Crises in companies require a high degree of internal communication. Therefore I recommend: Set up an executive
circle at the beginning of the crisis to assure that all essential information reaches every employee. This blog post
will show you how to accomplish this.

The executive circle is an essential communicative instrument in crisis management and is particularly suitable for companies with more than
100 employees. In coordination with me as an experienced interim manager, you decide which employees play a part in the leadership team.
Appoint multipliers as members of the circle who regularly inform the individual departments and thus take along the entire workforce.

Cope with the crisis at all levels

It is important that the executive circle consists of employees from several levels. Why? There are also influential power promoters below the first two management levels. Benefit from the popularity of respected employees. Based on the trust they enjoy they are best suited to get through to their colleagues. Initiate a constitutive meeting upon determining the members of the executive circle.

Set up bi-weekly meetings

Closer to the people is closer to success: Crisis management is at its best when you involve your people.Therefore, I recommend bi-weekly meetings with the executive circle so that the managers can inform all departments regularly.

Circulate information

Prepare an agenda for each crisis meeting. Your goal is achieved if each member of the executive circle is comprehensively informed at the end of the meeting. For that reason make sure that everyone presents the latest developments in his area concisely and clearly. I advise to save information and to have meeting results carefully documented.

Fix a date for the crisis meeting

My experience shows: The best time for crisis meetings is every second Tuesday from 11 am until the lunch break. Tuesday, because the weekends are far away and thus far from the crisis. Before the lunch break, because the talks are over in the morning and no post-lunch slump looms. Crisis management takes priority: Fix the meeting dates emphasizing the significance of the crisis meetings.

Conduct worldwide conferences with Cisco WebEx

The principle of the executive circle also applies to companies with subsidiaries in other parts of the world. International web and video conferences are particularly effective with Cisco WebEx. Be flexible as to time if you have conferences with different time zones, such as the US or Japan.

You will see: Regular meetings and comprehensive information will make your executive circle a fundamental part of crisis management!