Our Blog: where do you stand?

A Crisis Will Happen - Are You Ready?

By: Mistie Thompson | 04/17/2009

On a recent crisp April morning, my colleague Marijean and I swooped into the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (CHO) with the kind of stealth that would make Navy SEALs proud. Intimidating black briefcases in hand and intense CSI-style game faces on, we pulled the CHO executive staff together for a stunning announcement: the day for their surprise crisis communications drill had arrived.  

OK, so maybe Marijean and I didn't exactly swoop in by bungee jumping off the roof (maybe next time, Mj?). Maybe we walked in just with coffee in hand and nothing but smiles and a little makeup on our faces. And maybe while the crisis drill was a surprise, it didn't rattle the CHO staff in the slightest. Why? Because they're following the Absolute Number One Law of Crisis Communications: Be Prepared.

Led by Executive Director Barbara Hutchinson, CHO has committed to not only being prepared for a crisis from an operational standpoint, but also with the strongest crisis communications possible. CHO recognizes that its business is highly dependent on creating and maintaining trust with the "communities" (not necessarily in the geographic sense) it serves. This includes business leaders and clients of area businesses large and small; some of the world's brightest minds drawn to the University of Virginia; and visitors to the beauty of central Virginia as well as several of the most cherished historic homes in America. All of these communities must be able to trust that CHO is fully prepared for a crisis and will communicate accurate, timely and ongoing information to them.

And they can. Because from the time the drill began with a call (actually a Standing Partnership staff member) announcing a bomb threat on a plane parked at a CHO gate; through the development of statements for distribution by phone, fax, e-mail, Web and even Twitter; the fielding of constant calls from media, local businesses and frantic families alike (again, all made by Standing staffers); and a final "press conference" to announce the resolution of the simulated threat, the CHO staff performed beautifully. Referencing their crisis communications plans from the moment the drill began, the staff assumed their assigned crisis roles, calmly and methodically completed their duties and assisted teammates wherever needed. Along the way, they - and the Standing staff serving as facilitators - identified areas of additional need and clarified roles, automatically preparing to improve on their already stellar crisis reaction for the next drill.

There will definitely be another drill in the near future. Why? Because CHO also follows the Absolute Number Two Law of Crisis Communications: Practice, Practice, Practice. They know that you can write the best crisis communications plan in the world, but if you don't practice it, refine it, and practice it again, it won't do you a bit of good.

So if you don't have a crisis communications plan, get one. If you do and it's just gathering dust underneath your stash of chocolate and Cheez-Its, dig it out, clean it off, update it, and practice it. We'll swoop in anytime to help - and we'll even bring the coffee. The bungee jumping part is optional.

Posted in Issues and Crisis Management