How to cope up with the challenges in crisis situation

The actual meaning of a Crisis:-

A disruption or breakdown in a person’s or family’s normal or usual pattern of functioning.

A crisis cannot be resolved by a person’s customary problem-solving resources/skills. A crisis may be different from a problem or emergency

What is an example of a situational crisis

a). Loss or change of a job

b). The death of a loved one

c). An abortion

d). A change in financial status

e). Divorce

f).  Severe physical or mental illness 

What are the three types of catastrophes are:-

A catastrophic situation is defined as a stressful time in an individual’s life when they experience a breakdown or disruption in t
heir usual or normal daily activities or family

activities. 

There can be different types of disasters in one's life :-

Disasters can take many different forms, and the duration can range from an hourly disruption to days or weeks of ongoing destruction. Below is a list of the various types of disasters - both natural and man-made or technological in nature – that can impact a community.

Natural types of catastrophes:-

Hurricanes and tropical storms are among the most powerful natural disasters because of their size and destructive potential. Tornadoes are relatively brief but violent, potentially causing winds in excess of 200 mph. Both earthquakes and tornadoes strike suddenly without warning. Flooding is the most common of natural hazards, and requires an understanding of the natural systems of our environment, including floodplains and the frequency of flooding events. Wildfires are more prevalent in the event of a drought

  

Emotional Catastrophic situations :- 

 It is also a major form of disaster but the amazing whole world is silent about this. Emotional disaster is the sense that creates a sense of hatred, envy, anger so that one human being with the same composition hates other people based on caste, creed, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, etc. As for natural disaster, we have quite visible effects, the emotional disaster finds its expression in the form of war, genocide, rapes, etc

Man Made catastrophic situations:-

Man-made disasters can include hazardous material spills, fires, groundwater contamination, transportation accidents, structure failures, mining accidents, explosions and acts of terrorism. There are actions that we can take to prepare to react appropriately to these events. The key to acting appropriately to these man-made threats is to find out what you need to do and what you need to have in advance of a man-made emergency and to prepare to respond appropriately.

To understand how to prevent crisis:-

1. Anticipate and have a plan

Anticipate every possible crisis and ask “What if …?” for every possible incident and scenario that can be envisaged. Organize a crisis management and communication team, and then create a detailed plan to communicate and be in a position to control the message to the media and all stakeholders.

2. Respond immediately

When a crisis strikes, respond immediately. Have the spokesperson prepared and ready to go. Follow the steps outlined in the crisis communication plan and put the team into action. The first few hours are most important in establishing credibility and building public trust and believability. Do not stonewall. Be responsive to the media and inform the people who need to be kept informed, especially employees, shareholders, vendors and customers.

3. Do not overtalk

Just the opposite of stonewalling, do not overtalk or release information without having all of the facts. Never speculate on what may or may not be happening. Be sure to analyze each situation for its newsworthiness. Some information may not warrant media attention

You don’t have to answer every question. Just because a question is asked doesn’t mean you have to answer, but you should have some kind of response.

Be responsive to the media and inform the people who need to be kept informed, especially employees, shareholders, vendors and customers.

Eliminate “No comment” from your vocabulary. One way or the other, the media will get information, but it may be inaccurate and the sources unreliable. In a crisis, perception is stronger than reality and emotion stronger than fact. When those responsible do not communicate, the crisis still gets played out in the media and possibly even later in court.

The communication plan should do a “What if …?” for all potential situations, and in many cases a news release can already be prepared for media distribution

4. Always tell the truth

Never lie or deceive the media or public with misinformation. Sir Winston Churchill once said: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” It is all right to say “I don’t know” if you don’t have the facts. The media and public will respect you for that, and know that you are telling the truth. Never speculate. Colin Powell said it is best to get facts out as soon as possible, even when new facts contradict the old. “Untidy truth is better than smooth lies that unravel in the end anyway,” he wrote in his book

Moreover there are a number of factors which can be added to these four points to cope up with the challenges in crisis situations. 

But these four were the most important one, hence mentioned here.

Creating disastrous situation is a way of thinking called a ‘cognitive distortion.’ A person who creates disaster usually sees an unfavorable outcome to an event and then decides that if this outcome does happen, the results will be a disaster.

The conclusion comes out to be that natural crisis cannot be avoided, but emotional crisis and man made crisis, if not avoided can be taken care of.