Page 83 - Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilience

52 Creating Spiritual and Psychological Resilence

• Be the first to share bad or good news.
• Balance bad news with three or more positive, constructive, or solution-
oriented messages.
• Avoid mixed or inconsistent verbal and nonverbal messages.
• Be visible or readily available.
• Demonstrate media skills (verbal and nonverbal), including avoidance
of major traps and pitfalls; for example, speculating about extreme
worst-case scenarios, saying “there are no guarantees,” repeating allega-
tions or accusations, or saying “no comment.”
• Develop and offer three concise key messages in response to each major
concern.
• Continually look for opportunities to repeat the prepared key messages.
• Use clear, nontechnical language free of jargon and acronyms.
• Make extensive but appropriate use of visual material, personal and
human interest stories, quotes, analogies, and anecdotes.
• Find out who else is being interviewed and make appropriate
adjustments.
• Monitor what is being said on the Internet as much as other media.
• Take the first day of an emergency very seriously; drop other obligations.
• Avoid guessing, check and double-check the accuracy of facts.
• Ensure that facts offered have gone through a clearance process.
• Plan risk and crisis communications programs well in advance using
the APP model (anticipate/prepare/practice); conduct scenario plan-
ning, identify important stakeholders, anticipate questions and con-
cerns, train spokespersons, prepare messages, test messages, anticipate
follow-up questions, and rehearse responses.
• Provide information on a continuous and frequent basis.
• Ensure partners (internal and external) speak with one voice.
• Have a contingency plan for when partners (internal and external)
disagree.
• When possible, use research to help determine responses to messages.
• Plan public meetings carefully; unless they are carefully controlled and
skillfully implemented, they can backfire and result in increased public
outrage and frustration.
• Encourage the use of face-to-face communication methods, including
expert availability sessions, workshops, and poster-based information
exchanges.
• Be able to cite other credible sources of information.
• Admit when mistakes have been made; be accountable and responsible.
• Avoid attacking the credibility of those with higher perceived credibility.
• Acknowledge uncertainty.
• Seek, engage, and make extensive use of support from credible third
parties.