Crisis Management A Leadership Challenge

1. July 5, 2008 v NSPRA Annual Seminar Pre-Session Crisis ManagementA Leadership Challenge Rick J. Kaufman, APR Executive Director of Community Relations Bloomington (MN) Public Schools Reproduction of materials is permitted for training purposes provided credit is given to the author.

2. About the presenter • School Public/Community Relations- 18 years of experience with school districts in three states, and state department of education • Crisis Response Team Leader- Columbine High School Tragedy, April 20, 1999- FEMA, National Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita • Crisis Management Consultant- U.S. Bureau of Prisons (Timothy McVeigh Execution)- New York City Schools/NY Education Commission (9/11)- FBI (National Conference on School Violent Offenders)- WI Health and Hospital Association- Jackson State University, Jackson, MS

3. About the presenter Past President- National School Public Relations Association- Wisconsin School Public Relations Association Trainer/Lecturer/Author- Midwest Summit on Violence in the Workplace/Schools- Wisconsin Bioterrorism Summit- National Transportation Public Affairs Seminar- Council of Future Leaders- School PR: Building Confidence in Education- Complete Crisis Communication Management Manual

4. Our work together includes: Essential Elements of Crisis Management Crisis Management Realities ICS and Command Center Structures Crisis Communication The NEW Communication Channels Patterns of Media Response & Media Relations Common Crisis Mistakes Crisis Table Top Scenarios Mock Press Conferences Q & A

5. What is a Crisis? • “an emotionally charged significant event or radical change” • “an unstable or crucial time of affairs in which a decisive change is impending” • “a situation with the distinct possibility of a highly desirable outcome” • “a situation that has reached a critical phase”

6. What is a Crisis? student or staff suicide student walkout or protest assault - of a student, staff or volunteer child abuse sexual harassment criminal activity health emergency (AIDS, etc.)

7. What is a Crisis? fire or explosion school bus accident bomb threat natural disaster (flood, tornado, etc.) VIP visit power outage more? (Hint: dozens more!)

8. Is it an incident or a CRISIS?

9. Are you ready? In a crisis situation, you will react as you are organized and trained. Knowing what to do can be the difference between chaos and calm, or even life and death.

10. Crisis Management Realities • Prompt action reduces collateral damage • Prompt action reduces length of crisis & moves situation to quicker resolution • Focus on response, not sources of threat • Not possible to detail every conceivable crisis • Important decisions made before crisis ever occurs(structure, process, leadership)

11. Crisis Management Realities • Decisions based on site, location & unique set of circumstances that occur during a crisis • “Cardiac assessment,” intuition plays key roles • Tend to victims’ needs immediately, compassionately and completely • Be prepared … bad stuff happens • Continuous process requiring annual review

12. Crisis Management Realities In the first hour of a crisis: • Denial: “This could not have happened.” • Anger: “How could this have happened?” “How could somebody do that?” • Panic • Anxiety

13. Elements of Crisis Management • Policy and Leadership • Provides foundation, framework for action • Emergency/Crisis Management Plan • Provides structure, mechanisms for operational response • School Crisis Response Plan • Building plan operates within framework of district-level plan • Provides roles, responsibilities for staff • Coordinated response to more frequently occurring incidents

14. Elements of Crisis Management • Crisis Response Team • School, district response personnel • Communication • Foundation of any crisis planning, implementation, management and recovery effort • Training • Preparation and knowing what to do is crucial • Maintains preparedness

15. Plans must include responses to: • School-based scenarios • threat, accidental death, lockdown, etc. • District-wide scenarios • natural disaster, business interruption, etc. • New or emerging scenarios • pandemics, terrorist attack, etc.

