Launching a blog on crisis management … while the world watches Japan

What a day to be writing my first blog post on crisis communication with the huge and devastating earthquake, tsunami and threats of a nuclear meltdown occurring in Japan. A very timely reminder indeed of just how important it is to have a plan in place, even if it’s a basic plan that just has all your critical contact information.

Given that I am now based in earthquake territory in Northern California, it served as wake-up call for my personal crisis communication plan. After a very rigorous work-out at the gym, where I first learned about the earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan the morning after it happened, I came home to an equally serious conversation with my husband, Norm about what to do. Australia has few earthquakes and the symptoms are very unfamiliar to me. Luckily for me my husband is somewhat of a guru in the area of a risk management and disaster recovery, so we have a head start.

We have a plan in place and most importantly, alternative contact points for communication – outside the state. And I have learned that I need to crawl if the house is shaking. Sounds simple enough; now to practice.

The intent of this blog is to share insights, stories and research about crisis management, crisis and risk communication, and of course how to manage the media — both old and new alike — in a crisis. There will be guest posts and feedback as people read the book and students start sharing their learnings about crisis communication, the social media and general crisis preparedness in the digital age.

I have always been passionate about crisis communication and how predicable communication is in a crisis. We human beings love to report and share our stories. We may shrink, squeeze or stretch the truth, but we will share our experiences and the social media enables us to do just that and fast. The news media do the same, but hopefully in a more factual and balanced manner.

I hope that you enjoy the book and the posts. It is my fervent wish that you gain insights, ideas and effective tools that will assist you prepare, manage and recover fully from any crisis.

So a very warm welcome to my blog and the sometimes dizzying topic of crisis management in the digital age!

Enjoy!