...Crisis Management Communication Plan HCS/350 11 Nov 2013 Crisis Management Crises are events that have the ability to threaten the viability of the organizations within which they occur. Crises are extraordinary events with great potential to do harm to people, businesses, and organizations. Crisis management consists of three distinct phases: crisis prevention, crisis response, and recovery from the crisis. This paper will focus on the communication that is used during the management of a crisis. It will briefly describe how communication dynamics differ in times of crises, ways to reduce stress during a crisis, and ways to resolve communication challenges. Communication Dynamics Communication dynamics may differ during times of crisis, mass trauma, or disaster simply because of the stress levels that are associated with them and the staff members that are affected during the situation as well. Resolution of communication problems requires creativity (Pearson & Sommer, 2011). The more creative the staff is, the quicker they can resolve the issue at hand and communicate more effectively. If a staff member who is normally quiet and well-mannered becomes loud, irritable, and aggressive during a crisis this can disrupt the entire team. If there is more than one staff member who has a personality or demeanor that changes during a crisis it will create chaos in the department. The department manager needs to know of these possible changes and have a way to circumvent...
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...A Crisis Management Communication Plan One must always expect the unexpected and prepare for the unforeseen in order to live up honestly to the universal principles of health care. Beyond the standard day-to-day challenges, this necessity of preparedness is pushed to the extreme in the event of a mass causality incident (MCI). A large explosion in a crowded stadium represents the epitome of crisis management, as present emergency medical officials are immediately overwhelmed and the high number of casualties can overwhelm even the largest of hospitals—requiring adherence to a general crisis management plan. The near proximity between the explosion and the hospital, as well as the high concentration of casualties in one place, pose unique challenges that would not otherwise be present and require a higher degree of emergency communication to be effective. The Scenario On a Thursday night, the Fresno Grizzly baseball team is hosting an exhibition game with the San Francisco Giants at Chukchansi Park baseball stadium with an attendance of just over 14,000 people. During the planned post-game firework show, there is a mechanical error, causing a long series of explosions. The far section of the stadium is immediately structurally damaged and collapses, while a gas fire quickly erupts, engulfing over half of the stadium and several nearby buildings. Chaos quickly erupts in the nearby area, as crowds from the stadium and the nearby Seland Arena erratically stampede into the streets...
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...Crisis Management Communication Plan Katherina Fabi HCS/350 February 4, 2014 Djuanique N. Slaughter, MPA, RHIT Crisis Management Communication Plan Crisis is defined as an unexpected, sudden turn of events or set of circumstances requiring an immediate human response. The word crisis comes from the Greek root word krisis, meaning “turning point.” There are different types of crisis: developmental, situational, and adventitious crisis. In health care settings, most crises are situational. For example, while working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), a client who was awake and alert two hours ago, suddenly became unresponsive. The client was assessed for responsiveness. The client was not breathing and pulseless. Immediately, a code blue was paged overhead, and the team rushed over. The team consists of the primary nurse, emergency physician, respiratory therapist, critical care nurse, recorder, and the emergency medical technician (EMT). The House Supervisor and charge nurse are also available to direct traffic and assist with the code blue. Each team has their own roles and responsibilities during a code. A team leader is usually the critical care nurse until the emergency physician arrives, and he or she takes over the role as team leader. The team leader designates the recorder, the nurse who is administering the intravenous medications, someone doing the compressions, and someone giving breath to the client. Each one working together as a team to resuscitate...