16. Emergency planning should… • Ensure student, staff safety • Establish a pre-determined plan of action (focus on response vs sources of crisis) • Identify trained emergency responders (can they be counted on to act, not freeze up?) • Minimize damage, loss of facility use • Provide on-going support for students, staff and parents

17. Emergency planning should… • Incorporate best thinking, practices of all responding agencies (form partnerships now, don’t wait for crisis to occur) • Return to “normal” • Outline steps to practice, rehearse for a crisis (creates cultural conditions that practice is important, demonstrates teamwork needed during the crisis) • Include students in planning, training • What else? (consider your unique circumstances)

18. Emergency plan must address … • Prevention & Intervention (mitigation)- steps to reduce or eliminate risk to life and property • Preparedness- process of planning a rapid, coordinated and effective response • Response- action steps to take during a crisis • Recovery- restoring the teaching and learning environment after a crisis; must include mental health recovery

19. Emergency plan must address … • The Golden Hour- take the lead; delay equals denial • Waves of Response- police/medical- media- parents- “looky-loo’s” & gawkers; super-heroes; cottage industry types • First 24 hours • Duration of crisis • Rebuilding/Recovery

20. The Key Questions What can or will we be able to handle? Which roles can be delegated to volunteers? Where will we get help? Who will do what? Other questions?

21. Crisis Management Infrastructure • Incident Command • Communication or Crisis Command Center • Roles and Responsibilities- who’s organizing who (parents, media, etc.)?- who is/are spokesperson(s)?- volunteers (you can’t do it alone)? • Equipment and Food • Media Area

22. Incident Command System • Establishes common organizational structure, operating procedures • Places one person in charge of decision-making; creates chain of command • Provides for quick, effective performance • Establishes a reasonable span of control • Provides for effective coordination, transition of responsibility/authority w/ crisis responders

23. Incident Command System

24. Communication … … is the foundation of any crisis planning, implementation, management, and recovery effort.

25. The best time to let students, staff and families know what to do in an emergency is before it happens.

26. Communication Command Center

27. Crisis Communication Structure • Crisis Communication Team Leader/Director • Spokesperson(s) • Communications Command Center Coordinator • Internal/External Communications Officer(s) • Media Manager • Research & Media Monitoring • Webmaster (web page technician) • Crisis & Special Events Liaison • Volunteers

28. Volunteers & Donations What roles can be delegated to volunteers? Establish volunteer schedule (determine where, when volunteers are needed) Welcome volunteers each day; provide brief orientation (i.e. basic information, equipment usage, key persons & numbers) Provide name tags, security card Volunteers keep record of all calls Prepare list of what, how to donate(callers want ideas, addresses; make this part of daily Fact Sheet) Screen, record & organize contributions

29. Crisis Communication Focus • Establish command center, functions • Communicate internally first, then public • Anticipate and meet needs of media • Ensure key messages are understandable, honest & consistent • Manage perception of competence and reality • Correct inaccurate, misleading information fast • Stay in contact with victims families

30. Information Gathering Plan to collect, verify information Inaccurate information creates new crisis, puts organization on defensive and wastes time Central location means better management Must come quickly (field or site assessment) Plan for “Murphy’s Law” Debrief daily/nightly

31. Communicating in a Crisis Target Key Audiences • School, District or University Leadership • Crisis Response Agencies • Staff/Faculty (site of crisis first, then others) • Opinion Leaders (community, business, faith, government, alumni, key financial supporters) • Parents, Students (age appropriate), Community • Legal counsel

32. Communicating in a Crisis What do I say? The TRUTH Don’t share what you don’t know to be true Don’t speculate Don’t hide behind factual information Not talking about a crisis won’t take back what happened; and is unnatural Rely on the communication experts at all times!

33. Communicating in a Crisis • Speed of communication • First impressions are lasting impressions • Factual content of the message • Get it right, repeat it, share with others • Trust and credibility • Crucial to sustain support during, after crisis • Elements: empathy & caring; competence & expertise; honesty & openness; commitment & dedication

34. The NEW Communication • Email broadcasts • Text or Voice Messaging • Websites • Rapid Alert Notification Systems • Hotlines/Emergency Voice Bulletin Boards • Social Media Networks • blogs, & IMs • myspace, facebook, etc.

