Designating a Spokesperson

Two contact people must be designated，preferably before a crisis commences.The first individual manages the organization's crisis response and serves as the principal decisionmaker.There is no set policy on who this person should be，except that it should be consistent with the hierarchy and culture of the organization.The appointed person may vary according to the type of crisis encountered.A crisis in the production sector of the company may be headed up by a production/manufacturing member of the CMT.Likewise，a problem with information technology(IT)may be led by a crisis team member from that department in the company.One question that must be addressed is，when should the CEO be in charge?Again，that can vary，but generally，the more severe the crisis，the more likely the CEO should be in control and visible to public.

The second contact person is the spokesperson for the organization.Although this position and the CEO could be assumed by the same person，this is not always the ideal.The spokesperson should be a member of the senior staff who is articulate and can speak convincingly and with empathy.In many larger organizations，this person comes from public relations or a similar department.Once the manager in charge of the crisis establishes the command center，the spokesperson can begin meeting communication needs during the crisis.(https://www.daowen.com)

Centralized communication is necessary for developing a chain of command.Several personal characteristics should be considered when selecting a spokesperson.First，the spokesperson should have credibility with the audience，be articulate，understand the media，and know the details behind the technical aspects of the crisis at hand.Another essential trait in a spokesperson is the ability to remain calm under pressure.During a crisis，the organization may be criticized，often unfairly，by the media，by elected officials，or by customers.Such was the case Connective Power Delivery，a distributor of electric power in the mid-Atlantic region including areas of New Jersey，Maryland，and Delaware.In September 2003，Hurricane Isabel swept through the area and knocked out power to 400，000 customers.Although the company worked hard to restore power quickly，some criticism was received from external stakeholders，yet Connective Power Delivery president Tom Shaw took the“high road”and focused on restoring power instead of worrying about unwarranted criticism.The spokesperson should also be able to appear pleasant on camera，answer questions effectively，present crisis information clearly，and have the ability to answer difficult questions.The spokesperson should be able to communicate a sense of compassion and concern for the victims of a crisis.With this list of qualities，it is not surprising that many recommend media training for the spokesperson(s).

It is also important that the organization arrange backup spokespersons in case the designated one is not available.The organization must still speak with one voice，even if more than one spokesperson is designated.Such could be the case if the primary spokesperson is out of town when a crisis commences.Alternate spokespersons may also be needed if the crisis lingers on for several days.