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STRIVE FOR FIVE:
COMMUNICATIONS PILLARS FOR WEATHERING A FLU PANDEMIC
June 2006
At Solomon McCown & Company's panel on "Spreading the Word, Not the Flu," the medical experts agreed that following basic health rules will be key in dealing with a virus outbreak. Increasing health and hygiene knowledge - of, for example, such simple tenets as social distancing and hand washing - among employees, students, or tenants will help minimize the spread of illness.
So what are the keys to preventing the unhealthy spread of information? Here are five tips for businesses and organizations preparing for a potential flu pandemic:
Be self-sufficient. Prepare to be self-sufficient for at least the first 72 hours. Should a pandemic strike, you're on your own. Every business, organization or individual should expect that the city, state or federal authorities may not be able to help, especially during the first few days of a crisis.
Test yourself . In case of a pandemic, employers, universities, building managers and hospitals alike have an enhanced responsibility to ensure the well being of employees, students or the public. The difference between responsibility and liability is whether or not you have a sound business continuity plan paired with a crisis communications plan.
Having a plan alone is not enough, however. The plan must be tested to ensure that there will be no glitches in a high pressure situation. The time is now to uncover any vulnerabilities and make the necessary changes before an emergency occurs.
Bond now, not later . In the midst of a pandemic is not the time to establish relationships with external partners and first responders, such as police or fire departments. Reach out now to open the lines of communication with first responder agencies as well as third-party vendors and suppliers, and have a plan for coordinated efforts.
Ensure that you'll be heard : Pay attention to news coverage and establish media procedures to capture and respond to reporters' inquiries promptly. Make sure there is sufficient redundancy, in case the designated spokesperson falls ill, and to ensure that media calls don't get lost in voice mail at night or over the weekend. You can't impact a story if you don't respond to the call. Also, make sure to correct misinformation quickly should there be any inaccuracies in coverage.
Use multiple vehicles: Identify and test multiple communications channels to ensure the rapid dissemination of accurate information to internal and external audiences during a pandemic. Consider which channels are best for your organization whether e-mail, a secure website, a recorded message, or conference calls.
As we collectively ready ourselves to prepare to deal with a flu outbreak - which we hope does not become a pandemic - we are interested in hearing about communications challenges encountered by businesses and organizations-and best practices-- and invite your input at any time in continuing the dialogue.
Click on the link below for a more detailed summary of the panel:
Spreading the Word, Not the Flu: Discussion
