Crisis Communications Plan for Road and Transport Authority - Term Paper Example

CRISIS COMMUNICATION PLAN Table of Contents i. Introduction - 3 ii. Aims and Objectives - 4 iii. Crisis Policy Statements - 3 iv. The Crisis Communication Team - 5 v. Stakeholders Analysis and Prioritization - 6 vi. Emergency Contact List - 8 vii. Media Contact List - 8 viii. Staff Notification Procedures - 9 ix. Stakeholders Notification Procedures - 9 x. Key Messages and Sample Press Releases - 10 xi. News Conference and News Release Protocol - 11 xii. Interview Protocols - 12 xiii. Method of Communication Updates - 13 xiv. Record Keeping Protocols - 14 xv. Crisis Communication Review and Evaluation Procedures - 15 xvi. Bibliography - 17 1. Introduction Managing communication during a crisis is quite different from managing the crisis. Crisis management provides an efficient, planned response to crisis while enabling the organization to continue its daily operation. Crisis communication on the other hand is an effort to avert or ease conflict between the organization and its internal and external stakeholders. It intends to articulate guidelines, procedures, options, and available resources for a variety of disaster situations. To provide instructions and guidance for all aspects of the communication during a disaster and serve as a road map or a game plan to protect and aid those affected by the disaster. The Road and Transport Authority of the government of Dubai have a mission to develop integrated solutions of safer road systems and other transportation. In order to achieve this, the organization maintains a corporate reputation founded on credibility, performance, wisdom and professionalism, teamwork, strategic partnerships, quality and customer loyalty. Similarly, its corporate safety policy is modelled on the highest international standards and it reflected the sound approach in ensuring and delivering safety at all projects and programs. This crisis communication plan is inline with these safety policies to ensure effective communication throughout a crisis. 2. Aims and Objectives The goal of crisis communication is to create a single voice that achieves credibility and a timely response. The aim is to convey a controlled, consistent, coherent, and credible message to relevant stakeholders. The objective is to assist efficiently the organization in achieving its goal of controlling a particular crisis, preventing its escalation, and protecting the organization’s long-term interest and public image. In addition, strongly support the organization’s priorities and reflect the concerns and needs of employees. To becomes a dynamic and coordinating force that expresses the organization’s mission and culture and makes a major contribution to future development. 3. Crisis Policy Statement The organization realises the importance of being truthful, honest, upfront, and timely when dealing with crises. In addition to communicating effectively to external stakeholders such as the media or general public, the organization consider the significance of providing adequate information and instructions to employees and ensure that everyone is on the same page. For this reason the organization’s crisis communication policy statement are as follows: a. The CEO should be notified of all crises immediately b. There should be one crisis manager who would direct and coordinate all aspect of crisis response including messages and the media. c. Coordinate media coverage and know exactly what is being released to the media. On the Public Relations Director is authorised to release information to the media and to the public. d. All staff and team members should professional when dealing with the media but should not give information since this job is for the public relations personnel. e. Always be honest. State the facts that can be released and no more. f. Never speculate on the situation. g. Personnel matters must remain confidential. h. Prepare a written statement and read it. i. Never say ‘No comment’ since it implies guilt and dishonesty. j. The organization recognizes the significance of media relation to public trust thus in times of crisis, an effective coordination with the media is important to ensure public confidence. k. Return phone calls from the media and understand that they have the right to ask questions. l. Prepare for interviews and try to anticipate what questions reported may ask. It may be beneficial to do a mock interview with another staff member. 