when, specific steps
taken, language and messages used, and the
means used to notify all audiences.
• Communication center:
Establish a central communication hub for emergency
communication.

19. Best practices for emergency messaging
• Comprehensive communication plan:
Outline basic decisions about what will be
communicated, when, how, and to whom.
• Advance planning for emergency communication:
Create, test, and revise a communication strategy
and game plan well in advance of an emergency
situation. Verify contact database. Prepare target
audiences in advance.
• Know your audience(s):
It is important to validate and confirm message
effectiveness and periodically test emergency notification
systems to demonstrate reliability.

20. Four components of effective emergency
notification messages
Information Urgency
Message
Instructions Confirmation

21. Anatomy of an emergency
notification message
DA 4 - 3 & 30 - 60 & 6
Danger - Action Structure
4 Key Components
3 & 30
60 & 60
(Chandler Method)

22. More effective emergency notification
messages
• Include all four message components
1. Inform
2. Express urgency
3. Provide specific behavioral instructions
4. Give the next step – confirmation/reply, etc.
• Front-load key information into the first 30 words/30 seconds
• Write messages at or below a 6th-grade reading level
• Write messages using readability ease rules
• Be sensitive to the needs of different demographic groups
including languages, co-cultural groups, needs agenda, etc.

23. Incident Notification
Marc Ladin
Chief Marketing Officer, Everbridge
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24. Incident notification solutions address
common communication challenges
• Communicate quickly, easily, and • Reduce miscommunications and
efficiently with large numbers of control rumors with accurate,
people in minutes, not hours, making consistent messages
sure that the lines of communication
are open
• Satisfy regulatory requirements
• Use all contact paths to reach with extensive and complete
constituents wherever they are reporting of communication attempts
and two-way acknowledgements
• Ensure two-way communications from recipients
to get feedback from message
receivers
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25. Key evaluation criteria for an
incident notification system
• Experience and expertise
• Ease of use
• Ease of integration
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26. Missed anything?
Q&A Slides are currently
available on
blog.everbridge.com
Use the
Q&A
function to
submit
your
questions.

27. Crisis communication resources
by Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.
Additional authored or co-authored books
include:
• Surviving the Pandemic: A Communication
Management Guide for Business
• Crisis and Emergency Communication
Planning
• Media Relations
Available on • Crisis Communication Planning
Amazon.com • Pandemics: Business Continuity Planning
(free shipping) Priorities for the Coming Outbreak
and other online • Disaster Recovery and the News Media
booksellers • Managing Risks for Corporate Integrity: How
to Avoid an Ethical Misconduct Disaster

28. Communication
Contact information resources
White papers, literature, case studies
www.everbridge.com/resources
Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D. Upcoming webinars:
• System Demo (October 26)
rcchandl@mail.ucf.edu • Message Maps (November 9)
www.everbridge.com/webinars
1.407.823.2681
Follow us:
blog.everbridge.com
twitter.com/everbridge
Marc Ladin facebook.com/everbridgeinc
youtube.com/user/everbridge
marc.ladin@everbridge.com
1.818.230.9700
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