Summer 2017


During a crisis, people in your audiences are likely experiencing a full range of emotions and most of those emotions will not be favorable. Anger, fear, hostility and mistrust are all common responses to a crisis and will significantly im- pact how your information is received. People only hear a small fraction of what is presented to them when they are stressed or fearful, and they remember an even smaller amount of that information. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that messages communicated in a crisis are clear and concise. This is not the time to impress people with acronyms and ten dollar words. Use small words and short sentences, and repeat yourself often.


To develop a message that will resonate, consider Winston Churchill’s model of using compassion, conviction and opti- mism. Compassion should always be the very first thing expressed: “We care.” This doesn’t mean “We did something wrong and we’re sorry,” which is exactly what would send your legal counsel into cardiac arrest. But people need to know that you understand the gravity and impact of the situation and that you’re capable of human emotion.


Conviction is the next message component, and this is the action-oriented stage. This is where you explain what you are doing or will do to address the situation. This could include things like a full policy review, activating specific re- sources for assistance or even placing someone on (PAID) administrative leave. It demonstrates that you are willing to do what needs to happen to address or resolve the issue.


The final component is optimism; you have to let people know it will get better. People need something to look for- ward to, to hope for. Tell them that while it may not be ok now, it will be ok in the future.


When you are developing the message, don’t forget to include relevant actions to support your content. Empty promis- es and claims will eventually be exposed and will not do you any favors. If something needs to change at your agency to make something better, do it. If someone needs to go, conduct that IA and if it supports that action, make the call. Be decisive so you can then communicate your actions to your audiences.


A final note on message: it doesn’t have to be 100 percent complete before you make your first public statement. Don’t wait for an entire investigation to be completed before you acknowledge what is going on. With social media and digital reporting, you have to be extremely fast to join the conversation at the beginning. If you don’t, you will lose any opportunity to shape the narrative because if you’re not telling your story, someone else is telling their version. Even if you don’t have all of the facts, you can still make an immediate statement to the following effect:


“We understand a situation is developing/has occurred. We are gathering details and we will have more information available as quickly as possible.”


This demonstrates awareness and involvement without compromising any information or providing an opportunity for misinformation. Do this as quickly as you can.


But how to communicate the message? This will depend in large part on who your audiences are. In most situations, there are three main audiences: external, internal and stakeholders. All three are equally important and must be com- municated with consistently throughout the duration of the situation. Your external audience will be whomever is most affected or most reactive to the crisis situation. There may be several external audiences; you should prioritize these to ensure you are using your resources effectively. Your internal audience is your department, your agency, your people – DON’T FORGET YOUR PEOPLE. They need to know what is happening just as much as the outside audience does. And finally, your stakeholders are the people or organizations who are partners with you, who might be able to provide you with written, verbal or resource support.


Once you’ve identified the audiences, think about how they receive their information. Is it most effective to talk to your employees at shift changes? Is there a large population in your community that doesn’t speak English? If you’re post- hurricane and there’s no power, would you consider posting flyers in neighborhoods? How does social media help or hurt you? And don’t forget that everything you write or email will likely be a public record at some point.


Continued on next page


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