(Mt) – Week 7 Communication Theory and Risk Discussion

3n WHITE PAPER Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 3n (National Notification Network), 2006. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Do You Know What You Will Say? What you will say in the critical first minutes after receiving reports of an active shooter on campus? How about six hours into the incident? What will you tell people when your county issues a floodwatch? Or when the power in your building goes out at 10:00 a.m. on a Monday? A crisis is like a living organism: it grows, it changes, it evolves over time. Each crisis has a beginning, middle, and end. Just as a crisis isn’t static, what we say, who we tell, and how we reach them varies during every stage of the crisis lifecycle. High-profile communication blunders have proven beyond question that ineffective communication hampers efforts and often contributes to cascading failures, creating a quagmire. When stress levels are high and time is short, crafting the right message is a Herculean feat. Learn How to Map Your Communication Strategy This white paper dissects the various stages of a crisis and examines the intersection of communication with the crisis lifecycle. Using crisis communication expert Dr. Robert Chandler’s Six Stages of a Crisis™, we apply message mapping communication best practices to every stage of the crisis lifecycle: warning, risk assessment, response, management, resolution, and post-crisis recovery. Created prior to emergency situations, message maps are clear, concise messages that simplify complex concepts and speed communication during chaos. This paper will give you the tools to define communication needs during a crisis and create messages that work. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 2 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Evolution of a Crisis Some organizations take a blanket approach to crisis communications. However, to be effective, it’s critical to consider every stage of the crisis separately as each stage dictates your audience’s information requirements and your response. According to Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D., internationally renowned crisis communication expert, a crisis has six stages: 1) warning, 2) risk assessment, 3) response, 4) management, 5) resolution, and 6) recovery. Chandler’s Six Stages of a Crisis™ What, how, and to whom you communicate varies during each of the six stages of a crisis: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Warning Risk Assessment Response Management Resolution Recovery 1. Warning. Certain incident types, such as hurricanes, have very distinct warning phases. Communication during this stage is often precautionary and intended to heighten awareness. Other incidents, such as workplace violence and power outages, have no warning periods or very subtle warning signs that often go unnoticed. In these situations, many organizations bypass communication completely during the Warning Stage. 2. Risk Assessment. In the moments after an incident occurs and/or is reported, a core team of crisis management decision-makers assembles to determine how to handle the situation. This team activates the organization’s emergency response plan. Communications are primarily geared toward assembling team members, apprising executives and officials of the incident, and ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 3 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis advising local law enforcement and other similar organizations of the situation. 3. Response. Once the emergency response plan is activated, crisis team members begin to notify the “masses” about the incident. Communication during the Response Stage focuses on making constituents aware of the incident, providing instructions, and calling first-responders into action. 4. Management. After the initial response to the incident, the crisis moves into the Management Stage. During this phase, the crisis gets better and moves toward resolution or gets worse with deepening layers of complexity. Organizations must respond differently according to the progression of the crisis. A significant percentage of communication occurs during this phase as organizations provide regular status updates to their various audiences, change or add to previous instructions, control rumors, conference with leadership and responder teams, and coursecorrect as needed to respond to changes in the situation. 5. Resolution. 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. 6. Recovery. During the Recovery Stage, the focus is on healing and getting back to normal. Communication often revolves around postcrisis counseling, a return to pre-crisis policies and operations, and rebuilding accomplishments. Chandler’s Six Stages of a Crisis provides the compass for understanding underlying information needs to drive effective communications. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 4 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis A Crisis Complicates Conventional Communication Communication during a crisis is hampered by a number of unpleasant realities business continuity professionals must account for in a comprehensive emergency communication plan. Truth #1: Stress negatively affects the cognitive process Thinking of what to say and how to say it in the middle of a crisis leads to the possibility of mixed or erroneous messages. Messages may be too long, too short, or not address relevant issues. The wrong message can contribute to existing panic and confusion. For example, during 9/11, the head of a financial company promised employees that insurance benefits would continue uninterrupted. Several months later, the company was out of business and former employees never received the promised benefits. Communication during a crisis is much more complex than routine communication due to stress and related factors caused by an emergency. Truth #2: Stress negatively affects comprehension During a crisis, average reading levels decrease four grade levels. Negative dominance also occurs; during times of stress, it takes four positive statements to balance one negative statement. Truth #3: You can’t forget varied demographics A workforce may vary in geographic location, languages, and economic resources. A message’s effectiveness will be hampered if it is written in a language or manner unfamiliar to employees. Truth #4: Key personnel may be unavailable Key personnel may be unavailable due to scheduled absences or illness. Who makes decisions if the CEO is unavailable? What happens to payroll if half of the accounting team falls ill during a pandemic outbreak? Truth #5: Business reputations may suffer You will be under a microscope. Poorly articulated or worded answers to questions can affect an organization’s survival post-disaster. The perception that an organization behaved in a competent and responsible manner during a disaster is key to recovery. