Plan. Practice. Implement.
My daughter was in a movie theatre when the storms hit. The skies were cloudy and spitting rain when she went inside and sunny when she came outside.
She did not realize that less than 20 miles away entire neighborhoods were destroyed by the spring tornadoes experts are saying were the worst in 20 years.
One story that has come to light following the storms is the "communication plan" that worked. Lowe's employees took immediate steps to bring over 100 people to safety during a tornado that hit the store in Sanford, North Carolina. The news reports showcase employees who were trained, calm and did everything right during a real emergency.
It's time to look at your own plan. More importantly - it's time to practice it. Emergency plans should be created and practiced consistently.
Does your family at work or home know the places they need to go if an emergency occurs? Do they know the phone numbers to call? Do they know the smart step by step action plan to take?
While serving as Interim Executive Communication Director at Grand Rapids Community College we had a tornado warning issued. The plan was in place but key employees were new and had never practiced the drill. The practice is the key. When you practice your plan you see key components you may have missed. You also see how quickly technology has changed and the need to be up to date on technology to harness and mobilize people in a proactive, safe way. GRCC's story was that no tornado touched down and we learned key steps in the plan to fix and communicate to staff, students and our communities.
Lowe's communication safety example is one to follow. You can read about the success of a plan that had been planned, practiced and implemented here:
Read about how to set up your safety plan for home or work.
Communication plans are very effective when you focus on:
Planning, Practicing, Implementation. Let's all learn from what helped save over 100 lives in North Carolina. Let's practice the plan today! If you don't have a plan - create one, practice it.
Congratulations to Lowe's for the work their company put into place to help us all plan ahead for safety!
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