List of Full Forms:

Term Abbreviations
BCMS Business Continuity Management System
CMP Crisis Management Plan
BCSC Business Continuity Steering Committee
SPOC Single Point of Contact
BCCT Business Continuity Core Team
SPOC Single Point of Contact
CMT Crisis Management Team
EMT Emergency Management Team

Responsibilities of Corporate Communications Head

1. Corporate Communications Head will be part of BCSC/ CMT.

2. Drafting content for communication & communicating with Apex Committee, CTIL BCM
Specialist & the Head of BCSC.
3. In order to manage crisis communication, Corporate Communications Head in consultation
with other CMT/ BCSC members will develop the Crisis Communication strategy (identifying
the relevant stakeholders, channels and developing communication content) for the specific
crisis scenario.

Corporate Communication Head will be the Key Spokesperson. Incase Corporate Communication
Head is not available, alternate responder designated by Corporate Communication Head shall
be given the duties of key spokesperson.

Crisis communication
One of the most important requirements for effective communication while managing a
crisis is gathering the facts and understanding the implications of an incident/ disaster and
then providing relevant, accurate and consistent information to all the concerned external
stakeholders. Communication from CTIL must be honest and forthright.

Following are the key activities that needs to be done at CTIL as part of Crisis Communication
plan, but may not be limited to:

 Identify the key stakeholder to whom information needs to be communicated

 Develop key messages
 Drafting a holding statement, if required
 Handle all media (including Social Media) enquiries
 Organize media events / hold press conferences, if required
  Communicate with other relevant stakeholders such as local official’s, general
public, neighbours, customers, regulators, suppliers, vendors and contractors,
agencies etc.

All official records should avoid humour, irony, exaggeration, sensational wording or ambiguity
as well as refrain from any unsubstantiated speculation, premature conclusions and personal
individual judgements about possible risks and impacts. It is also important to remember that
any on-line communication such as e-mails may also be regarded as relevant document that can
be used as evidence. All such crisis related communication, electronic or otherwise, should be
maintained.

Critical factors in crisis communication

For any crisis management, the following factors need to be considered in order to ensure that crisis
communication is handled successfully. If these are not followed, the crisis communication may
become in-effective. Hence, these factors are critical to determine the success of crisis
communication process. One of the most critical factors in the Crisis Communication process is to
maintain the confidentiality of the information especially in sensitive cases while communicating
with the external and internal audience. All information related to a crisis shall be treated with the
appropriate degree of confidentiality. All related email and verbal correspondence must be
contained and limited to those individuals who are part of the crisis resolution and those who are
directly impacted personally or by way of their responsibilities.

Determining process effectiveness

The following factors helps in ensuring that the communication process during a crisis is efficient and
effective.

 Timely communication to Corporate Communication Head and his/her team by CTIL BCM
Specialist and CMT may allow them to draft appropriate responses
 Defined roles and responsibilities for drafting, approving and communicating to the relevant
stakeholders
 Pre-defined templates for media communication considering specific scenarios
 Ensure confidentiality of crisis related information and decisions taken
 Corporate Communications Head should anticipate and identify stakeholders for different
scenarios. However, the nature of crisis and the circumstances may differ, and the situation
may warrant communication to other stakeholders as well
 While the exact communication content development must await the outbreak of an actual
crisis, “holding statements,” and message templates can be designed in advance for use
during a crisis (Refer Section 7)
 All public statements and media interactions should be done only by official designated
spokesperson to ensure a consistent communication
 Transparent, periodic, factual, calibrated and timely response helps in managing the crisis
successfully and mitigate brand and reputational risk to a large extent
 Briefing of the BCSC/ Apex Committee needs to be performed periodically by the Corporate
Communication Head to ensure that they are fully aware of the situation
 Social Media needs to be continuously monitored by Corporate Communication Team and
regular updates need to be posted on social media platforms, as required, to minimize any
related impact
 Corporate Communication Team must continue to develop the crisis-specific messages
required for any given situation based on their experience
  Analysis to identify existing best practices, learnings, areas of improvement and action plan
with respect to crisis communication needs to be conducted by the Corporate Communications
Head

