How to exercise your crisis management team
Is your crisis management team (CMT) ready for the unexpected? Do you feel comfortable that they know exactly what to do in a disaster situation? Don’t fall into the trap that just because they are executives that they will be able to ‘figure it out.’ As we all know a disaster is not the time to think about what to do next. Now is the time to take steps to improve your organization’s readiness to respond to a disaster while boosting the credibility of your plans and organization.
A well-planned crisis management team table top exercise can significantly improve the readiness of your executive team. They will be better equipped to make informed decisions while the clock is ticking. There is no question this will also raise awareness on the strategic value of the business continuity management program and boost the credibility of your plans and your organization.
See How to exercise your crisis management team by Chris MacArthur, CBCP, MBCI, for Continuity Central.

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Book Offer!
Emergency Management Exercises:
From Response to Recovery
Everything you need to know to design a great exercise!
by Regina Phelps, RN BSN MPA CEM
Get your copy of this book today – and see below for a special offer!
Exercises are a mainstay in the field of emergency management and business continuity planning. Although many companies conduct exercises, and the organizers may be emergency response subject matter experts, they do not excel in the discipline of designing and conducting the actual exercise – which means they simply don’t get the best results out of their effort.
This thoughtful, new book starts with a “silly little question:” Why are we doing this? What seems like a simple query is actually one of the keys to get the most out of every exercise you design.
This text peels back the design process with the goal of creating the best exercise experience possible. Whether you are developing a simple tabletop exercises or working on a full-scale extravaganza that resembles a Hollywood movie, this book will provide you with gems of wisdom that will make your next exercise sizzle. An internationally recognized expert in exercise design, Regina Phelps shares many of her secrets to ensure your exercise success.

2011, 233 pages. $79.95.
To order (click through the title of this email to access our secure ordering system from your web browser):
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CONTENTS
- Why conduct emergency management exercises?
- The six types of exercises
- The design team: your secret weapon in exercise design
- Your roadmap – the exercise plan
- The real story: the development of the exercise narrative
- The drivers – exercise injects
- Where the magic is created – the design team
- Make your exercise sizzle – audio-visual tools
- Supporting documents to make it all work – additional background exercise documents
- Bringing it all together – the exercise team
- Finally – the big day arrives: managing the exercise day
- How to conduct an orientation exercise
- How to conduct a tabletop exercise
- Creating reality: how to conduct a functional exercise
- Preparing the after-action report and exercise follow-up
- Developing an annual or multi-year exercise and training calendar
- Exercise design resource list
- Glossary
Regina Phelps RN BSN MPA CEM is an internationally recognized expert in the field of emergency management and continuity planning. Since 1982, she has provided consultation and speaking services to clients on four continents. She is founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions, a consulting company specializing in emergency management, continuity planning and safety. Ms. Phelps has extensive exercise design experience. She designs between 100 and 150 exercises per year.
SPECIAL OFFER!
Receive a copy of the classic book, DISASTER RECOVERY TESTING: EXERCISING YOUR CONTINGENCY PLAN for Half Price – only $24.98 – with prepaid purchase of Emergency Management Exercises!
Tags: CMT, crisis management, exercise, Testing


