An expert's view on crisis communication

If this picture is not the poster child of crisis communication, I'm not sure what is.

When a dear, close friend ran into a total crisis at her office recently here in Las Vegas, the sheer subject of crisis communication came up. And when discussing the subject of crisis communication, I can't help but to think of US Airways Flight 1549, of which 150 passengers survived a crash landing in New York's Husdon River this past January.

Let me digress for a minute...I'm a former US Airways reservations employee in Winston-Salem, NC, moved to Las Vegas this past July. Yes, once upon a time not long ago, your humble host sold plane tickets over the phone...but I digress further.

On the afternoon 1549 went into the drink, I was on my way into the office to work my 5pm-2am shift. I was made aware of the incident through a few phone calls. As I floored my car on the expressway to run into the office, we took the family assistance calls. No amount of training can ever prepare you for taking those kinds of calls...none. And yet, keeping them calm while keeping your composure is paramount.

Of course, we all know the outcome, thankfully. And later on, I had a chance to meet hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger at an employee-only event.

But when something like this happens, an airline's corporate communications team springs into action, instantaneously. Similarly, when a crisis affects an office, key personnel should be prepared to execute a crisis control strategy that attempts to maintain the integrity of the office.

Morgan Durrant, a Philadelphia-based US Airways spokesman, tells CommunicationsExpress that preparation is key to any emergency.

"I'd tell you preparation is not only just key, but tantamount to everything in crisis communications. Budgeting time regularly to review plans, discuss scenarios and role play goes a long way in building that muscle memory you'll need when it's crunch time."

If your company, large or small, does not have a crisis strategy, now is the time to develop one and have it readily available, if God forbid, it needs to be executed. In these weird times, it is better to be safe than sorry.

E.C. :)