Facing budget cutbacks and staff reductions, savvy preparedness promoters are seeing the true wisdom of embracing long-term sustainable preparedness results, rather than short-term attainable preparedness projects.  For example, it seems like a good idea to have hundreds of people attend a big public preparedness event (they’re short-term, attainable), but it’s exponentially more helpful to empower fewer people to take on specific efforts targeting particular communities of interest. It’s more feasible to focus on a handful of motivated partners than hundreds of fleetingly-curious members of the public.

Review your current preparedness offerings through the attainable vs. sustainable lens.  Voluntarily cut or revamp any preparedness efforts that take up your time and resources without providing proper returns on your preparedness investments.  Choose sustainable over attainable: You’ll make your preparedness programs more resilient and less vulnerable to funding cuts!

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April 12th, 2010 | Tags: attainable, communities, focus, partners, Preparedness, sustainable | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Leave a comment

Preparedness campaigns are often declared a success simply because several people reacted and took some (not necessarily sustainable) action. We fail to see the millions who experienced the same message but took no action, or were even put off by the message. They aren’t counted because they are silent; they are the “Silent Evidence” that a particular approach is ineffective or even harmful. The results: wasted resources, unsustainable preparedness, distrust, and the false belief that more of the same is needed to get more people “prepared.”

Be sure your community is actually being prepared by your efforts, especially those who cannot or would not speak up on their own behalf. Review your outreach materials and strategies. Ask the brave, hard questions about whether your efforts are achieving sustainable preparedness for a significant portion of your target audience.

Tip: The book “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, has an entire chapter on “Silent Evidence.”

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April 5th, 2010 | Tags: black swan, message, Preparedness, silent evidence, success, sustainable | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Leave a comment

Another great step on your path to becoming masterful at communicating before, during and after disasters is to flex your communication channels. Create a list of your existing options, so you know HOW to get your message out.  Some ideas — telephone, fax, e-mail, cell phone, voice mail, text message, Skype, website, blog, social media, and other online platforms. Remember to flex low-tech options including posting signage, using runners, and distributing handouts. Tip: equip your team with a sustainable no-tech option such as whistles on their keychains.
Create a list of ALL of your available options, with their log-in codes, instructions, or other needed information. Make sure your team knows how to prioritize, and can quickly choose the most appropriate method. Knowing that you can reach your key audiences should decrease anxiety and increase confidence for your team.

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February 8th, 2010 | Tags: communication, e-mail, Information, internet, low-tech, no tech, online, Phone, social media, sustainable, Technology, web | Category: 2010, STAT, STAT 5MM | Comments (1)