4. The Crisis Communication Team “The crisis communication team forms a critical link between technical experts and the population at risk” (Lindell & Perry, p.198). Therefore, the crisis communication team should have skill in communication with both groups. In this communication plan, the team members of the communication team area: a. The senior official or the CEO is responsible for the first formal statement about the crisis and whose visibility during the crisis makes a strong statement about the organization’s commitment to rectifying the situation. b. Team Manager – responsible for communicating with top management, making decisions, drafting or approving major statements, and notifying the rest of the communication team. He or she is also the head of public relations. c. Assistant Crisis Manager- assumes responsibility when the manager is unavailable. d. Control Room Coordinator- responsible for setting up the room with necessary furniture, equipment, supplies, and tools. An efficient executive assistant can be appointed for this position. e. Public Relations Director- responsible for overseeing crisis communication efforts and first contact for the media. f. PR Personnel- responsible for preparing news releases and statements, contacting the media, and reporting all actions to the crisis communication manager. These people may notify employees or volunteers through letters or by writing telegrams to the mayor or governor, by telephoning company officials and others. g. Chief Financial Office- responsible for securing the funds needed to manage the crisis. h. Legal Advisor –responsible for counselling the team on liability issues and other legal matters. i. Human Resources Manager – responsible for coordinating to employees and keeps them informed about the crisis. 5. Stakeholder Analysis and Prioritisation Stakeholders are individuals or groups who have a common interest and a shared stake in an organization’s success. They are sometimes called publics, or constituencies. The importance of keeping stakeholders in the loop during a crisis cannot be overstated since the focus of planning and measurement are based on the quality of relationships built with the critical audiences whose support and understanding are need by an organization (Thenell 2004, p.21). An effective communication plan involves identifying stakeholders, clarifying strategic issues, identifying communication objectives, developing themes and messages, and determining appropriate communication channels. “Effective communication is audience centred” ( Ray 1999, p.49). Effective communication, outreach, and relationship building cannot happen unless key stakeholders are identified, specific audiences are targeted, perspectives are understood, company messages and themes are developed, and delivery venues are planned. The level of effort and rigor should be based upon risk and perceived stakeholder needs (Centre for Chemical Process Safety 2007, p.150). Therefore, throughout the crisis, the organization must be sensitive and knowledgeable of stakeholder’s opinions and the issues, which characterise the crisis. This is critical to identifying appropriate responses and equalizing difficult situations. The emotional effect of the crisis on identified stakeholders and their perceptions of the organization’s response should be constantly monitored and evaluated by the crisis team. The Roads and Transport Authority already identified their priority stakeholders during the drafting of RTA’s corporate safety policy and similarly, the stakeholders for this crisis communication plan include employees, consultants, contractors, passengers, operations staff, and construction workers, which are associated with designing, constructing, and operating road and transports systems (RTA 2009, p.1). 6. Emergency Contact List “A communication plan can be as simple as an emergency contact list, or it can take more complex form of communication tree that designates the flow of messages” (Luecke 2004, p.41). “Reach us anytime on” 800 9090 RTA DUBAI Sample - Emergency Contact List Name Org. Position Phone Email Fax Number Peyman Younes Parham RTA Director 971-4206-5005 Peyman_parham@rta.ae 971-4206-5220 Mayada Ali Media Relations Officer 971-4206-5436 Mayada_ali@rta.ae 971-4206-5220 7. Media Contact List “One of the best ways to ensure fair coverage during a crisis is to develop good media relations prior to the time of the crisis” (Ferguson 1999, p.108). Sample- Media Contact List Name Company Phone Email Fax Number Khaleej Times 04-338353 ktimes@emirates.net.ae 04-3383345 Ziad Batal Dubai TV +97150-455-1038 ziad@dubai.tv Not available 8. Staff Notification Procedures “Notification is an extremely important process in managing crises and sending the right messages to all audiences” (Fearn-Banks 2007, p.313). a. Notification should be initiated from the area where a crisis occurred or been identified. b. The person who discovers the crisis or incident calls the organization’s emergency number. c. Once the initial notification occurs, the person who received the call should notify the appropriate emergency services and inform the public relations office about the incident. d. The public relations office will officially inform all employees and staff. 9. Stakeholders Notification Procedures a. The president or the CEO or whoever is assigned on his place will notify employees about the crisis. b. A phone tree should be used to communicate the information to staff when the crisis happened at the time when staff are out of the office or if disseminating information is either critically time-sensitive or concerns the well-being of the office building. c. Staff should be reminded that all media inquiries should be directed to the public relations director and they should give comments to the media. 