EP 39 Bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in England, part 1: navigating the police response and incident communications with Amanda Coleman

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On today's episode we take you back to a terrorist bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017. A suicide bomber detonated a backpack bomb loaded with nails just after the concert ended, killing 22 concertgoers and  injuring hundreds more. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Our guest today, Amanda Coleman, served as the lead press officer for the Greater Manchester Police during that incident.  That agency managed the initial response, which quickly escalated to a national incident with Cobra activation at 10 Downing Street. (Cobra is the UK government's highest level of government response to an incident, and includes the Prime Minister and key cabinet secretaries.) Amanda shares with us her experiences managing the communications team and facing the many unexpected challenges associated with a terrorist attack in her community.

ow do you effectively manage communication during a catastrophic event? Tune in as we uncover the strategies and experiences of Amanda Coleman, a veteran crisis communication specialist. Amanda shares her extraordinary journey navigating the immediate aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. She details the critical steps she took to ensure accurate and timely information was disseminated, the importance of preparation and collaboration among emergency responders, and the unique hurdles posed by the incident and the city's geography.

Amanda offers invaluable insights into balancing the emotional needs of grieving families with the demands of an ongoing police investigation. Discover her improvisations when an emergency hotline failed and the significance of providing emotional support to both the bereaved and responders. This episode provides a compelling look at the multifaceted, human-centered approach to crisis communication during one of Manchester's most challenging times.

Amanda has published two books on crisis communication strategies and more routine communication strategies. You can purchase those books at Amazon here.

We'd love to hear from you.  Email the show at [email protected].