I’ve been reading Commander Chris Hadfield’s An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, And Being Prepared for Anything. During his career, Hadfield flew three missions into space and served as the commander of the International Space Station. In the year it was available online, Hadfield’s cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” performed on the International Space Station, became a viral hit.
In his book, Hadfield writes about the grueling training astronauts go through to prepare for each space mission. He describes taking part in simulations of a range of worst-case possibilities: engine malfunctions, collision with a meteorite, an oxygen leak. There are even simulations of how each astronaut’s death would be handled, in space and on Earth. Hadfield writes,
Why make yourself miserable worrying? Why waste time getting ready for disasters that may never happen?
Anticipating problems and figuring out how to solve them is actually the opposite of worrying: it’s productive. Likewise, coming up with a plan of action isn’t a waste of time if it gives you peace of mind.
Most businesses aren’t dealing with rocket science. But businesses should adopt this philosophy of planning ahead for problems so that they can be smoothly dealt with when they arise.
Photo by Nick Richards. (cropped)
A crisis communications plan prepares your business for troubles large and small. It should lay out specific responses to common problems, and it should also address the basics of how your business will approach any crisis.
Should the unexpected happen, a crisis communications plan will help your business navigate any situation. The plan should clarify who is responsible for speaking to the media, who will keep employees updated, who will shape the social media response, who will draft news alerts and so forth. A crisis communications plan should list contacts outside the organization who must be notified in given situations. It should outline how the business will respond to questions from customers and the community.
Then, practice. Set aside some time periodically to run a drill of your crisis communications plan. The time to prepare is not after a problem occurs. It’s right now.
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Learn more about strategic communications plans, crises aside.