10. Key Messages and Sample Press Release Dealing with media is often the most important and most difficult aspect of the crisis communication process (Stoldt et. al. 2007, p.180). Therefore, to effectively advocate public relations, managers must carefully design key messages that may be easily offered through the mass media. Normally, that means key messages must be reduced to brief statements that easily replayed in sound bites on television and radio and may appears as succinct quotes in the print media. Once the key messages have been developed, they must be repetitively conveyed in interactions with media representatives. Key messages need to work towards allaying the fears of the public and it should need to take positive tone (Rowitz 2005, p.355). Live interviews may be particularly effective ways for organizational spokespersons to share key messages, as they are not subject to editing. However, all external communication in the form of press release should be coordinated with the public relations department to ensure that the same information is released concurrently to stakeholders. This minimised the likelihood that stakeholders will learn about important developments second hand (DePamphilis 2007, p.235). a. Sample Key Messages “Our organization’s crisis plan was implemented immediately” “Rescue efforts are underway and we are cooperating fully” “We have trained professionals to notify families of the victims” “We are working to return to normal operations” b. Sample Press Release March 3, 2009 Roads and Transport Authority Government of Dubai FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DUBAI RTA OFFICE - A fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Tuesday in the main storeroom of the Road and Transport Authority. Fire officials declared the fire under control about one hour later, but continued to apply water to extinguish it. The fire was confined at the main storeroom near the south gate several metres away from the support office. Support staff was evacuated from the area into a safe open space at the back of the administrative building. A firefighter who was struck in the leg by a hose and a storekeeper who was slightly burned were taken to the Dubai Medical City. The storeroom is used to store RTA’s office supplies and equipment. The caused of the fire, which broke out in one of the storage rack was not immediately determined. 11. News Conference and News Release Protocol Organizations must avoid overreacting to situations that are localized thus the following guidance should be followed when having news conference or releasing information to the media. a. Communication teams should designate certain locations as potential news conference centres and be prepared to carry out the following: 1. Check for the best time with company spokesperson. 2. Notify media of time and location 3. Compile list of names of reporters and editors who indicate they will attend. 4. Compile background information of interest to reporters. 5. Invite outside officials as appropriate. 6. Assign someone to handle the physical arrangements for the news conference such as video services to record event, junction box for TV and radio mikes, chairs, tables, podiums as required. 7. Brief staff on the subject, speaker (s), and schedule events. 8. Prepare opening statement and review with lead speaker. 9. Review anticipates questions and answers with the speaker. 10. Check all sound equipment and tape recorders prior to the conference. 11. Place log sheet in conference room to obtain names and affiliation of attendees. b. Place the most important information in the lead paragraph, in descending order of importance. c. Answer, who, what, when, and where. d. Do not speculate on why something happened. e. Avoid jargon and bureaucratese; explain any technical language. f. Do not minimize or exaggerate the situation. g. Do not release specifics on damage or injuries 12. Interview Protocols Crisis situations demand open communication policies, and crisis communication plans include strategy for dealing with the media. Rumours and cries of alarm fill any information vacuum, and the media go elsewhere if they do not get information from the concerned organization. Although openness in communication should be the norm, the following practice should be followed: a. Never offer an opinion of the cause of a problem until a thorough investigation has taken place. b. Do not assign blame. c. Be succinct and keep interviews focused on key messages. d. Be alert to legal implication in statements. e. Avoid speculations at all costs. f. Double-check all facts before communicating the information to the media or the public. g. Avoid going ‘off the record’ because journalist often ignore such labels. h. Avoid responding with ‘no comment’ because many will interpret silence as guilt. i. Avoid defensive statements because observers will suspect guilt behind the defence. j. Demonstrate compassion but do not apologize. k. Do not talk about successes that predated the crisis. l. Do not be afraid to say ‘I do not know’ m. Respond first to human safety concerns. n. Avoid jargon and bureaucratese 13. Methods of Communication Updates It is very important to keep key audiences updated and the following methods may be