One of the best books I have read for business - and applied to my personal life as well - is the book “Crisis Management: Planning for the Inevitable” by Steven Fink. Having served on the Three Mile Island crisis management team, Fink takes you through a number of crises in a case study manner that serves as an excellent coaching tool for business owners, managers, and individuals.
Part of the book outlines the need for a clear plan of crisis communications. Where we think in terms of reacting in a time of need, Fink draws out the necessity to be proactive. Many could make the case that the recent event of volcanic eruption in Iceland, and the impact not only to Europe but also around the globe, would qualify for similar proactive planning, especially in the form of crisis communications.
In attempting to monitor the situation, I found the US Media coverage paled by comparison to the coverage overseas. By routinely visiting the BBC Web site, and specific airport sites, I was able to develop a clearer picture of what was going on. Also, staying in touch with business associates and friends overseas via email allowed me a peek into a smaller window of events and activity. I could now get a feel for the impact on both people (stranded travelers) and business – the losses will be staggering when the totals come in.
Having lived in California for seventeen years, I witnessed firsthand the effect of earthquakes, floods, fires, and mudslides. What I felt locally was completely different than what people outside the state thought was happening, or the degree of impact it was having on me.
It was this reflection on California that made me realize I wasn’t taking into consideration the impact to Iceland from the volcano’s eruption. Yes, I saw coverage of the devastation in Iceland, but I had little perspective on what that could mean for businesses and companies that operate from Iceland on a global scale. I was too focused on Europe to even take notice.
In her blog Post “Going with the Volcanic Flow”, Joyce Wady of Connect2 Communications tells the story of one of their clients who utilizes the “natural geo-thermal resources of Iceland to build a green wholesale data center in the country”, and the need for Connect2 Communications to be proactive in order “to help the client message to their customers about the impact of the volcano as well as prepare for any broader stories in the press that may begin to emerge.”
Wady lays out a series of steps and events that other companies could use as a model for crisis communications. Her advice could easily be summed up in her closing remarks, “The key to managing these types of stories is to be prepared and be proactive. Use the current event or industry announcement or regulatory ruling as a means to think about the impact to your company, create messaging that puts the event into the appropriate context for your customers and know when to begin talking to the press. Missing one of these steps could take an opportunity and turn it into a disaster of your own.”
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