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 5 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Communication Challenges Resolved: Message Maps Message maps are clear, concise messages created in advance of a disaster that simplify complex concepts and improve communication during chaos. Message maps are appropriate before, during, and after an incident. Planned message maps deliver clear, consistent communication throughout a crisis. Creating message maps prior to an incident ensures messages will be specific and appropriate. Planning ahead also allows consideration of how the message will affect and motivate all audiences. Planned message maps: • Eliminate the potential for dissemination of incorrect information • Reduce rumors • Meet elevated information demands • Ensure the right message reaches the public • Reassure those affected of an organization’s ability to handle a disaster Message maps ARE: • Easy to understand • Created prior to a crisis • A simple way to organize complex information • Distillations of complicated concepts written at a sixthgrade reading level Message maps are clear, concise messages created prior to a crisis that simplify complex concepts and speed communication during chaos. Message maps are appropriate before, during, and after a crisis. Message maps are NOT: • Difficult to understand • Created during a crisis • Long, convoluted dissertations on what to do in a crisis • Written with lots of technical jargon and high-level reading words Message maps are created prior to disasters. In creating message maps ahead of time, organizations have the time and resources to explore all possible disaster scenarios and map out all messaging needs by audience and stage of a crisis. Message maps are written at or below a sixth-grade reading level Reading ability and comprehension drops approximately four grade levels during times of stress. Planned communication ensures messages are understood by the widest possible audience. Message maps are created by ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 6 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis distilling information down to easily understood messages written at or below a sixth-grade reading level. Message maps adhere to the 3-3-30 Rule. Message maps consist of three short sentences that convey three key messages in 30 words or less. The best chance of getting an audience’s attention occurs within the first 9 seconds of a visual or audio broadcast or during the first 30 words of written material. Message maps are specific to one organization. Message maps convey information specific to an organization, e.g. work resumption, post-disaster insurance availability, and bereavement policies. The best chance of getting an audience’s attention occurs within the first 9 seconds of a visual or audio broadcast or during the first 30 words of written material. Message maps consider the needs of varied demographic groups. Organizations may need multiple messages for various demographic groups. Creating message maps ahead of time allows organizations to take into account knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that suggest how target audiences will react to messages. Messages can also be translated into multiple languages. Creating Effective Message Maps If message maps are essential to emergency preparedness, why don’t more organizations have them in place? Creating a message mapping strategy takes time, energy, and resources. The process involves input from many members of an organization. Although time-intensive, disaster planning can save lives, company assets, and organizational reputations. In the long run, it is economically more effective to take the time and resources to ensure excellent preparation. To create a message mapping strategy: Determine your core constituent audiences. Who is involved in or affected by your organization? List all possible audiences, e.g. employees, customers, vendors, suppliers, government regulators, investors. Employees can also be divided into subcategories such as managers, field workers, clerical staff, and more. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 7 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Walk through every possible disaster scenario. List all the likely scenarios that may affect your organization, such as power outages and weather-related closures. Then brainstorm the what-if scenarios: active shooters, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, pandemics, salmonella scares, and more. What do you need to communicate to employees, students, nurses, or others? How do their information needs change during the various stages of a crisis? Consider legal, financial, and other ramifications. In determining types of messages, consider: • Legal implications • Public relations implications • Financial implications • Business operations Determine channels of communication. How will these messages be communicated? Email, phone, text message, fax, other? How will your organization know the message was sent? Is there a confirmation process? Is there an automated system in place or will your organization need to set up a phone bank to contact others? Hone and refine message maps. Traditional message maps reduce important, emergency-relevant concepts to no more than three short sentences that convey three key messages in 30 words or less at a sixth-grade reading level. Test messages for comprehension and revise as necessary. