A Guide to Crisis Management and Communications[4]
The United States Agency for International Development(USAID)issued a guide to staff for managing communications in the event of an avian influenza crisis.Five steps are identified:
Step 1.Mobilize crisis communications team and support.Timeframe:Within the first few days following outbreak.Pull together pre-identified expertise(and individuals)that the communications officer(or the internal crisis communications team，if one is established)will need access to.To provide consistency and avoid media confusion about whom to contact，appoint one spokesperson.This person should be at a senior level and should not have to focus on other duties.Be sure to have a range of other experts to call upon to handle specific subjects.Inquiries from media or other agencies should be forwarded to the approved spokesperson.(https://www.daowen.com)
Step 2.Conduct a rapid assessment of the situation.Timeframe:Within 3-5 days following outbreak.This is essentially an analysis of the situation at hand.The team should first ask itself，“What do we know?”While gathering the information for the rapid assessment，staff should also begin discussing the components of the communication plan of action(See Step 4).
Step 3.Determine the mission's immediate response and make assignments.Timeframe:Within the first week following an outbreak.Based on the rapid assessment，the internal crisis team or decisionmakers can decide on emergency actions to pursue.For example，the veterinary health officer could visit non-governmental organizations or other health officials in the region(or in the government)to get a status report and offer support，clarifying the messages arising from the crisis.Part of this immediate response is the communication plan of action，which is outlined in Step 4.
Step 4.Develop a communication plan of action.Timeframe:Within a week following an outbreak.A communication plan of action has essentially three main desired outcomes:determining what types of information will be disseminated by the mission;determining who will deliver that information(e.g.，a spokesperson);and deciding how to follow up on these activities.Also important to note is that each type of media will be looking at the situation from a slightly different angle.It is important that the spokesperson understand the different requirements these media have and can anticipate and provide the appropriate information.
Step 5.Monitor developments and prepare for longer-term strategy development.Timeframe:Two weeks following outbreak，or after the initial phase of crisis/emergency response is completed.Once most of the immediate，emergency tasks have been completed，usually over the first week or two following an outbreak，it will be important to look back on what was accomplished and whether it was successful in meeting the communication goals.[5]