As worldwide business, governmental and organizational entities face crisis-preparedness demands for coronavirus contingency planning – and as crisis issues and incidents of all forms are part of each daily news cycle – CEOs, management teams and boards of directors must stand accountable to make sure their organizations are prepared for the completely unexpected… or, in the coronavirus case, a fast-evolving and foreseeable disruption with a full-scale impact that is yet unknown.

Kelly and Mary Beth delve into the general considerations all management teams should consider when undertaking crisis preparedness … with the first mandate being – Don’t Delay!  Included in the discussion:

• How human reactions such as denial and “paralysis by analysis” universally stymie the best crisis-planning intentions… and how to overcome initial inertia;
• Why there is a major difference between having an operational crisis plan and a communications-driven crisis plan (including both internal and external stakeholders) … and that you can’t have an adequate plan until you have both components;
• How Kelly and Mary Beth have managed crisis consultations in their careers for a wide range of clients, including Mary Beth’s own former PR firm’s business crisis, when her office was destroyed in an office fire, requiring the displacement of her full agency team for nearly two months;
• Ways in which crisis communications planning have changed in recent decades, evolving from the “traditional media” paradigm to the past two decades’ far more dynamic, complicated and Citizen Journalism-driven platform of digital media;
• Critical considerations of IT systems back-ups, off-site employee work continuity, adequate insurance coverages and other operational / practical aspects for businesses of all sizes / scales to keep in mind;
• How interdepartmental, interdisciplinary inclusion across management team functions must be integrated in the planning and execution process;
• Why having employee contact-with-media and employee social media policies are so important;
• And much more.
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