use for this purpose. a. Send communications to stakeholders via phone calls. b. Return phone calls immediately. c. Keep the organizations website updated on the status of the crisis. d. Face-to-face, including media briefings and community meetings. e. Regularly send emails to internal and external stakeholders during an after the crisis. f. Print, radio, and television 14. Record keeping protocols The plan specified communication activities to be undertaken once a crisis is in progress. Some individuals monitor media coverage of the crisis, some meet with key opinion leaders from the community, and others write daily strategic communication overviews based on environmental intelligence acquired through media monitoring, interviews with opinion leaders, and other information sources. Accurate record keeping pre-empts the possibility for circulating contradictory information or duplicating information. These records also protect the organization from critics who charge that the organization did or did not take certain actions during the crisis. Once activated, the crisis communication team assigns tentative times and locations for committee meetings and debriefings. For record safekeeping, they should: a. Document critical conversations, decisions, details and media questions regarding the crisis in order to effectively evaluate crisis communication management. b. Record all communications with the media and other groups in a daily logbook along with the times of the communication and the telephone numbers of reports. 15. Crisis Communication Review and Evaluation Procedures Review and evaluation is a crucial step in preparing an effective crisis communications plan. As assessment, it is helpful in determining what did and did not work. It also helps plan for, prevent, and cope with future crises by pointing out what needs to be revised in the crisis communication plan. Regardless of when the management team decides to shift from crisis mode back to normal operations, it must assess the effectiveness of its crisis communication plan. The best way to do this according to Stoldt et. al. (2006, p.182) is by convening the same group of managers to review available data such as media coverage of the event, consumer comments, and other indicators of the plan’s performance. Key questions the crisis communication team should address include but not limited to the following: a. Was the plan activated in a timely and efficient manner? b. Were initial communication procedures executed as planned? c. Were the initial communication procedures adequate given the situation? d. How quickly was the crisis communications team able to assess the situation and specify additional responses? e. Was the organization able to position itself as the best source of information regarding the crisis? f. How well did the plan perform in terms of protecting the financial interests of the organization? g. How well did the plan perform in terms of protecting the reputation of the organization. h. More importantly, how can the plan are improved before the next crisis the organization may face? An evaluation form should be developed and placed at the end of the crisis communication plan for later distribution for input. The following are the evaluation procedures developed based on the above requirements: a. The group who is going to conduct the evaluation must select the rationale by identifying the objective of the evaluation. b. Develop and maintain measures of resources, finances, target groups, activities, and outcomes. c. Administer the measures and collect the data. Data can be collected by observation, questionnaire, monthly reports, interview, and other techniques. d. Analyze the data and allot sufficient time to assure synthesis and interpretation. e. Findings should be translated into recommendations and share with others. f. Apply the results to decisions. If recommendations are expressed in terms of operational statements, they are more likely to assure follow-through so the report does not gather dust. 16. Bibliography Center for Chemical Process Safety. 2007. Guidelines for Risk Based Process Safety. John Wiley and Sons, U.S. DePamphilis Donald M. 2007. Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities. Academic Press, U.S. Fearn-Banks Kathleen. 2007. Crisis Communications: A Casebook Approach. Routledge, U.S. Ferguson Sherry Devereaux. 1999. Communication Planning: An Integrated Approach. SAGE, U.S. Lindell Michael K. and Perry Ronald W. 2003. Communicating Environmental Risk in Multiethnic Communities. SAGE, U.S. Luecke Richard. 2004. Crisis management: master the skills to prevent disasters. Harvard Business Press, U.S. Ray Sally J. 1999, Strategic communication in crisis management: lessons from the airline industry. Greenwood Publishing Group, U.S. Rowitz Louis. 2005. Public health for the 21st century: the prepared leader. Jones & Bartlett Publishers, U.S. Stoldt G. Clayton, Dittmore Stephen W., Branvold Scott E. 2006. Sport Public Relations: Managing Organizational Communication. Human Kinetics, U.S. Thenell Jan. 2004. The Library's Crisis Communications Planner: A PR Guide for Handling Every Emergency. ALA Editions, U.S. Read More