A tornado refers to a violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of thunderstorms. Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Winds of a tornado may reach up to 300 miles per hour.
This is a way to keep up engagement and make the exercise feel more natural. Take into consideration how people mostly hear of incoming bad weather. Social media reels is a realistic way to signal the participants, convey a sense of top priority, and get them thinking about how to prepare. Given the volume of information posted and how quickly it spreads, participants should be encouraged to consider the sources and determine the validity of the information presented.
3. Pose discussion questions.
Present mind-stimulating questions at every phase of the exercise. Participants need to consider realistic factors, try different tactics, and experience the consequences within the safety of the exercise. Helps them understand that sometimes you must try a course of action and then adjust accordingly. The discussion should drive to a thought exchange that considers both safety and daily business continuity.
4. Assess the impact across the organization
Since practice is meant to mimic real life, new information and developments should play out with unpredictable speed and frequency. Continuously assessing impact across the organization: Property damage, employee safety, supply chain, customers and impact to partners are all factors. This can be easily done via critical assessment tools.
5. Be diligent with your feedback session
Always ensure to spare enough time to do a recap. Debrief what happened during the exercise while it’s still fresh in people’s minds. Give the debrief structure so that a comprehensive outlook is captured, and all participants provide feedback. The debrief should always include both what went wrong and what went right. What were the first actions taken? When did you decide to activate your crisis plan? Did technology and recent trends support them?
6. The After Action Report (AAR).
An after-action report is a process for documenting the findings from an exercise debrief. Don’t just settle on the aftermath, rather go beyond by conducting a gap analysis that directly identifies areas for improvement. Come up with a comprehensive summary outlining your key findings and specific recommendations. Next, roadmap a remediation plan by identifying the necessary investments in people, process or technology needed to address these gaps.