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...ACME Furniture Crisis Management Plan 2013 NB – A crisis management template has been used in creating this plan. The template is available from http://www.brighthubpm.com/risk-management/104970-tips-and-template-for-developing-a-crisis-management-plan/ Table of Contents I. Purpose: 4 Principals for crisis management 4 II. Process: 5 III. Communication Responses Protocol (List of Emergency Contacts): 6 iii – (a) Key personnel, Legal Counsels and Advisors 6 iii – (b) Crisis Management Team 6 iii – (c) communications team 6 IV. Roles and Responsibilities 7 iv – (a) Crisis Management Team 7 iv – (b) Communications team 7 V. Critical Scenarios/Incidents of Medical Emergencies/ Attacks against ACME Furniture’s Integrity & Reputation 10 v – (a) CRITICAL SCENARIOS: 10 v – (b) Incidents of Medical Emergencies: 10 v – (c) Attacks against ACME Furniture’s Integrity & Reputation: 10 VI. Emergency Response Centre 11 VII. Employees 12 VII – (a) Office 12 VII – (b) Retail Outlet 12 VII – (c) Factory 12 VII – (d) Warehouse 12 VIII. References 13 I. Purpose: This document provides a plan of action in the event of any business disruptions or interruptions that pose threats of damages to life, property or reputation to ACME Furniture. This document contains plans for setting up and running a crisis management centre, media responses and roles responsibilities, key contacts and personnel of ACME Furniture. This document...
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...UNITED STATES SPORTS ACADEMY Crisis Communications A Class Paper Submitted for SAM 551 Public Relations in Sports Professor: Dr. Tim Newman Timothy J Hawkins Daphne, Alabama March 19, 2013 PR professionals don't anticipate crises, rather they, take the opportunity just as athletes, to "train and prepare" for a crisis and the ensuing need for a communication strategy. Well at least some do. The scandal at Penn State University shows not all are prepared for a crisis when it arises. When something of this magnitude hits a college campus the fate of the school lies in the hands of the public relations professional at the school. All sport teams and colleges should have a crisis communication plan and plan of action in place. Hopefully one they never have to use but the exercise of getting your event team together or your staff and going through a "what if" scenario for several key or major milestones in the event, is essential. The time to prepare for a crisis might seem like time that is not well spent. With lots of little details to manage, taking time out to put into place a plan, just in case, seems almost trivial to some event planners and marketers. The Penn State University officials handled the situation poorly. The mistakes that they made were many. The public relation reps should not have delayed a response to allegations. What the reps and the athletic department should have done was to face the public promptly clarifying misconceptions...
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...Communication and Crisis Paper HCS/320 Instructor: Debbie Hunt September 03, 2012 The nuclear reactor that malfunctioned, in the Three Mile Island created a release of radiation into the environment which caused a crisis. It drew a lot of media and created concerns in the local area and beyond. A traditional form of technology was used to notify the public, television networks and local radio stations were used. Compared to the crisis that took place in 2005, Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the New Orleans area, immersing many parts of the city under water causing trauma to families, the strategy for communication used was the internet, which reached a greater number of the public in less time. As a director of a regional Emergency Management office and was to start receiving official reports that the public water supplies of several towns in the area have become contaminated with a life-threatening biological agent, the strategy I would use to start a contingency plan that would address my organization and the public without creating panic would be to send an immediate e-mail to all staff to attend an emergency, mandatory meeting. Employee’s who are unable to attend because of emergency situations will have access to a video conference. I would get one of our communication specialists in the company to give a presentation reminding our organization’s staff of our organization’s emergency policies and procedures in...
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...Communication to Manage Crisis HCS/320 Communication to Manage Crisis Those who work in hospitals have to face crisis. It may happen in the emergency room or even in the manager’s office. Hospital employees need to be ready for such events. Coombs 1999 states that no organization can guarantee that they will not have any crisis. According to Reynolds 2006, crisis may occur internally or externally for the organization but when it occurs people’s lives may be at stake and at the same time the reputation of the company may get jeopardized. During crisis communication as well as improper communication can play a great role. For lack of communication right things may not be done and crisis may occur. Even a rumor may spread and crisis may happen. Communication methods to be adopted during a crisis have been talked about a lot but defining crisis is not so easy. According to Heath 2006, before defining the crisis, the risks need to be identified. According to him a risk may have both negative and positive influences of different levels. If anything happens to people, communication with them can tell us a lot and it can be understood whether crisis can be overcome. Whether reputation can be left intact needs to be understood. I am acting as the director of the Regional Emergency Office and I got reports about the public water that had been infected with something fatal. The pollutant is a biological element that has life threatening effect. We know that biological agents...
