1. Here are lessons learned from a couple of crises I managed:
1. No demarcation between internal & external
communications
• In a world of blogs, cut & paste, news goes external in a
heartbeat.
• Therefore, internal and external messages should be the same -
- whatever you tell employees will go external.
2. Use facts to short-circuit "water cooler" talk & pick
executive spokespersons carefully
• Spokesperson should be the most logical local leader. In case
of London subway bombings, we used country GM, who
communicated throughout the day with employees, telling
them to remain on-site, then kept giving them instructions
during the day, such as the fact that the mass transit system
was back up and running.
3. Walk the line between advising employees and alarming
employees
• Attribute what you are saying to reputable third parties, such as
World Health Organization.
• In case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), we
advised employees to take prudent precaution: wash hands
frequently, wear surgical mask, heed travel warnings to
severely affected countries, etc.
1) Hurricane Katrina
1 Convened Crisis Management Team to 1) account for all
employees, and 2) ensure clients were up and running.
2 Issued e-mail updates every two days from GM in the U.S.
3 Published a FAQ on company intranet, and updated
answers as warranted.
4 Included key messages about IBM's contribution to the
relief effort in all communications.

2. FAQ answered top-of-mind questions:
• How do I volunteer to assist in the relief effort or provide a
financial contribution?
• How do I contribute $$ to the recovery effort? (Contact the
American Red Cross or your local United Way)
• How did I help with loading and preparing materials for shipping
to Gulf Coast? (Volunteer opportunities are listed on
VolunteerMatch)
• How do I make a financial contribution to the relief effort via
payroll deduction?
• How do I offer temporary housing for company employees or
others who are in need? (Determined we're not in the
housing business)
• How is IBM helping the disaster relief effort?
• What are we doing for clients?
2) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Convened Crisis Management Team to discuss health &
safety issues, communications, contingencies to ensure
a smooth supply of parts, shipment of product,
etc. Crisis Management Team has reps from Finance,
HR, legal, communications, and sales operations.
• Created a spreadsheet to track status of action items
because crisis spanned multiple countries.
• Monitored health of staff (absentee reporting).
• Monitored affected locations, disinfection if
needed. Cleaned telephone sets daily, and increased
frequency of cleaning elevators, lobbies, escalator
handrails, and washrooms with disinfectant or diluted
bleaching fluid.
• Provided masks to employees, advise wearing especially in
meetings / public areas.
• Adopted appropriate "work from home" policy.
• Enabled staff to become mobile, with distribution of
laptops.

3. Communications approach
1 Communications linked closely with HR, Occupational Health &
Safety, and Corporate Headquarters communications on this
issue, and approved all communications about SARS.
2 Provided frequent communication on status of staff and offices.
3 Proactive communications to staff even in unaffected areas.
4 Communication messages carefully controlled to avoid
overreaction.
Internal communications
• Strategy was to communicate frequently, accurately and
unemotionally
◦ First memo was sent to employees on March 14 when
atypical pneumonia started to arouse public concern. It
contained mainly the precautionary measures provided
by Hong Kong's Department of Health.
◦ Series of memos sent every 2 days to employees with
update on status of SARS and its impact on the
company.
◦ Notes provided the health status of the employees,
whether they're on affected flights or live in affected
buildings, and the company's various precautionary
measures to ensure the health and safety of the
workplace.
◦ When a suspected case was reported, a series of SARS
alerts were distributed.
• Gave employees the facts about SARS and what IBM was doing
to protect their well being.
• Created a SARS page on our intranet site that included the
executive memos as well as links to IBM's travel and medical
advisory, World Health Organization, and Hong Kong
government's Department of Health websites

4. External communications
• Strategy was to keep our company's name out of the roundup
stories about the impact SARS was having on businesses.
• Did only 1 interview, with the South China Morning Post, the key
business paper in Hong Kong, to show IBM leadership in
educating employees about SARS.
Management communications
• Relied on managers to give advice to employees on subjects
such as precautionary measures, the suspected SARS case,
etc.
• Director of HR sent SARS update memos to all people
managers in countries that had experienced a SARS
outbreak (Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore,
Vietnam)
• Messages in management communications "SARS Update:
Your role as a manager," included:
◦ IBM is continuing to monitor developments
◦ Our primary concern is for the health and safety of our
employees.
◦ If any questions, contact your local HR country manager or
regional Occupational Health Services team.
◦ Following recommendations from the World Health
Organization, Centers for Disease Control in the U.S.
and other experts, we advised that nonessential travel
be postponed to Hong Kong, mainland China,
Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam. (Referred employees
to the IBM advisory on SARS posted on intranet site).
◦ Managers advised to use their discretion in defining
"nonessential travel." Internal meetings, education and
training sessions for employees generally considered
nonessential.
◦ Critical customer meetings or engagements may proceed
unless specific circumstances preclude travel.
◦ We don't require employees returning from affected
countries to work away from the office as a general

5. rule. Employees who have travelled to and from
affected areas are advised to monitor their health, and
to avoid coming into the office if unwell.
◦ Advised employees to be more vigilant of their personal
health and hygiene, including frequent hand washing
and keeping work areas clean. IBM employees who
suspect that they have been in contact with a SARS
case should inform their managers immediately.
◦ Employees to affected countries urged to monitor their
health and temperature for 10 days after travel and
seek medical assistance immediately if they are unwell
or develop a temperature over 100 °F.
◦ Symptoms of SARS:
▪ high fever (>100 °F) AND
▪ Respiratory symptoms including cough, shortness of
breath, difficulty in breathing AND
▪ if they had close contact with a person diagnosed with
SARS, OR recently traveled to areas reporting
cases of SARS.
▪ In addition to fever and respiratory symptoms, SARS
may be associated with other symptoms including
headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite,
malaise, confusion, rash, and diarrhea.
Lessons learned
• Time is of the essence. In time of crisis, employees are
looking for leadership. [ibm.com example in Hurricane
Katrina]
• OK to say "we're aware of the issue and we're working on
it" to buy time.
• Employees are an important constituent -- so equip them
with the messages you want to get outside.
• Key to success in a crisis is frequent, accurate and
unemotional internal communications.

6. Summary
1. No demarcation between internal & external
communications.
2. Use facts to short-circuit "water cooler" talk.
3. Walk the line between advising employees and alarming
employees.