CONTENTS -- Introduction -- Things you need to know… -- 1 STARTING AT THE BEGINNING - CRISIS AVOIDANCE -- Internal controls -- Board responsibilities -- Internal and external risks -- The domino effect -- When avoidance is not an option -- Contingency plans -- Changing risks -- Basic controls -- Things you need to know… -- 2 DEFINING CRISIS MANAGEMENT STRATEGY -- What is a crisis? -- Cost -- Duration -- Extent -- Reputational impact -- Crisis trigger points -- Infrastructure -- Mission -- State of readiness -- The crisis management framework -- Things you need to know… -- 3 COMMAND AND CONTROL -- Crisis management team -- Team make-up -- Deputies -- Reserves -- Leadership -- Invocation procedures -- How the crisis manifests itself -- When the crisis occurs -- The mechanism for passing crisis information -- Code-words -- How a crisis is declared -- Activating the crisis management team -- The crisis centre -- Crisis support staff -- Managing the crisis -- Documentation -- The crisis log -- Command and control summary -- Things you need to know… -- 4 COMMUNICATIONS -- Crisis notification -- Staff awareness -- Assessing crisis notification calls -- Activating the crisis management team -- Contacting the team leader -- Fallback arrangements -- Contacting the rest of the crisis management team and support staff -- Managing the crisis -- The public relations team -- The human resources team -- Communications cascades -- Communications summary -- Things you need to know… -- 5 ORGANISING THE MEDIA INTERFACE -- Media attention -- Reputational damage -- Sources of information -- The front man -- Media training -- The media fixer -- The right messages -- The official line -- Command and control -- Media interface summary -- Things you need to know… -- 6 ACTION TEAMS/PLANS -- Action teams -- Terms of reference -- Normal action plan invocation sequence.

Phase 1 -- Phase 2 -- Phase 3 -- Non-essential functions -- Reserve skills register -- Action plans -- Getting the structure right -- Action plan pro-forma -- Considering draft action plans -- Retention of action plans -- Review of action plans -- Summary of action teams/plans -- Things you need to know… -- 7 MAINTAINING THE CRISIS MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE -- The crisis management manual -- Extracts from the manual -- Problem areas -- Team leaders, deputies and team members -- The right team members -- External contact lists -- Communications cascades -- Action plans -- The crisis centre -- Information, training and testing -- Summary of maintaining the crisis management infrastructure -- Things you need to know… -- 8 TESTING THE STATE OF READINESS -- The benefits of testing -- The test plan -- Independent review of the plan -- The test plan period -- Types of test -- Compliance testing -- Desktop testing -- Organising a desktop test -- Full testing -- Acid testing -- Organising an acid test -- Acid testing the crisis management team -- Composite testing -- Summary of state of readiness -- Things you need to know… -- APPENDICES -- 1 CRISIS MANAGEMENT TEAM CHECKLIST -- 2 THE CRISIS LOG -- 3 DEPARTMENTAL ACTION PLAN -- 4 THE CONTACT REGISTER -- 5 RECENT CORPORATE CRISES.