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...Communication and Crisis Paper Communication and Crisis Paper Lillian Williams University Of Phoenix Abstract Crisis management is a very critical organization function. If failed it can result in extreme harm to stakeholders, extreme loss for the organization, and/or end the very existence of the organization. Having public relations practitioners are an important part of crisis management teams. A lot books have been written about crisis management by both the practitioners and the researchers from many different disciplines making it a challenge to take in what all we know about crisis management and public relations’. Communication and Crisis Paper Effective crisis management handles any of the threats sequentially. The most important concern in a crisis must to the safety of the public. Failure to address the safety of the public increases the damage from a crisis. Reputation and financial concerns will be considered after the safety of the public has been remedied. Ultimately, crisis management was designed to protect an organization and its stakeholders from any threats or to reduce the impact felt by the threats. Prevention of a crisis involves seeking to reduce the known risks that would lead to the crisis. This would be part of an organization’s risk management program. Preparation of a crisis involves: creating a crisis management plan, selecting and training for the crisis with management team, and doing exercises to test the crisis management plan...
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...Crisis Management Communication Plan HCS 350 May 19, 2014 Kristina Alums Crisis Management Communication Plan Crisis is a time of intense difficulty, trouble or danger. Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience and a disaster is a sudden event that causes a great deal of damage or loss of life. Any of these circumstances can happen to an individual, a group of people, to a business, an organization, or a community without any notice. Crisis management is an essential process that organizations adopt to deal with a sudden emergency situation and it should include a crisis management plan. It is a basic guide to provide a response system to a major crisis, trauma, or disaster that is occurring. Anyone that experiences a disaster, trauma, or crisis is affected by it in some way or fashion and having a well planned communication strategy has the potential to lessen the impact of stress while being able to deliver accurate and timely information within the organization and to the public (U.S. Dept. of Health, 2012). Having a clear understanding of roles and procedures is also critical to help individuals manage stress. Communication During a of crisis, trauma, or disaster time is short, decisions are urgent, information is typically limited, and the opportunities for the interaction we require are constrained which can cause communication to be challenging. Pressure is also greater during a crisis. Ineffective communication has proven to be a major contributor...
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...Crisis Management Communication Plan Grace Parisi HCS/350 12-15-14 Benjamin Ovando Crisis Management Communication Plan Effectively communicating is crucial when preparing and managing a crisis, mass trauma or disaster. In any of these situations proper structure and organization needs to be in place. This includes assigning responsibilities and training staff to follow certain procedures to successfully manage and continue to operate under the stress of the unplanned event. When dealing with a crisis we need to have open, truthful and timely communication. So we can actively work and support each other. A crisis can be any situation that threatens the integrity or reputation of the facility or company. The important thing is to identify the situation and notify whoever needs to be involved. This may be a charge person, VP, CEO and maybe public relations. Then collaborate with each other, then come up with a plan to put it into motion. In a mass trauma it is important to promote safety. This means getting people to a safe place and making sure they know they are safe. Trying to help people remain calm and decrease their anxiety. If anxiety remains high it can interfere with physical and psychological well-being. In emergencies people need to be able to trust and be trustworthy of the person communicating information. “A trusted source of information is the most important resilient asset that any individual or group cab have”. (Longstaff, 2005). When a disaster strikes...
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...Economics Seminar paper on the subject: English 4 Crisis management June, 2012 Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980. Three elements are common to most definitions of crisis: (a) a threat to the organization, (b) the element of surprise, and (c) a short decision time. Venette argues that "crisis is a process of transformation where the old system can no longer be maintained." Therefore the fourth defining quality is the need for change. If change is not needed, the event could more accurately be described as a failure or incident. In contrast to risk management, which involves assessing potential threats and finding the best ways to avoid those threats, crisis management involves dealing with threats before, during, and after they have occurred. That is, crisis management is proactive, not merely reactive. It is a discipline within the broader context of management consisting of skills and techniques required to identify, assess, understand, and cope with a serious situation, especially from the moment it first occurs to the point that recovery procedures start. Introduction Crisis management consists of: * Methods used to respond to both the...