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 8 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis The Chandler Message Mapping Model The Chandler Message Mapping Model™ (Chandler Methodology)—named for its originator, organizational communication expert Dr. Robert Chandler—is a more sophisticated version of traditional message mapping. This model of emergency communication makes use of three different levels of mapping, capitalizing on the idea that information needs are quite different throughout the various stages of a crisis, requiring a slightly different approach. In the Warning Stage of a crisis, audiences may not find traditional messages relevant or compelling. Those audiences are unlikely to remember even distilled messages, while mid-crisis audiences have needs for more specific information. Messages created using this system are intended to develop and hold audience attention over time. The Chandler Methodology uses three types of messages that work together before, during, and following a crisis. These three types of The Chandler Message Mapping Model of emergency communication makes use of three different levels of message mapping, capitalizing on the idea that information needs are quite different during the various stages of a crisis. messages are best represented as three tiers: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 9 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Tier 1 – Long-term basic core messages Core messages intended for long-term use should be reduced to phrases of no more than three or four words, e.g. “Duck and Cover” and “Click It or Ticket.” Core messages can be used in all phases of a crisis and as such must be extremely simple and redundant. For example, a first-tier pandemic message might be “Knowledge, Action, Hygiene.” Tier 2 – Three easy-to-remember phrases Second-tier messages are only moderately repetitive and are used to convey information during warning phases. Rhythm and rhyming are “ important in tier-two messages. For example, law enforcement uses “Click It or Ticket” as a tier-one long-term core message. A tier-two message would be “Stay Alert, Stay Awake, Stay Alive.” Tier 3 – Three sentences with limited word counts Third-tier messaging is appropriate for the acute phases of a crisis and is High-profile communication gaffes are caused by lack of preparation, confusing or inaccurate communication, or inability to get a message out quickly to the right people. ” very similar to traditional message mapping. Third-tier messaging uses three sentences with limited word counts to provide detailed instructions or -Dr. Robert Chandler information. Third-tier messages are more personally relevant to specific audiences, e.g. those in danger due to a natural disaster or active shooter. These messages have the lowest amount of redundancy and contain the greatest amount of specific information. Redundancy Each phase of the Chandler Methodology makes use of different levels of redundancy. High redundancy is only appropriate at tier-one messaging; moderate redundancy is appropriate at tier-two. Third-level messaging needs to have the lowest amount of redundancy. The Chandler Message Mapping Model: • Is a more sophisticated version of traditional message mapping • Makes use of three different levels of message mapping • Develops and holds audience attention over time • Recognizes that pre-incident information needs are quite different from mid-incident and post-incident needs ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 10 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis Creating Message Maps: Working Backwards The creation of Chandler Message Maps is very similar to that of traditional maps. However, the reductive nature of Chandler Message Maps means that messages are created from most complicated to least complicated. • Begin with the overall goal in mind. • Determine the three sub-points that relate to the goal. • Create three sentences for each message goal (Tier 3). • Reduce sentences to three short phrases (Tier 2). • Reduce phrases to three or four words (Tier 1). Sample Message Incident Bomb Threat Stage Topic Management Police are searching buildings to contain the threat. Audience Parents Spokesperson Tier 3: Tier 2: Key Messages Key Phrases Tier 1: Key Words President, Dean of Students Student safety is our number-one priority. The campus is in lockdown while the police search the buildings. We will continue to give you updates as we have more news. N/A Spokesperson Tier 3: Tier 2: Key Messages Key Phrases N/A Message Mapping Worksheet Incident Stage Topic Audience Employees Customers Suppliers Investors Regulators, government Media General public ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 11 of 16 Tier 1: Key Words Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis The 3n Solution: Rapid Dissemination of Message Maps Strategy and execution are equally important in an emergency and just as challenging to get right. You can’t have effective communication without a strategy. Message mapping provides that strategy: what you will say, to whom, and when. But message maps don’t work if you don’t have a way to deliver them. Automated mass notification systems are the optimal communication platform for delivering your messages. A mass notification system can deliver voice and text messages to tens, hundreds, or thousands of people within minutes. 3n Global is a proven provider of mass notification services that are effective in both emergency and non-emergency situations. 3n enables Global 2000 corporations, healthcare systems, colleges and universities, and government agencies to achieve considerable bottom-line savings through rapid and efficient communication in routine, urgent, and emergency situations. Top 10 Reasons Organizations Select 3n: 1. 3n InstaCom™ is the easiest-to-use emergency notification system available. When seconds count, a mass notification solution that non-technical users can use easily for immediate communications makes the difference between a happy ending and a tragic outcome. 3n conducts regular usability studies to ensure that 3n maintains its leadership position as the easiest-to-use notification system available. 2. 3n is trusted by the world’s most sophisticated global organizations and most security-conscious government agencies. Hundreds of corporations, schools, and government organizations rely on 3n for proven performance. Shouldn’t you? 3. 3n has the experience you need honed through years of use during real disasters. 3n InstaCom has been battle-tested in the toughest emergencies. 3n customers have relied on the 3n ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 12 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis emergency notification system to help them manage through many disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, the Southeast Asian Tsunami, and the Southern California Wildfires. 