Planning a Crisis Exercise

So you have been asked to plan a crisis exercise for your organization. . . .

Before you panic, here are some tips to help.

Ask leaders “what keeps you up at night”, to select something that is on their radar.
Find out what some of their “Lessons to be Learned” from past events were and incorporate testing to see if they have been remediated.
Understand the functional roles of the attendees, and create the storyline so that it engages a variety of functions.
Identify and leverage “trusted agents” to help with the detail.
Pictures, video, “fake news”, and actual names help to improve “realism”.

Select a comfortable and flexible space. The team will likely want to organize into sub teams, so have 1-2 extra rooms where they can convene.
Have 1-2 projectors available so teams can leverage them during the exercise.
Test the audio and video the day before.
Flip charts, white boards, markers.
Feed and water the participants!

Reserve their calendars as far in advance as possible.
Send a preread to make sure they know the objectives. Include the corporate crisis management policy.
Identify and prepare a leader to kick off the exercise. (Draft talking points for them to help drive your message.)

Check audio and video.
Greet the participants as they arrive.
Review the objectives, logistics, agenda.
Run the exercise, observing and documenting gaps, leadership, adherence to process.
End with roundtable of observations and next steps.
Identify how you will improve the next exercise you lead.

Create an After Action Report (AAR) summarizing the event including the objectives, scenario, and observations.
Review the AAR with leadership to ensure thorough understanding and agreement to the observations.
Develop a remediation plan for identified gaps.