How to communicate effectively during a crisis.

Kidwai, Sabrina

AS A SCHOOL LEADER, YOU MAY BE PUT IN A POSITION where yon have to take the lead in a crisis situation, and having the right tools and information will be critical. Every school, organization or business should develop a crisis communications plan and train employees on how to implement it. Such a plan is a strategy on how to communicate before, during and after a crisis--which could be wide ranging from violence on campus to natural disasters or facility damage to changes in operations, such as budget cuts.

People involved in the plan need to practice their different roles so that each knows his or her responsibility. The plan should be concise and lay out who has authority to implement the plan during a crisis. These plans are essential in communicating information to all audiences in an effective and timely manner. (Note that a school district may already have a crisis communications plan for schools that should be adhered to.)

Developing a Crisis Communications Plan

There are strategies to develop a communications plan--which should be continuously updated and flexible enough to address different situations as they arise. When developing a plan you must first determine what constitutes a crisis, which employees should be involved when there is one, and what roles they are to play. The Public Relations Society of America's The Strategist, in the Summer 2009 issue, focused on crisis communication planning as it provided tips from professionals on what components should be included in the plan:

* Leaders should speak in one clear voice.

* There should be consistent messaging to internal and external audiences.

* Establish ground rules and guidelines.

* Coordinate with outside audiences and groups.

* Monitor news and information.

* Create Web site for the crisis.

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One of the first steps in developing a plan is to create a list of people you contact during a situation, and it needs to include senior officials in your school or organization such as principals, superintendents and executive directors. During the crisis, you need to provide senior leadership with regular updates, all the factual information you know, and any new developments. There should also be messages for leadership to deliver to all audiences and the press. Stephen Davidow and Gerald Baron wrote an article in The Strategist titled, "Pandemic Flu Communications: How to Prepare for a Crisis in a Web 2.0 World." They mentioned that a plan should also include a list of contacts from outside organizations and agencies that you may need to contact. These include police and fire departments, local hospitals, government offices, and public health departments. It's important to connect and coordinate with them ahead of time in case you need to reach out during a crisis situation.

Disseminating Information

When a crisis happens it's important to disseminate information as quickly as possible, but also to ensure that all internal audiences are aware of the situation. By educating your internal and external audiences, you are able to control your message and image throughout the situation. If you have a social media expert, he or she should be kept apprised of the situation so that messages can be sent out to those you wish to inform. Note that people are increasingly turning to online forms of communication (i.e., Facebook and Twitter) to get their information.

Along with developing communication guidelines, a school or organization should develop a special crisis Web site that's ready to launch at the beginning of a crisis. The site should include basic information, questions and answers, and other details. Having such a site up and ready to go before there's ever a crisis provides the opportunity to identify potential issues before a crisis starts. In The Strategist, Kyra Aufferman wrote an article titled, "It still Chokes Me Up," about how Northern Illinois University (NIU) handled a crisis situation. Melanie Magara, the school's assistant vice president of public affairs, notes in the article that depending on the size of the institution, extra servers need to be made available to handle increased Web traffic in the event of a crisis. Once the crisis page is "live," it should be updated on a regular basis, and it should have a list of questions and answers that are relevant to the situation to keep the public informed.

Don't Panic

With any situation, it's important not to panic--time is of the essence, especially in today's world. In the event of a crisis, institutions need to monitor news and information being reported about the situation so that they can be responsive. Throughout the crisis, be sure to communicate clearly and openly, and ensure that messages are honest and consistent. The key to surviving a crisis is being prepared and trained.

After the crisis ends, it's critical that school leaders reflect on the crisis communications plan. During this time there should be a discussion about what worked and didn't so that adjustments can be made. It's vital that institutions update the communications plan on a regular basis and keep staff abreast of the updates. Having an effective crisis communications plan begins and ends with preparation.

Resources

"Spreading the Word: Messaging and Communications in Higher Education" by Mark C. Sheehan and Judith A Pirani

NIU's Crisis Communication Plan Outline: http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html

7 Must-have Elements in a Communication Plan: www.globalprblogweek.com/archives/7_musthave_elements_.php

Crisis Communications for the Social Media Age: http://webworkerdaily.com/2009/06/01/ crisis-communicationsfor-the-social-media-age/

"Pandemic Flu Communications: How to Prepare for a Crisis in a Web 2.0 World." The Strategist: www.prsa.org/publications/strategist/index.html

"It still Chokes Me Up," The Strategist: www.prsa.org/ publications/strategist/index.html

Sabrina Kidwai is ACIE's media relations manager. She can be contacted at skidwai@acteonline.org.