The Human Side of Crisis: Comms, Care & Coordination in Emergency Situations

Post Training Thoughts from RA

Mukarami Coffee has a drink called Dark Chocolate Nutella. It sells out all the time. Many competitors have tried to replicate it, but they won’t quite manage.

We use three types of chocolate and two types of milk (and no, sweetened condensed milk isn’t one of them). The taste profile came from a memory I had, sipping hot chocolate at Theobroma Chocolatier in Bangsar some 23 years ago. We spent three months perfecting it. From the moment it launched, it was a hit.

This is also how I approach problem-solving, building frameworks, or designing tools to help me in my work:
Past experience + experimentation + a clear understanding of what success looks like. You can’t make a great chocolate drink without knowing what a great chocolate drink tastes like.

In the crisis seminar, I spoke in depth about the Crisis Response Matrix, the 3C & 4R methods for crisis communication, and the pyramid of eight critical responsibilities. These are the tools I rely on when managing crises.

Of course, there are plenty of well-known models out there—RACI, Rumsfeld, Mitroff’s Five-Stage Crisis Management, to name a few. But the real question is:

• Can you apply them when someone jumps onto the rail tracks to commit suicide?
• Do they work in time-critical situations where perception must be managed immediately, and you don’t have the luxury of waiting for a full briefing?
• Will they buy you the time you need to steady public perception, while the emergency response teams tackle the operational and technical issues behind the scenes?

It’s not easy being a spokesperson.
It’s not easy managing a crisis.
It’s not easy remembering what to say—or not to say—when a crisis escalates.

That’s why focus matters. Recognising patterns in how crises unfold is key to knowing which tools to pull from your kit, and how to apply them in the moment.

I had a great time at the seminar. Thank you all participants for spending your Thursday with me at WORQ. My thanks to Profound Learning Solutions and the ever-positive Shaida for producing the seminar, Camilla Chee for helping me navigate WORQ Subang, my facilitators and camera crew, and of course the adik-adik who came to hear me talk for eight hours.

I hope the session was beneficial to you.

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