Crisis Leadership and

Crisis Communication

Andrew Blum, Ph.D

ICONS Project
Center for International Development
and Conflict Management
University of Maryland
 Learning Objectives:

 Understand the nature of a crisis.

 Understand impact of a crisis on

individuals and how it effects
communication

 Learn tools for managing and

communicating information in a crisis.
 Crisis: A working definition
 Definition of “crisis” is subjective,
based on perception of:
• threat to one or more of an individual’s or
organization’s basic values or missions,

• finite time to make decisions and take

action, and

• lack of “standard operating procedures” or

inability to implement SOP to address the
situation
 Crisis Dynamics:
Results from ICB Project
 Elite process

 High levels of stress

 Reliance on cognitive shortcuts (analogies,

stereotypes…)

 Tendency to “forget the rules”

 Awareness of different audiences than normal,

public, media, etc.
The Impact of Crisis
on Individuals
 The Physiology of Stress
 Stress reactions are involuntary

 Perception of threat triggers both

neural and hormonal reactions
 Our Body’s Design
Our bodies are designed to help us survive.

Crisis: lion is near

Body’s reaction:
send blood to
muscle groups
and RUN!
 Awareness of Stages of Stress
 Alarm

 Adaptive/Resistance

 Exhaustion
 Intense or Prolonged Stress
Leads to:
• Difficulty thinking clearly
• Dwelling on meaningless activities
• Tunnel vision
• Expressing hostility or numbness
• Impulsiveness
• Feeling incompetent
• Reduced ability to retain information
 Mental Noise Theory
When under stress, our cognitive ability is
decreased significantly. Message retention falls
by 80% or more. We cope by:

 Reducing complexity

 Acting on current beliefs

 Seeking analogies

 Blocking new information

 Expertise versus Empathy
Low Stress:
Stress: Message recipients focus on competence and expertise.
expertise.

High Stress: Message recipients focus on

honesty and empathy
Keep Messages Simple
 No more than three messages
 No more than ten seconds each
 No more than 30 words

 And then keep repeating these three

messages. . .

Famous Example: STOP! DROP! ROLL!

 Example: Mayor Giuliani on 9/11
1) If you’re below Canal St. Stay calm and
walk north. . .

2) And the end result is going to be some

horrendous number of lives lost

3) Right now we just have to focus on

saving as many people as possible.
 Examples from USFS
"Please do not feed wildlife. Animals that get
food from people may become aggressive.
Our foods may harm an animal's digestive
system or even cause them death."

"NIICD will purchase only multimode digital

radios in the future. Analog radios will be
replaced during normal replacement
cycles. Contact Steve Jenkins for more
information.
 BE PREPARED!

 Virtually all concerns and questions

for any crisis can be predicted in
advance.

 Prepare your messages to respond to

these concerns in advance. Message
mapping is one useful tool.
 Five Keys to Effective
Communication in a Crisis
 Clarity

 Repetition

 Honesty

 Empathy

 Efficacy (Give them something to do)

Why clarity? Why repetition?

- Because people are stressed.

Why Empathy?

- Because people are afraid or angry.

Why honesty?

- Because there is a threat.

- Because you need to build trust.

Why efficacy?

- Because action is the antidote to

fear.