3n’s diverse customer base and extensive experience ensures that we have met the notification needs of organizations similar to yours. 4. 3n’s ACT-SaaSSM service avoids shortcomings of failover technologies, providing the most reliable solution available. The 3n InstaCom emergency notification system delivers SaaS “ (Software-as-a-Service) performance, reliability, and scalability far superior to older notification technologies. 3n InstaCom is built on Oracle technology using an active-active architecture—the only notification solution on the market that leverages this powerful combination—ensuring that a large disaster will not disrupt the 3n service unlike other SaaS solutions that experience failover delays when a primary site goes down. 3n has a superior infrastructure unmatched by the numerous other products we researched. Many companies claimed to provide the most reliable service, but only 3n could back it up. ” 5. 3n delivers messages faster. Emergency notification systems that blast messages indiscriminately across all communication paths often overload communication infrastructures, requiring that – Jim Tabor, VP of Operations, AirTran Airways broadcasts be throttled back or slowed down. With 3n’s intelligent sequential message delivery, the 3n system cycles through contact devices according to your recipients’ preferences, so more people get the message faster. 6. 3n helps you make quick, informed decisions. The 3n system offers comprehensive reporting and management tools that give you the ability to manage all your notification in a powerful, yet simple-to-use, reporting interface. 7. 3n delivers a proven ROI. 3n InstaCom provides a quantifiable ROI (Return on Investment) for your routine and emergency communication needs. 8. 3n takes a mission-critical approach to your data security. 3n’s system is built to the most rigorous of security standards to ensure ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 13 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis the unparalleled privacy and security of our most important data— yours. 9. 3n InstaCom integrates easily with your existing systems. The 3n emergency notification system to work with almost any application containing contact information or business continuity plans. 10. Focus matters—and it shows in our solution. 3n is the expert in mass notification because we focus on what we do best—providing you with a reliable, effective solution you can count on when you need it most. We are 100% focused on notification and will support our solution—and you—100%, guaranteed. 3n Message Map LibrarySM The 3n Message Map Library is a library of customizable messages available exclusively from 3n for fast, accurate response to a wide range of emergency situations ranging from natural disasters and workplace or campus violence to more routine business interruptions, such as power outages and building closures. In response to high-profile events such as the Virginia Tech tragedy, message maps—incident–based, pre-written messages that outline who to contact and what to say—have become a major focus point of emergency response and business continuity planners worldwide. The 3n Message Map Library lays out a roadmap of what to say, to whom and when, helping organizations avoid common communication pitfalls so they can more effectively manage a crisis. The 3n Message Map Library was created based on crisis communication best practices developed by Dr. Chandler according to Chandler’s Six Stages of a Crisis: warning, risk assessment, response, management, resolution and post-crisis recovery. Each message map, or scenario, sets out detailed guidelines for message criteria at every stage of the crisis lifecycle. Concise messages are written at a sixth-grade level and include ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 14 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis no more than three key concepts for maximum comprehension. Messages in the 3n Chandler Methodology Message Library can be customized for use by any organization and integrated into a comprehensive emergency response plan. 3n Pandemic Communication Solution™ The 3n Pandemic Communication Solution, which leverages decades of research by internationally recognized crisis communication expert, Dr. Robert Chandler, includes all of the following: Pandemic readiness self-audit worksheet to assess your organization’s pandemic readiness and pinpoint gaps in your plan Chandler Methodology™ pandemic message maps, licensed exclusively to 3n, that tell you what to say to employees, customers, suppliers, investors, partners, and the media before, during, and after a pandemic Pandemic preparedness presentations to help you justify the importance of pandemic planning when talking to senior management Two-hour executive audio briefing featuring Dr. Chandler talking about the key business issues executives need to be aware of during a pandemic Pandemic communication plan testing and validation tool for your key 100 contacts to ensure that your pandemic communication response will work when it’s needed most ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 15 of 16 Message Mapping: How to Communicate During the Six Stages of a Crisis About Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D. Dr. Robert Chandler is a recognized expert on organizational behavior and communication with research expertise focusing on issues such as pandemic communications, crisis leadership, crisis teams, crisis decision-making and behavior, human factors during organizational crises, and organizational communication assessment in a wide variety of business and corporate contexts. He has written more than 75 papers and published articles and authored four books. Dr. Chandler is the Blanche E. Seaver Professor and Chair of the Communication Division in the Center for Communication and Business at Pepperdine University. He is also a member of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, the International Communication Association, the American Forensic Association, and the National Communication Association. For more information about 3n Global, please visit our website at www.3nonline.com or contact us at 888-366-4911. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2008 3n Global, Inc. All rights reserved. | www.3nonline.com 16 of 16

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