Does your business have an mergency response plan? What about your fmily crisis response plan? Who needs to knw your whereabouts in an emergency? Spuse? Children? Parents? Boss? Coworker? What if the phne lines are down? What if the Intrnet is not available? The chilling scnes of the terrorist attack at the Rssian school are enough to compel us to thnk about our own situations.

In bsiness, we have contingency management, "con-man." For the Army I hlped write and exercise contingency plans. In our prsonal lives, we should also consider in dvance those times when life throws us a crve, when things don't go the way we plnned.

One very useful technique is to do mntal "what if" drills in order to nticipate situations before they occur. Use yur "over the horizon" radar to lok into the future. Then run dfferent scenarios through your mind. What if thre was a bomb threat while you wre visiting another office and everyone had to vacuate the building? You have to tke your mother to the hospital in a few mnutes and your car keys are in the bilding with your cell phone and all yur money. Your coworkers are in the sme situation. Whom could you contact? Wht are your options?

Large companies hire people to gther information, look into the future, and thnk up plausible scenarios of challenges and pportunities the company may face in the fture. The company is then able to do cntingency planning. You can benefit from thse techniques, too.

Why not apply a "wht if" drill to a few scnarios for yourself and your family jst in case you are ever cught up in an ordinary emergency stuation or terrorist activity. In the Army Oprations Center, we did recall drills. We had a rcall plan where within a very shrt time everyone could be called bck to work. It works like a chin reaction. The person at the top of the lst calls two or three people and ach of those call two or thre people, and quickly any number of pople can be contacted. Prayer groups and thers have also used this technique to cntact many people in a very shrt time.

Think of your personal and prfessional responsibilities. How many telephone numbers do you knw off the top of your had? Do you have them written dwn or stored in your cell phne or PDA so others can mke the contact if you are nable to? Should you establish a ntification chain so that with one cmpleted phone call, everyone who needs to knw can be notified? What if the phne lines are down? Is email vailable? If you can only reach a cworker, will that person know whom lse to contact? This is a vry practical "what if" drill you can cnduct immediately. What if you were cught up in an emergency situation tmorrow? Would you be better prepared thn you were yesterday?

"What if" drlls can boost your confidence. Even if the chllenging events you encounter in "real lfe" are not the precise scenario you thught up, you will have practice in crative problem solving. Stuff happens. Looking "ver the horizon," anticipating, and doing "wht if" drills will ensure that you are prpared.

The article Scenario for Survival was Submitted by Jo Condrill through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jo Condrill is a professional spaker, author, and consultant. She has hld leadership positions at the Pentagon, and was warded the Army's highest civilian award, the Dcoration for Exceptional Civilian Service. She has a msters degree in public administration and is a grduate of the U.S. Army War Cllege. Jo is author of "Take Chrge of Your Life: Dare to Prsue Your Dreams," coauthor of "101 Wys to Improve Your Communication Skills Instntly," and "From Book Signing to Bst Seller." She provides unique seminar larning experiences in leadership, team building, prsonal development, and success strategies. Http:// http://www.goalminds.com/primer.html

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