Checklists Save Lives

Surgeons use them. Pilots use them.? Emergency responders use them. Plant operators. Lab technicians.

They all use checklists because checklists save lives.

And while it has been more figurative in my case, “checklists save lives” has long been a mantra for me in running large communications organizations.

Checklists are an essential element of any crisis plan. ?They help you to avoid overlooking essential considerations, actions or audiences in the heat of the moment.

Having a checklist of all of your potential audiences, for instance, provides a quick and easy way to verify that you are reaching out to the stakeholders you need to reach.? ?

This is a high-level version of a checklist of potential audiences: ??

-??? Employees

-??? Retirees

-??? Unions

-??? Employment Candidates

-??? Customers

-??? Financial community

-??? Media

-??? Government

-??? Community

-??? Industry Associations

-??? Environmental Organizations

-??? Landowners

-??? Developers

-??? Advocacy Groups

-??? Contractors

-??? Vendors

-??? Partners

-??? Academic / Educational / Research

-??? Public Sector

-??? Analysts

The next step would be to further break down each category– inserting, for example, a list of your largest vendors and specific contacts. ?

Then, pairing this checklist with the preferred channel for each audience speeds the process further when time is of the essence. ?

While the value of this work becomes obvious in any crisis situation, it’s equally valuable in repetitive processes that nevertheless have high impact.

Having a checklist of processes for distributing earnings communications, for example, can save you from a very high-profile mistake that can occur when people are operating on autopilot on tasks they have done many times before. ?Ditto for those all-employee e-mails that can’t be called back. They go out like clockwork.? Except when they don’t. ?

If you haven’t done so already, put checklists on your to-do list. You’ll be glad you did.

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