For those of you who are fans of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, you know Ned Stark’s famous warning that cold, dark days lie ahead.  And while the Northeast isn’t exactly Winterfell, we’ve all started making preparations for the worst while hoping for the best.  The question, however, is how many of us have considered the importance of communication in our planning processes?

At our recent Annual Membership Meeting, we heard from Anthony Huey, President of Reputation Management Associates, who talked about techniques for communicating in a crisis.  Number one on his "10 Point Crisis Checklist" is to "have a plan."  This advice may seem somewhat obvious, but how many of us can say we have an actionable plan when it comes to communicating in a crisis?  Who is your spokesperson?  How do you communicate among your team?  Who are the local reporters, bloggers, and elected officials that need to hear your message?  As Anthony underscored, it is critical that you have thought this through and developed a written plan before the first crisis lands at your door.

I would also like to highlight another part of Anthony’s presentation – that it is important to build relationships before a crisis hits.  A reporter who has met you before is far more likely to be receptive to your message than one who has not. The same can be said for elected officials – a Senator or aide who knows you is far more likely to listen and act than one who has not.  While NEPPA has done a great job advocating for public power in Washington, we can certainly do more to build upon our relationships with our region’s Congressional delegation.  

How can we enhance our relationships with our federal legislators?  Remember that you and they serve the same constituents.  Keeping their offices in the loop during an outage is a great way to build those relationships.  So, in the next few weeks, take a moment to call your federal legislators in their district offices.  Ask to speak with the district director or constituent services director and introduce yourself. Make sure this person has your cell phone number and encourage them to give you theirs so that you can maintain communications during an outage.  Building this relationship now will pay dividends both in terms of crisis communication and our advocacy efforts in Washington.

Winter is coming, but planning ahead will help us weather the storm.