Communicating effectively in a time of crisis can be a life and death issue. Tylenol and Perrier knew how to do it when their products posed a threat. Hydro-Quebec knew how to do it during the tragic ice storm of 1998. And now with North America under attack by terrorists, President Bush has become a master at it.

Understanding the human response to crisis and then knowing how to handle that response is a key feature.
No matter the size of the crisis, people have a similar initial reaction, that of fear. Fear of the known. Fear of the unknown. Sometimes the crisis is life threatening. Since people want to be protected from danger, crisis will always trigger a flight or fight response that manifests itself physically and/or emotionally.

Feelings of grief, loss, pain and confusion are abundant. Thinking becomes fuzzy and decisions are difficult to make. Stress responses often preclude illness. No matter the size of the crisis — personal or global — survival is the focus.

To overcome the fear inherent in a crisis and replace it with clarity of thinking and clear, honest communication there are a few steps all of us can take:

1. Breathe. It's a requirement of life. Why stop now? When we feel fear, we hold our breath. This contributes to a foggy mind and limits the oxygen to our brain and internal organs. So keep breathing!
2. Size up the situation. Gather information. Separate the facts from the emotions.
3. Generate as many ideas as possible to unearth the cause rather than the symptoms of the crisis at hand. Work co-operatively with others towards a solution.
4. Be ready for change. All crises demand some form of change. Observe how you as an individual resist and adapt to changes. Develop the two most important qualities necessary for adapting — hope and resourcefulness.
5. Take time to appreciate the positives in your life. It's natural and often necessary to recognize the negatives in a disaster. Yet crisis creates a time of transition, a time to shift focus from the negative to the positive and to create opportunities for constructive change.
6. Evaluate resources and take action. Make use of the personal qualities that give you strength. What resources outside of your self can be utilized? Your friends, relatives, colleagues, even the media can be of assistance to you in a time of crisis.
7. Share all that you know. Knowledge is power. Information minimizes fear but too much information at once can cause confusion, more fear and panic. Disseminate information in digestible bites and gauge how much you can handle at any one time. Be honest and let is show with body language.

Surviving and thriving in a crisis means joining hands for support and sharing information clearly, effectively and with respect for the human condition. Remember, you're never alone in a crisis — it just feels that way. We all understand what it means to be immobilized by fear and anxiety. Likewise, we know how comforting it is to communicate with someone who shares and understands the experience.

Lorraine Weygman is an accomplished author, motivational speaker and Human Resources consultant. A recent addition to the Sources media directory, she can be reached at (416) 630-6423.

See also:
A Crisis by Any Other Name
Crisis Communications
Crisis Communications Checklist
In Times of Crisis