35. Communicating in a Crisis Leadership and Staff Staff may “go public”; to defend their reputation Media will put a full court press on those “in the know” both students, staff Develop process to support sites Counsel early(consider policy now) Need grows the longer crisis is prominent Nurture staff

36. Communicating in a Crisis Leadership and Staff Prepare fact sheets, voice & email messages Update web site regularly Utilize staff, parent phone trees as necessary Make decisions on cancellations (communicate these to students, staff, parents and media)

37. Communicating in a Crisis Parents Need help working w/ their children to understand what happened, how to explain event & tips to heal or return to normal. Insatiable need to know why?(Be prepared) Reassure safety; stress importance of normalcy Call in experts (grief counselors, mental health) Identify how parents, others can help

38. Communicating in a Crisis Community Use key opinion leaders to get message out to broader audience Consider community meeting Reassure safety, security steps Express concern for victims and regret for crisis Don’t take the blame

39. Communicating in a Crisis Students Provide opportunity, encouragement to talk about what happened Classroom setting with peers Use experts (grief counselors, mental health) Provide quick lesson on media basics, harm from spread of rumors

40. Communicating in a Crisis All Audiences Determine most useful vehicle (letter, e-mail, etc.) Daily info sheets keeps key audiences current Establish 24-hour taped hotline (update frequently) Essential to develop key messages Stay on message; share messages to all Establish time, place to speak with media

41. Patterns of Media Response 10-12 Hours Reporters on scene first Grab anyone who will talk Answer question, “what happened?” Results incomplete, conflicting stories emerge Media can interfere with police, rescuers

42. Patterns of Media Response 12-24 Hours Answer the question, “who?” Authorities usually notify next of kin first before information is released to media This effort causes conflict with the media doing whatever is necessary to find out about victim(s)

43. Patterns of Media Response 24-36 Hours Focus on the question of “why?” Natural reaction in the aftermath is to look for blame Many theories on crisis Facts aren’t always corroborated Victim confusion often leads to stories that are sensational, but didn’t happen as they recall

44. Patterns of Media Response 36-72 Hours Media begins more in-depth analysis of “what happened?” and “why?” A new “spin” may be put on story Spin-off stories take on a life of their own Importance of “staying on message” is critical Funerals and memorials take place, offering a window to regroup, recharge crisis team

45. Media Relations • Strategy 1: Help heal; return to normalcy • Strategy 2: Stay on message; one, clear voice • Media is fastest way to communicate broadly • Media Triage (no favoritism, focus on local first) • Brief daily; never say “no comment” • Respond to all reasonable media needs • Develop guidelines for access to students, staff • Set ground rules for interviews, media pools

46. Recovery & Rebuilding Physical Structure from assessment to rebuilding of schools Mental Healthfrom triage to PTSD Information Systemsfrom payroll to student records Communicationfrom media siege to when, where to send students Memorials:events, anniversaries and moving on

47. What have we learned? A Leadership TestResponse defines the organization; be credible A Communication TestHow strong is your communication program? A Professional TestHow will you emerge as a key advisor?

48. A Perspective on Lessons Learned In preparation … If you start off behind, you will stay behind Being proactive only keeps you even Identify chain of command for decision-making, what to do if it breaks down Site, district plans must have contingencies Crisis plans must be specific, automatic, tested

49. A Perspective on Lessons Learned In preparation … Establish inter-agency protocols in advance Provide parents advance notice of crisis plan, their role in the process

50. A Perspective on Lessons Learned During the crisis … Mobilize response team that shields the site, students and staff from outside forces Make call for assistance before it’s too late Understand it’s not “business as usual” Act in the short-term, think in the long-term You need soldiers, generals on front lines Know key messages and stick to them!