Maintaining confidentiality in sensitive crisis situations

During a crisis, confidentiality of certain sensitive situations needs to be maintained. This includes
the incident/ disaster, possible causes and actions recommended or implemented. For any situation
that deals with sensitive information that may result in a crisis, the following guidelines need to be
followed
 All communication should be marked with word ‘Confidential’ in the subject line of all
confidential communication
 While categorizing/marking the communication to be confidential, consideration should be
given to inputs from legal counsel to understand if the communication would require to be
marked as legal and privileged
 The names and details of employees, customers/ consumers should not be disclosed unless
required by law enforcement agencies
 The basic principle of sharing information on need to know basis needs to be followed to
restrict unnecessary circulation
 Details should only be circulated amongst the CMT team and the relevant Department Heads
 Personal Data should not be shared with any of the external agencies except for law
enforcement and regulatory authorities, unless required
 Securely dispose the sensitive documents by shredding them
 While leaving a conference room, erase the board and remove used paperboard sheets
 Avoid leaving sensitive/ confidential documents unattended on desks or in unlocked drawers
 Avoid discussing sensitive crisis or related projects in public places
 Avoid sharing information over calls to anonymous callers and ascertain the identity of the
caller

Additionally, in case of crisis involving sensitive information, a separate NDA should also be signed
in order to ensure that the people aware of the information and handling the crisis are aware of
their responsibilities in maintaining confidentiality of matter involved in crisis and are held liable in
case of any information leakage.

Managing sensitive calls

During a crisis, one of the most important activities is to handle the sensitive calls which might
come in from stakeholders like journalists, consumers, special interest groups, authorities etc. It is
important to handle such sensitive calls with care to ensure that the crisis does not escalate and
the human grievances in crisis can be minimized by providing quick fix solutions wherever
possible. The BCM Specialist in consultation with relevant Department Heads will consolidate the
list of personnel (Receptionist, PAs, Security Guards etc) and department head (as per the
directions of Corporate Communication Team) brief them on following guidelines to manage such
sensitive calls:
1. Listening Actively: helps in understanding the problem of the stakeholder and providing a
possible resolution at the earliest. In cases where the resolution may not be possible, active
 listening can help in taking the exact problem statement of the stakeholder to the
management
2. Seeking Clarifications is useful as it avoids the risk of getting the wrong information. However,
asking too many clarification questions can also be counterproductive. Hence, the clarification
questions need to be brief and precise
3. Exercising Patience is important as there are possibilities of missing out on important
information which can lead to further chaos. Hence patience needs to be observed while
responding to sensitive calls
4. Showing Respect: to the views of the other stakeholder is important and their requests and
opinions need to be taken constructively to ensure quick resolution in line with their
expectations
5. Suggesting Alternate Solutions: providing a solution may be beyond control, however adopting
alternate solutions like routing the call to the right person such as a relevant Department Head,
providing a time for resolution etc. can help in managing such sensitive calls.

Initial steps for communication to media

Define Communication Objectives: Clearly define the objectives we want to achieve through media
communication. This could include increasing brand awareness, promoting new products or
initiatives, addressing a crisis, or enhancing public perception, or clearing any doubt that has direct
impact on organizations reputation etc.

Decide on the most suitable mode of communication: There are different ways to communicate in a
crisis, internally or externally. Employees and management can be briefed in person, sent emails or
newsletters. The media can receive press releases and explanatory letters or attend one-on-one
briefings and press conferences. Each of these options have a different type of impact and must be
evaluated before adopting any means.
The media channel to be adopted for communication, needs to be evaluated based on following
guidelines:

 Who are the target audience?

 Which is the most appropriate mode of communication for such audience?
 How many people needs to be communicated?
 How quickly the communication needs to be done?
 Are the primary communication modes impacted due to crisis?
 Are there any complementary modes that can be used?

Select Media Channels: Determine the most appropriate media channels to reach your target
audience. This could include traditional channels such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and
television, as well as digital channels like websites, social media platforms, and online publications.

A holding statement is an initial brief account of what CTIL knows and what actions it is taking in the
face of the crisis at hand. The following approach to writing the release could be taken:
  Write ‘Holding Statement – for immediate release’ at the top of the page in bold print
 Compose a suitable title
 Place the synopsis of event and the problem and what is being done into the first paragraph
and the use the proceeding paragraphs to flesh out the details
 Include quotes from the company that the journalist can use in the article
 Finish the release with ‘ENDS’ to signify conclusion
 Keep holding statement to a single page if possible

Identify the stakeholders to be communicated : However, based on the situations there may be
additional stakeholders who needs to be communicated. These additional stakeholders should be
identified and included in required communication. It is the responsibility of BCSC along with
divisional BCM Specialist to identify the stakeholders and make them aware about the situation with
the help of Corporate Communications Team

