The scenario:
You are the incident commander at a train crash, which has occurred during peak hour in an outer metropolitan area. As a consequence, ambulance media are unable to attend and the ‘press pack’ who have descended on the scene are demanding answers about casualties.
provide a media briefing on the incident. You should cover the major elements of a media briefing, as outlined in the crisis communication and managing the media . You can make up patient numbers etc.
read the information below which will help you to write the speech
Crisis Communication – Six easy strategies
- Don’t over-reassure.
Over-reassurance pushes ambivalent audiences toward the alarmed side of the seesaw; it diminishes credibility and leaves them alone with their fears. If you have to get it wrong, better to err on the alarming side.
- Acknowledge uncertainty
Sounding more certain than you are rings false, sets you up to turn out wrong, and provokes debate with those who disagree. Better to say what you know, what you don’t know, and what you are doing to learn more. Model the ability to bear uncertainty and take action anyway.
- Treat emotions legitimately
In a crisis, people are right to be fearful and miserable. Both emotions are at risk of flipping into denial, or escalating into terror or depression, or receding into apathy. To help us bear our feelings, respect our feelings.
- Establish your own humanity
Express your own feelings; if you seem fearless, you can’t help model how we should master our fear. Express your wishes: “I wish we could give you a more definite answer.“ Tell a few stories about your past, your family, your reactions to the crisis.
- Offer people things to do
Self-protective action helps mitigate fear; victim-aid action helps mitigate misery. All action helps us bear our emotions and thus helps prevent denial. Where possible, offer a choice of actions, bracketing your recommendations with less and more extreme options.
- Stop worrying about panic
Panic is rare. Efforts to avoid panic – for example, by withholding bad news and making over-reassuring statements – tend to backfire. People sometimes disobey in a crisis, but that’s not panic. Worry about denial, worry about apathy; don’t worry about panic.
Five keys to effective crisis communication
- Clarity – Because people are stressed.
- Repetition – People may not take message on board first time.
- Honesty – People will be more likely to trust you if they think you are being honest about what you do and don’t know.
- Empathy – Because people are afraid or angry.
