-Tools and processes used during the response and recovery efforts to ensure all tasks and expectations are understood by all internal and external parties and are carried out effectively.

Call Trees

Call Trees are predetermined lists of personnel and their associated contact information that provide an efficient, orderly way to contact employees and expedite the accountability process and flow of information in the event of an emergency.

 

Contact Information

Contact information, including work, mobile and home phone numbers, home addresses, and emergency contacts for everyone in the organization should be consolidated in a common place and updated on a regular basis.

 

Crisis Hotlines

Crisis hotlines can be utilized by organizations during and after an emergency to provide timely, on-demand status updates to employees and critical stakeholders.  

 

Emergency Notification

Emergency Notification tools are designed to send text messages, email, voice mail or other means of communication to all relevant stakeholders to inform them of the situation and convey expectations.

 

Ghost Website

A Ghost Website is a web page that is activated or updated to convey situational information to a select group of stakeholders – secured or unsecured.

 

Group Email Lists

A list of email addresses maintained to enable timely communication to a group of stakeholders.

 

Holding Statements

Holding Statements are pre-scripted messages drafted before an incident occurs to act as a communications outline or template to follow in the event of an actual emergency.  This enables the responsible party to quickly deliver a clear, concise message under extreme pressure. 

 

Media Handling Procedures

Media handling procedures summarize reminders on how to best interact with the press during a disruptive event. 

 

Messaging Approval Processes

Message approval processes should be put in place to ensure all information has been approved and aligns with the organization’s communications strategy for the current event before it gets released to the public. A single, unified message will help minimize confusion.

 

Predefined Spokespeople

Personnel should be pre-selected and trained to present to the media to enable your organization to get information to external stakeholders and the public in an efficient and effective manner, while avoiding putting the “wrong person” at the microphone to potentially say the “wrong thing”.

 

Press Release Instructions

Instructions should be written ahead of time outlining what information should be put into press releases, how soon to release the information, a template outlining how to format a press release, and who should be authorized to present such information to the public.