Ready, Set, Respond™
Ready, Set, Respond! transforms plans into action by ensuring they are activation-ready through testing and assessment against relevant standards of practice.
This practical, facilitated workshop helps leaders and business owners practice their response, clarify roles and make good decisions, while building confidence in what to do during the critical first hours or crunch times of an emergency, when outcomes are shaped and mistakes are hardest to undo.
Prepare and refine today.
Respond with confidence tomorrow.
A hands-on response workshop that moves beyond conventional plans and builds real-world insight, coordination, and decision-making under pressure through guided testing and fine-tuning.
Unlike traditional emergency training or tabletop exercises that feel abstract or overly technical, Ready, Set, Respond! is:
- Built for real people making real decisions under stress
- Designed to assess and strengthen existing plans, not rewrite them
- Focused on critical actions, communication, and coordination — not theory
- Delivered in plain language, with space for reflection, discussion, and learning
- Adaptable across businesses and organizations that support them, Indigenous communities, and municipalities
What This Workshop Covers
- Guided response walk-throughs based on realistic disruption scenarios
- Role clarity exercises so participants know who leads, who supports, who communicates, and who stands down
- Decision-making frameworks for the critical hours of an incident
- Communication practice for staff, leadership, community members, customers, and partners
- Facilitated tabletop-style activities that reveal gaps proactively and safely, before a real crisis does
- Lessons learned and immediate improvements participants can apply right away
- Confidence-building practice without judgment, jargon, or pressure
What Participants Will Walk Away With
For Business Leaders
- A tested plan, giving decision-makers confidence and the team clarity when disruption hits
- Assurance of having an approach scrutinized against current standards
- Clear understanding of first actions, priorities, and communications
- Reduced panic, hesitation, and costly delays during an emergency
- Peace of mind knowing the plan will work in real life
For Band Administrators & Indigenous Communities
- Culturally respectful response practice grounded in local governance and values
- A vetted plan that results in increased confidence that staff, leadership, and partners know their roles
- Reduced reliance on outside agencies during critical moments of the response
- More coordinated departments, services, and community leadership
- Assessments resulting in visible and defensible preparedness that stands up to audits, emergencies, and scrutiny
For Municipal Economic Development & Local Governments
- Improved coordination between departments and partners during disruptions
- A tested plan that results in stronger business continuity and faster economic stabilization
- Demonstrable action challenging written plans; valuable for council and funders
- Increased trust from business owners and community stakeholders
- Reduced chaos, duplication, and miscommunication during real events
Why Practice Matters
Ready, Set, Respond! is a practical workshop that helps business
and other leaders practice what to do when an emergency actually happens.
Participants work through realistic scenarios to clarify roles, test communication, and strengthen first decisions, so when disruption hits, they don’t freeze, scramble, or guess. Designed to be supportive, accessible, and immediately useful, this workshop turns preparedness on paper into calm, confident action in real life.
Frequently asked questions
Do participants need an existing crisis plan before taking this workshop?
No. While having a plan can help you get more out of the exercises, it’s not required. Ready, Set, Respond!™ is designed to help you strengthen your response by practicing realistic scenarios, clarifying critical actions, and building confidence in how you’ll respond under pressure.
What types of scenarios are explored?
You’ll practice responding to realistic disruptions that may impact your organization, including events such as extreme weather, power outages, supply chain disruptions, staffing challenges, reputational issues, and other situations that affect day-to-day operations and business continuity.
Is this workshop focused on theory or hands-on practice?
Ready, Set, Respond!™ is built around facilitated tabletop-style exercises, guided discussion, and realistic scenarios. Rather than simply talking about response, you’ll practice decision-making, communication, and coordination in a supportive and practical learning environment.
Who should participate from an organization?
This workshop is valuable for leadership teams, managers, operations staff, communications personnel, and anyone involved in crisis response coordination or decision-making.
How does this workshop fit within Bounce Back Biz™?
Ready, Set, Respond!™ is the third workshop of the Bounce Back Biz™ resilience workshop series and focuses on putting plans into practice. While it can be taken as a standalone workshop, it’s especially valuable after completing Ready, Set, Resilient!™ and Disaster to Dynamo™, where you’ll have developed a stronger understanding of your risks and built a practical Crisis Management Plan to test.
R I C (pronounced R-I-C)
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RIC acknowledges the traditional lands and territories of the Indigenous peoples who have lived on these lands and taken care of them since time immemorial. We are on Treaty 7 territory, as well as, the historical regional homeland of the Métis, which includes the Battle River Territory. We acknowledge and respect the histories, languages, and diverse cultures of the First Nations, Métis, and all First Peoples that have taken care of this land. We are grateful for their contributions that continue to enrich our communities.