Surname 1

Name:

Professor:

Class:

Date:

Crisis Response

Crises are a normal part of many organizations. Organizations are constantly faced with

crises of varying degrees and extents. During such times, an effective communication process

will ensure swift and timely responses that can save the organization’s reputation by preventing

negative implications as a result of the escalation of a challenging situation into a full-blown

crisis. An efficient communication plan reflects the organization’s commitment and maintains

stakeholder and public trust. Nothing is more important in a nursing home than trust. Therefore,

as a nursing home specialist and the media contact when a resident who is in critical condition

wanders away, I will do the following:

a. Assess the crisis situation. Reacting to the crisis without sufficient situation might be

detrimental to the nursing home by creating a situation where the organization is the

victim. But adequate understanding of the situation allows for easy coordination of the

communication team as well as ensuring access to the right type of information so a

proper response can be determined. Therefore, the first step will be to assess the situation

and ensure that all relevant data pertaining to the crisis has been identified.

b. Internal and stakeholder notification. The senior managers, communication team

members, and any other interested parties will be immediately notified about the nature

and scope of the crisis and what measures are being taken to control the situation. Crisis

specific information will be developed and categorically disseminated to the stakeholders

 Surname 2

depending on the type of information that each stakeholder is entitled to so no one can

have unnecessary access to data. Furthermore, since this is a crisis that is of an urgent

nature, I will select competent personal to interface with outside parties and guide them

on how to handle incoming calls and media personnel arriving at the premises.

c. Media tracking. Since the crisis will likely attract media local and regional media

attention, strategies will be put in place on how to deal with the flooding inquiries and

media inquisitions. All inquiries and media visits will be logged in for record keeping and

planning, and logs will include caller names, phone numbers, media house or publication,

nature of inquiry, and time frames.

d. Finally, initial steps that will facilitate post-crisis analysis will be put in place. This will

include selecting individuals who will evaluate the crisis response and formulating a plan

for doing so. Crisis evaluation is important as it will enable the organization to know

what was done right and what was done wrong so improvements can be made in future.