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...Crisis Management Plan for DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama Alishia Keef Healthcare Communication/HCS 350 April 13, 2015 Diane Rodriguez Time is short, and decisions must be made quickly in a crisis or disaster. Communication systems are often the first recovery area disabled during a crisis. For example, if a Category 5 tornado hit DCH Regional Medical Center, it would experience major disruption because it sits directly in the center of downtown Tuscaloosa, which is a major university city in Alabama. This situation was seen during the April 27, 2011 tornado in Tuscaloosa with many nurses and doctors even being stranded at their assigned posts. The landline phones and cell phone towers were inoperable when the power systems went down. The hospital would also experience added stress due to injured residents flocking to receive emergency treatment. Because physician orders are faxed to the pharmacy and outside specialists, the entire system would have severe delays in care delivery. It would also be difficult to call extra staff in because travel into the area and out of the area was impossible due to roads being covered with debris. As a result, the burden was they may also be injured at home or without telecommunication equipment. All communications would have to be face-to-face in person. This interpersonal contact has become so rare during our technological age that employees could be expected to experience very high levels of stress. During the immediate...
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...REFLECTION AND EVALUATION Organizational Communication Analysis Part V: Analysis, Reflection and Evaluation Analysis, Reflection and Evaluation Researching and exploring the many communication avenues throughout this process, there have been many discoveries. There is no business immune from experiencing a crisis or challenging event. It can happen at any given time without warning which can devastate any organization not prepared. A new approach to crisis management is emerging which progresses beyond a purely reactive response and creates fresh opportunities for improved organizational development. There will be discussion on the traditional event approach to crisis management, which focuses on preparing for and responding to a major adverse occurrence, and discusses the new process approach, which reshapes crisis management within a broader range of management activity. Crisis prevention instead of just crisis response necessitates moving responsibility from the operational to the executive level, and the discussion will explore how crisis management activities can be clustered together and integrated to optimize organizational effectiveness. Virtually nothing can damage organizational reputation and financial performance more rapidly and more deeply than the impact of a major crisis. Yet many organizations continue to delegate responsibility for crisis management to operational middle managers, while reputation management increasingly secures a place at the executive...
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...CRISIS PLAN IMPLEMENTATION Once an organization has developed and approved the necessary crisis management and communication plans, we work with the client to properly brief and train all individuals responsible for implementing them. Besides, there is also a developing formal crisis management programs which helps managers and others prepare for unexpected high-impact events that threaten an organizations health and well -being. They also work to ensure that any infrastructure development, resource acquisition, or staff realignment that may be necessary takes place in a timely and effective manner. Below is their plan implementation advisory services include: The Implements of Crisis Management The Implements of Crisis Management * Training key executives plus communications, security, HR, operations, and other line managers and employees on how to implement the plan. * Providing ongoing advice and support on plan implementation, including facilitating inter-departmental or cross-functional integration of processes, and design and implementation of crisis operation centers, war rooms, and response procedures. * Monitoring issues, trends and events that may affect or trigger a crisis. * Reviewing, editing and providing editorial support for key document templates and live documents required under the plan. * Designing and facilitating war game exercises for the organization’s senior management, board, crisis team, and other staff. * Providing ongoing...
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...(Individual) Communication and Crisis Paper Yahaira Jorge HCS/320 January 13, 2014 Ms. Tricia Tran Communication and Crisis My name is Yahaira Jorge and I am the director of the regional Emergency Management Office. We have begun to receive official reports of contaminated water with a life-threatening biological agent. As director, I have many priorities in getting this situation under control, but most importantly will need to be in communication with all the organizations involved. Putting our crisis plan into immediate effect will hopefully keep everything organized. The ultimate goal will be to get the information out to the public with a plan, swiftly but making sure not to create panic along the way. Also making sure to get the support from our fire departments and police officers to participate in giving bottles of water to our people not to get sick and ill from this contaminated water. A quick response is very important in a crisis situation. In order to have a quick response, a crisis plan is necessary. A crisis plan will vary from institution to institution, but most will follow similar guidelines. First and foremost, notifications of the situation or event to communications lead, or second in command. This is important because if there is a delay in getting the information to a higher person in command, that could create a bigger mess than needed. Secondly, notify the institution leaders and staff, and ancillary management. Making sure the appropriate...
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