Functions involved in managing communication

S.no Functions Role Interaction with Responsibility

Corporate
Approving content for
1 CMT CMT Leader Communications
communication
Head

Corporate Corporate
Media/External Drafting content for communication
2 Communication Communications
Stakeholder and addressing media queries
s Head

Providing information from internal

& external stakeholders (in case of
Internal &
brand related communication,
3 Marketing Marketing Head External
Customers etc.) to Corporate
Stakeholder
Communications Team for
managing media queries
Providing information from internal
Internal & & external stakeholders (third party
4 HR HR Head External agencies, Labor, Employees, NGOs)
Stakeholder to Corporate Communications
Team for managing media queries
Providing information from internal
& external stakeholders (Legal and
Internal &
Legal & Legal & Secretarial law enforcement agencies,
5 External
Secretarial Head Regulators (regulatory reporting,
Stakeholder
etc) to Corporate Communications
Team for managing media queries

Depending on the nature of crisis, Corporate Communication Head with his/ her team will prepare
initial communication material required to respond to media calls relating to the crisis and for
supporting Q&As. It must be ensured that all communication/ information to internal/ external
stakeholders is channelled through, and approved by the CMT including the Corporate
Communications Head. It is important to ensure consistency of messages and avoid leaking of
information.

CTIL and its divisions has appointed Corporate Communications Head as the official spokesperson.
All brand related responses to media, press briefings etc. needs to be conducted by the Marketing
Head. Corporate Communication Head needs to ensure that any other spokesperson (if required) is
briefed before any media interaction with all the required inputs from the CMT. For other crisis
communications related to CTIL and its divisions as an organization, Corporate Communications will
be responsible for drafting the messages, interacting with Media (handling media queries, press
briefings etc.)

Media/ Press Conference Guidelines

 Don't call unnecessary press conferences. If it's not worth their time, the media will only be
angered;
 If holding a press conference, try to tell media in advance some details of what you will be
announcing;
 Gauge the size of your crowd carefully when reserving a room; better to have too much than
too little space. Make sure microphones, chairs, lighting and water are in place at least 30
minutes prior to the event;
 Decide format in advance -- who will introduce speakers, who decides when
question/answer period ends, and other details;
 Decide in advance whether hand outs are needed. If speaker is giving a talk for which there
is a text, you may want to wait and hand out material after the talk so media will stay and
listen. However, it's advisable to tell the media you will provide a text of the speech so they
are not irritated by having to take unnecessary notes;
 Check to see what else is happening in your organization or in the community before
scheduling a press conference;
 Consider whether you need to let other organizations and agencies know you are having a
press conference. (You may wish to invite others to attend or participate in your event.);
 Decide who will maintain control at the press conference, who will decide where cameras
are set up, who sits where;
 Try to plan the length of the press conference, but be flexible;
 Consider the time of the press conference. If you want to make the noon, 6 p.m. or 11 p.m.
TV and radio, you need to allow time for crews to travel and edit tape; and
 If you are going to set restrictions on an event such as limited photo access, try to put the
restrictions in writing and communicate to the media at least hours deleted in advance.
[Refer Annexure: Handling Media Interviews (Do’s and Don’ts)]

Social Media

Social media precedes traditional multimedia journalism as it reaches a larger audience at a

greater rate. Tweets and Facebook updates go live within seconds of an incident, sometimes with
minimal background information to support the content. Handling social media during a crisis
requires a thoughtful and strategic approach to ensure effective communication and manage
potential risks. Social media can be managed by Corporate communication Head and his/ her
team or a separate team can be created as per the direction.
 Here are some key Points to manage social media :

 Monitor social media channels: Use social media monitoring tools to actively track
conversations, mentions, and trending topics related to your organization or the crisis at
hand. This will help you stay informed, identify emerging issues, and respond promptly.
 Act swiftly and transparently: In a crisis, timing is critical. Respond quickly to address
concerns, correct misinformation, and provide updates. Transparency is key to maintaining
trust, so be honest, open, and empathetic in your communications.
 Establish a centralized communication hub: Designate a specific social media account or
platform as the central source of crisis-related information. Direct your audience to this hub
for updates, FAQs, and official statements. Consolidating information in one place helps
prevent confusion and misinformation.
 Maintain consistent messaging: Ensure that your messaging is consistent across all
communication channels, including social media. Coordinate with Corporate Communication
Head to ensure that everyone is aligned and conveying the same information accurately.
 Tailor content for each platform: Adapt your messages to fit the format and tone of each
social media platform. Remember that different platforms have different audiences, so tailor
your content accordingly. Use visuals, infographics, and videos to convey information
effectively.
 Engage proactively: Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments,
questions, and concerns. Acknowledge their feedback and address issues promptly. Avoid
being defensive or confrontational and focus on providing helpful and accurate information.
 Leverage influencers and advocates: Identify influencers or brand advocates who can help
amplify your message during a crisis. Collaborate with them to share accurate information,
debunk rumors, and extend the reach of your communication efforts.
 Stay updated on regulations and guidelines: Familiarize yourself with relevant regulations
and guidelines concerning crisis communications on social media. Different industries or
regions may have specific rules, so ensure compliance while adapting your strategy.
 Learn from the experience: After the crisis has subsided, conduct a thorough review of your
social media crisis response. Identify strengths and weaknesses, gather feedback, and
incorporate lessons learned into your crisis communication plan for future reference.

