John Hardiman Corporate Communications Director NJM Insurance Group

 What is a crisis? Any event or incident that can potentially draw negative media attention or interfere with normal business operations.  Crisis Communications refers to the flow of information during a crisis among an organization, its employees, the media, the government, law enforcement and the public. [source: The American Library Association].

 Develop a Crisis Communications Plan ◦ State the purpose of the Plan, i.e. “to effectively manage communications through a formal, clearly defined process to help mitigate a crisis and maintain the reputation of the organization.” ◦ Identify key stakeholders  External and internal ◦ Identify communication channels

◦ Establish a crisis communications team; be clear about roles and alternates. The time to assemble a team is not during a crisis.  Plan manager  Spokesperson  Copywriter  Social media specialist ◦ Have a media strategy  Who, what, when, where ◦ Updated information on the organization, i.e. a “fact sheet”

 Establish a “checklist,” or “cheat sheet”  Identify potential crises and develop a bank of talking points  Drill  Monitor and modify the Plan as needed

 Identify the person in charge  Timeliness is critical  Do not downplay, defend or deny. Be honest, be factual  Monitor social media  Provide updates  Manage expectations

 Identify the challenges and gaps  Modify the Plan accordingly