Conquering Tough Challengesfor More Effective Emergency Notification

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.Director, Nicholson School of Communication

• Leader in incident notification systems

• Fast-growing global company withmore than 1,000 clients in morethan 100 countries

• Serve the Global 2000, healthcaresystems, state and local government,federal government, military, financialservices firms, and universities

• 100% focused on incident notificationsolutions that merge technologyand expertise

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About Everbridge

Part 1: Presentation

• Emergency notification pitfalls

• Audience characteristics in disasters

• How to respond during each phase of a crisis

• Anatomy of an emergency notification message

• Best practices for emergency messaging

Part 2: Q&A

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Agenda

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Note:slides are currentlyavailable to everyone onblog.everbridge.com

Q&A

Bracing for the 2010Hurricane Season

Conquering ToughChallenges for EffectiveEmergency Notification

Dr. Robert ChandlerUniversity of Central Florida

The crux of the notification challenge

Contacting the right people at theright time with the right messageis the basic challenge for effectiveemergency notification.

Dr. Robert C. Chandler

Emergency Communication

(2010) p.153

Expectations for notification

In addition to new legal and regulatory mandates, thereis an emerging expectation of the right to be informedand notified of critical incidents.

Regulations and mandates for notification

• WARN Act

• PL 110-53 (Title IX)

• NECP

• CAP

• ISO/PAS 22399

• NTIA Dept. of CommerceGuidelines

• Alarm/Signal Code

Accountability for notification

Demonstrating that you have emergency notificationcapabilities is not an “optional” activity.

Lessons learned

Effective notification may be a life-and-death matter inemergency situations.

New tools for notification

• New communication technologies

• High-mobility communication modalities

• More connections and “channels”

• Multi-channel and high redundancy media

• Simple and effective dissemination vehicles

Challenges for effective notification

Informationquality

Procedures, protocols,and processes

Messages

Communication

Psychologicaldimensions(High stress andcognitive anxiety)

Perception andinterpretation

(Misunderstandings)

Emergency notification pitfalls

Technical aspects(Systems and tools)

Mobile and geographicaldispersed audiences

Sequentialbreakdowns

Information timingand load

• High stress (distress)

• Cognitive dissonance

• Changes in perception /focus attention

• Risk perception

• Cognitive processingdysfunctions

Audience characteristics in emergencies

Major implications forincident notification planning

• Communication goals and objectives

• Audience analysis: Communication/information needs

• Six Stages of the Crisis: Communication for thecontexts of a crisis or disaster

• Organizing communication planning into each of the sixstages

• Identifying target audiences/messages/timingsequences

Every stage of the crisis dictates your audience’s informationrequirements and your response.

Six Stages of a Crisis

• Optimal redundancy:

Routine communication systems are usuallyinadequate for emergency communication needs.

• Procedures:

It is necessary to establish, implement, and maintainprocedures to swiftly and accurately disseminatealerts, information, and notification messages to thetarget audience.

• Dependable internal communication:

Ensure reliable internal communication between thevarious levels and functions within your organizationand with external partners.

Best practices for emergency messaging

• Emergency notification - messages:

Demonstrate and validate capability to quickly anddecisively warn those impacted by an emergency.

• Documentation:

Document what was known when, specific stepstaken, language and messages used, and themeans used to notify all audiences.

• Communication center:

Establish a central communication hub for emergencycommunication.

Best practices for emergency messaging

• Comprehensive communication plan:

Outline basic decisions about what will becommunicated, when, how, and to whom.

• Advance planning for emergency communication:

Create, test, and revise a communication strategyand game plan well in advance of an emergencysituation. Verify contact database. Prepare targetaudiences in advance.

• Know your audience(s):

It is important to validate and confirm messageeffectiveness and periodically test emergency notificationsystems to demonstrate reliability.

Best practices for emergency messaging

Four components of effective emergencynotification messages

Information Urgency

Instructions Confirmation

Message

Anatomy of an emergencynotification message

DA 4 - 3 & 30 - 60 & 6

Danger - Action Structure4 Key Components

3 & 3060 & 60

(Chandler Method)

More effective emergency notificationmessages

• Include all four message components

1. Inform

2. Express urgency

3. Provide specific behavioral instructions

4. Give the next step – confirmation/reply, etc.

• Front-load key information into the first 30 words/30 seconds

• Write messages at or below a 6th-grade reading level

• Write messages using readability ease rules

• Be sensitive to the needs of different demographic groupsincluding languages, co-cultural groups, needs agenda, etc.

Incident Notification

Marc LadinChief Marketing Officer, Everbridge

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Incident notification solutions addresscommon communication challenges

• Communicate quickly, easily, andefficiently with large numbers ofpeople in minutes, not hours, makingsure that the lines of communicationare open

• Use all contact paths to reachconstituents wherever they are

• Ensure two-way communicationsto get feedback from messagereceivers

• Reduce miscommunications andcontrol rumors with accurate,consistent messages

• Satisfy regulatory requirementswith extensive and completereporting of communication attemptsand two-way acknowledgementsfrom recipients

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Key evaluation criteria for anincident notification system

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• Experience and expertise

• Ease of use

• Ease of integration

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Missed anything?Slides are currentlyavailable onblog.everbridge.com

Q&A

Crisis communication resourcesby Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.

Additional authored or co-authored booksinclude:

• Surviving the Pandemic: A CommunicationManagement Guide for Business

• Crisis and Emergency CommunicationPlanning

• Media Relations

• Crisis Communication Planning

• Pandemics: Business Continuity PlanningPriorities for the Coming Outbreak

• Disaster Recovery and the News Media

• Managing Risks for Corporate Integrity: Howto Avoid an Ethical Misconduct Disaster

Available onAmazon.com(free shipping)

and other onlinebooksellers

Contact information

Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D.rcchandl@mail.ucf.edu

1.407.823.2681

Marc Ladinmarc.ladin@everbridge.com

1.818.230.9700

CommunicationresourcesWhite papers, literature, case studieswww.everbridge.com/resources

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