[Refer Annexure: Social Media Guidance]

Remember, each crisis is unique, so it's essential to tailor your social media strategy to the specific
circumstances. Being prepared, proactive, and responsive will help you effectively navigate social
media during challenging times.

Annexure
Do’s and Don’ts
Handling Media Interviews
How to prepare for Broadcast Interviews
 Prepare "talking paper" on primary points you want to make.
 Anticipate questions--prepare responses.
 Practice answering questions.
 Cover controversial areas ahead of time.
 Know who will be interviewing you, if possible.
 Determine how much time is available.
 Audiences often remember impressions, not facts.
Do's and Don’ts during the Interview process
 Do build bridges.
 Do use specifics.
 Do use analogies.
 Do use contrasts, comparisons.
 Do be enthusiastic /animated.
 Do be your casual likable self.
 Do be a listener.
 Do be cool.
 Do be correct.
 If you don't have the answer or can't answer, do admit it, and say that you will get back to
them with the answer and move on to another topic.
 Don't fall for that "A or B" dilemma.
 Don’t accept "what if" questions, politely request them to be more specific.
 Don’t go off the record.
 Don’t think you have to answer every question.
 Don’t speak for someone else.
How to Handle Yourself during a TV Interview
 Talk "over” lavaliere mike (hands free mike).
 Audio check - use regular voice.
 If makeup is offered, use it.
 Sit far back in the chair, back erect...but lean forward to appear enthusiastic and force
yourself to use hands.
 Remember... TV will frame your face - be calm, use high hand gestures, if possible.
 Keep eyes on interviewer - not on camera.
 Smile, be friendly.
Tips on Appearance
 Avoid wearing flashy dress.
 Traditional Dress/ Black/ Blue/ Grey suits are the best.
 Avoid having hair cut right before interview.
How to Respond During a Newspaper Interview
 Obtain advanced knowledge of interview topics.
 Make sure you are prepared in detail; print reporters are often more knowledgeable than
broadcast reporters and may ask more detailed questions.
 Begin the interview by making your point in statement by making your major points in
statement form.
 Try to maintain control of the interview.
 Don’t let reporter wear you down.
 Set a time limit in advance.
 Don’t let so relaxed that you say something you wish you hadn't.
 Avoid jargon or professional expressions.
 Reporter may repeat self in different ways to gain information you may not want to give.
 Don’t answer inappropriate questions; simply say it is "not an appropriate topic for you to
address at this time," or "it's proprietary" for example.
 Be prepared for interruptions with questions...it is legitimate for reporters to do that.
 Do not speak "off the record."
 Remember, the interview lasts as long as a reporter is there.
After The Interview
 You can ask to check technical points, but do not ask to see advance copy of the story.
  Never try to go over reporter's head to stop a story.
 Do not send gifts to reporters - it is considered unethical for them to accept them.

Social Media Guidance

Key Questions to Ask:
 Who all are aware of the alert/event now?
 How widespread is it in social media?
 What are the expectations of the audience?
 Do we have the solutions to calm the situation?
 Does this have the potential for a larger impact?

Points to Consider:

 be informed: monitor and evaluate the sentiments & traffic

 listen and aim to understand
 evaluate who is commenting and their influence on social media
 understand Social Media tools/channels and their reach
 focus on solutions
 be accurate while sharing information
 communicate the actions to remediate the situation
 create messages that will resonate with the audience
 communication approach and style
 engage politely and professionally
 be transparent
 be calm and rational
 prefer online conversations, to the extent possible
 get the social media response validated from Corporate Communications Head and
Marketing Head (if necessary).

References Standards / Code of Practice

 ISO 22301:2019: Business Continuity Management Systems