The document summarizes a presentation on crisis communications given by Barry Radford. It discusses what constitutes a crisis and emergency information, how to create key messages to address a crisis, and preparing a message map. A message map is a visual tool that organizes 3 key messages for an audience with 3 supporting facts for each message based on research that people can typically remember 3 items. It also discusses delivering messages during a crisis when cognitive abilities are impaired and the importance of showing compassion, competence, and optimism. The presentation provides an example message map and concludes with an exercise to have participants prepare message maps for different audiences during a hypothetical water contamination threat.

1. Crisis Communications
Ryerson University
February 2013
Barry Radford
Barry Radford & Associates

2. 1. What is a Crisis?
2. What is Emergency Information?
3. Key Messages: What are they, how do I create
them?
4. Preparing a message map
5. Understanding People in Crisis
6. Delivering the message map
7. Group exercise
Tonight’s presentation

3. What is emergency information?
What our audiences need to know to protect
themselves, their families, property and the
environment.
What we need to communicate to help ensure
our audiences will adopt the right behaviour
during a crisis or emergency.
Also important: presenting your organization’s
response to an incident under the best possible
light.

4. Different types of incidents
Know the hazards and risks

5. The Social Media revolution
Where are
you?

6. Audiences expect a response from authorities
within minutes.
Changing expectations

8. During
Hurricane
Sandy:
Types of
information the
Red Cross
monitored
- mentions of
damage reports
is highest,
- followed by
donations and
mentions of red
cross

9. Canadians expect emergency responders
to use social media;
many expect First Responders are
prepared to respond to calls for help
Canadian Red Cross Social Media Survey Results (Ipsos Reid:
Aug 2012)

10. Why use a crisis communications approach?
• Avoid communications regret !
• Use efficient risk communications processes
Meeting the new challenges

11. Brain Processes
Our ability to comprehend changes
when under stress ...

12. What is Going On?
… Routine vs Crisis
To be heard, you need to craft the
right messages!
Routine … Crisis …

13. What are Key Messages?
 Key Messages are the core messages you
want your audiences to hear and remember
 Key messages allow you to control
communications
 Key messages are designed to work out
what you really need to get across on the
topic.
 They are what you must say in the interview
irrespective of what questions are asked!

14. Criteria for Key Messages
 Be believable – support with evidence
 Be understood – reflect the audience’s
understanding
 Be distinctive – clear competitive?? awareness
 Be agreed with by senior managers
 Be credible – know your stuff
 Avoid negativity
 Enhance positivity
 Brand the information – “The Canadian Red Cross
wants you to know….”

15. How to Create Key Messages
 Short: on brief, memorable sentence or phrase
 Concise: avoid jargon and acronyms
 Active: make every sentence active
 Positive: talk about what one can do, not what you can’t
 Specific: address a particular challenge or issue
 Credible: provide examples to back it up

16. Delivery
• Verbal vs non-verbal
• Things are totally reversed.
• Routine: 75% verbal and 25 % non-verbal
• Crisis: 75% non-verbal and 25% verbal
• What’s also important? Show poise!

17. Message Mapping
Crisis communications technique
developed by Dr. Vincent Covelo from
New York.
Advised (former) New York Mayor
Giuliani prior to 9-11
Successful communications
response using message mapping
◦ Message maps pre-approved
◦ Trained people
◦ Lots of prior exercises

18. Message mapping
• Science-based … on target messaging
• Based on difference in brain functions/processes during
a crisis as opposed to routine situations
• Easy to use …. Visual representation
• Anticipate issues and questions and develop key
messages ahead of time
Message Mapping

19. Why use a crisis communications approach?
◦ Ensure effective communications and that your
audience will adopt the right behaviour.
◦ Enhances your capacity to offer a prompt
communications response to incidents and crises
◦ Helps establish an organization’s credibility.

20. Message Mapping: Prepare!
If you want to communicate promptly,
you need to have pre-approved
messages ready!

21. Brain Processes
What it means for communicators … the
rule of 27/9/3
27/9/3 Model:
– The average length of a sound bite in
print media is 27 words.
– The average duration of a sound bite in
broadcast media is nine seconds
– The average number of messages
reported in both the print and broadcast
media is three.

22. The rule of 3 (cont’d)
• 27/9/3 model: a critical tool
• Based on rule of 3: three key messages each with
three supporting messages or key facts
• Easy to visualize and share for multiple purposes …

23. The rule of 3
• 27/9/3 model: a critical tool
• Media: broadcast and print
• Matches what brain retains during crises
• Works for images too … different part of the brain …
gives you the ability to convey more information

24. Changes in cognitive abilities
• What’s also important?
• The order of your messages …
Order of Key Messages
» Most important in first position
» Second most important last
» Least important in the middle
Why?
People remember what you say first and last

25. Other obstacles
Comprehension levels

26. How you craft a message map
•The order of your messages …
• Impact on how you craft and deliver a message map ...
• Level of comprehension ... we normally write for grade
6-8 level .... during a crisis, you need to adjust your
language/vocabulary to grade two or three level ...
Here's what a message map looks
like then

27. Message Map Example
How you read it ... from left to right the three key messages and then you
repeat each message followed by the three supporting facts or messages
… you can add message of empathy to start, end with call to action.

28. Message Map Example

29. Feel … No Mr. Roboto
Compassion, Competence, Optimism

30. Virginia Tech … example of a good delivery
• CCO template
• Compassion
• Competence/Conviction
• Optimism

31. Delivery
• “We will recover ...”
• “Continue to invent the future at Virginia
Tech, through our tears and blood.”
• Words matter and how you express them

32. A textbook case
May August January
2008 2008 2009
Good opinion 74% 57% 88%
Bad opinion 7 34 7

33. Exercise scenario
The city received a note indicating that terrorists have contaminated the water.
The threat does not specify the risk agent, time, or exact location. Law
enforcement considers the threat as “credible and possible.” No actual attack
confirmed at this point …
Task: prepare message map for the following audiences and concerns:
• Audience 1: the public at large … focus on security of water system
And address these questions: are you shutting down the water supply? Is the
water safe to drink? Is there an actual threat?
• Audience 2: stakeholders (other municipalities that depend on your water)
focus on supply and safety issues … how will you provide water for our
residents? Is your water supply safe? Do you have a contingency plan?
• Audience 3: people with medical conditions … worried … focus on prevention
methods … Do I need to boil the water? Do you have bottled water?
• Audience 4: municipal employees … focus on their safety … Are we safe at
other treatment plants? Other municipal facilities? Are there other threats?

34. Anticipate
Prepare
Practice
Questions ???
In Summary

35. BarryRadford & Associates:
https://sites.google.com/site/barryradfordassociates/home
PTSC-Online.ca