Which Comes First, the Operational Plan or the Communications Plan?

[by Nora Jacobs]  Tornados…active shooters….explosions and fires…workplace fatalities…leaks of toxic chemicals.  Given the wide range of catastrophes, accidents and attacks that threaten organizations of almost any size these days, wise management teams have taken the time to put together detailed emergency response plans. Those plans typically describe the procedures, people and resources to be deployed when an event threatens an organization’s ability to continue operations, make and ship products, deliver services or otherwise conduct daily business.

Good plans encompass the key functions that need to be at the table to effectively manage a crisis event:  human resources, health & safety, sales, legal, production, IT, security and communications are typical players.  However, most operational plans give scant consideration to the critical role communications plays in addressing a catastrophic event.  Just as important, operational plans typically neglect to consider the host of other events that can seriously damage an organization’s ability to operate with the continued confidence of its stakeholders:  events like litigation, product failures, financial wrong-doing, labor strife and sudden changes in management.

A good crisis communications plan closes both gaps:  it contains the level of detail the communications team needs to be a full-fledged member of the crisis response team.  It provides the communications play book, detailing team members, roles and responsibilities, guidelines for dealing with traditional and social media during a crisis, other stakeholders that need to be kept in the loop and processes for communicating effectively under pressure.  Just as important, it considers the full range of potential crisis events an organization may face and provides advance messaging for those events most likely to have the most severe impact – a valuable exercise that can significantly shortcut response time when an event actually occurs.

So which plan comes first?  In essence, they work together.  A solid crisis communications plan will dovetail seamlessly with its companion operational plan.  Together, they provide the comprehensive type of response that allows an organization to manage crisis events more professionally and skillfully, with its most important asset – its reputation – intact if not enhanced.