Crisis Communications

Effective media communication is a crucial element in emergency crisis management and should assume a central role from the start. It establishes public confidence in the ability of an organization or government to deal with an Emergency and to bring about a satisfactory conclusion. Effective media communication is also integral to the larger process of information exchange aimed at eliciting trust and promoting understanding of the relevant issues or actions. Within the limits of available knowledge, good media communication aids such efforts by:

·         Building, maintaining or restoring trust

·         Improving knowledge and understanding

·         Guiding and encouraging appropriate attitudes, decisions, actions and behaviors

·         Encouraging collaboration and cooperation

Firestorm recommends following the Preaction model of Predict. Plan. Perform.  in dealing with emergency crisis communications:

·         Predict – Who is the audience & what are their concerns?

·         Plan – Tailor message, messenger, and media format to the stakeholder

·         Perform – Focus on the 3 key messages