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Sound the Alarm:Preparing (& Surviving) Web-Based Crisis Communications Strategy

by Colleen Brennan-Barry on Jun 14, 2011

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Live in fear of the day we have a huge health/safety event. 19000 FTE; 31000+ students in all. Commuter. Four locations. Odds.More incidences of violence reported than ever before … and in debrief, communication has been a focal point – and a point of much complaint.
We all prepare for the worst-case scenario – the active shooter, the bio weapon, the flood, the fire.We spend time and money putting together these scenarios, drilling them. Documenting. Memorizing. And that IS important.
But would you be ready for this guy? I … was not. Let me tell you a story of how I came to be here today.
Biggest snowstorm of the century.Schools across country were closing for weeks at a time.Who in this room was impacted by this storm – delays, shut downs, etc?Commuter college, 19000 students, 1600 employeesWe were braced for impact – indiv. profs had canceled their classes, college had prepped messages, set cell phones next to beds.
The view from Facebook.To us, this was a non-event. Students, however, were outraged that we didn’t close.The power of group-think – and the tools that power those groups. It’s a significant factor in Web crisis comm.Last statement typical – very, very rare we DO close. The irony.
Massive power outage.Karma. Still dealing with the NON-closing cleanup, and this erupts.My assigned role, according to our scenario-based plan: go to website/electronic screens/phones. Update with message.
Full system shutdown.Power outage.Co-gen power breakdown.Mechanical generator breakdown.ALL MCC communications systems – Website, email, phones – down.Our protocols said email was official. Then Web. Then media. Then phone system. Then campus screens and “other” messaging systems.Guess how our students felt, what they saw for communication?
We had no way to reach them. News media - only works if the audience was there.Couldn’t enact ANY of the other systems. Alert system tied in to email; once enacted, messages being delivered as late as 1:15 pm. We reopened at 11 am.The “Crisis Center” on campus that was supposed to ALWAYS have power and connectivity?So, in my PJs at 7:11 am I set up headquarters in my office …
Welcome to the 21st century crisis communications headquarters.- No protocols in place to run main thrust of communication via social media- Socnets was at best a footnote in the Crisis Comm plan – “will get to it if we can”- Suddenly, this was it.
There were a series of bigger issues that complicated the issue and communication was just that much more difficult.
Rumors on soc nets, news media reporting UFO sighting over campus at same time as power outage.
Total breakdown of systems … NOT just technical, but internal processes.Processes had never, ever accounted for anything like this – had assumed infallible backups.Workflows were uncertain – much confusion about who craft messages, communicate out.Couldn’t get a hold of key players; information & decisions bottlenecked.Decisions not made clearly or in a timely manner – event at 7:03; no official update to comm team until 9:15 after senior staff met. Students were learning more from outside media and gossip than via college channels.
The tide turned.Massive goodwill at first.As time passed, the group feel shifted. Increasingly antagonistic. Combo of “you never close” with “You put us in danger” with “ALIENS!” with “WTH is going on?”Diffused by being human, but even that didn’t cut it after a while.
I wanted to hug this person. Cleanup continued for three days.
A plan is important. But it must be flexible … if you are too tied to your exact scenarios, if you can’t shift in accordance with what’s REALLY happening, the crisis magnifies repeatedly.And institutions no longer get to make sole choice of where the info needs to be shared – we can have “official” channels but we need to be in other non-traditional spaces too.SO let’s talk a bit about the current state of many of our crisis comm plans today
The infamous red binder -- I have three copies.
Remember our new crisis communications headquarters?
The Red Binder of the futurePortable. Digital. Able to act and communicate at all times, from anywhere.Is your PIO here? Can he/she realistically handle it ALL? SHOULD he/she?
Steps to start re-assessing and forming your own crisis comm plan
Who can offer a definition of crisis?
In a crisis, we are stripped to our elements.Nothing else but survival matters.DEFINE: Not just obvious health and safety emergency but also a situation which can harm your institution – perception, feeling,imageWith more ways than ever for your audiences to communicate and share and discuss – and either glorify OR demonize your image – crisis communication takes on new dimensions.
These folks can now define crisis … both safety- and image- related.
Comm systemsAvoid snapto get a new tool to fix an old problem. See what you have already first. HardwareMedia accessPlans new & oldPhysical spaceHuman resources
How doesaudience want to be communicated with? Where are they? How can you best reach them (not how do you WANT to reach them)?Active shooter scenario?Flood? Campus power outage? Alien invasion?
Also viewed by audience as the MOST TRUSTWORTHY
Track.Have focus groups. Ask your key audiences how you can reach them first, and fast.
The most important work w/audience happens BEFORE the crisis- community buildingSetting expectationsEducation on channelsSet the tone, set the pace
SWOT time!We don’t like to admit to our weaknesses – but we all know they’re there. We also sometimes underplay our strengths, too. Let’s get honest.
Measure yourself. Ask tough questionsBe honestEvaluate your assets, and understand your detrimentsWhere are you on the crisis preparedness scale? Where are you on the Web-readiness scale?What staffing do you have? How are they being purposed?
How have you embraced/used Web-based communications well?What’s worked?How do you know?Where can you grow? Where is your chance to improve the situation? Who are your champions? What makes your institution Web-communication friendly? What works in your favor or could help as Web-based channels are put into place?
Where have you failed? Where have you stumbled, not been as effective as you could have been? Where are your roadblocks? Are there people, situations, elements in place that make using Web-based communication a challenge?Note that these may not be intentional roadblocks. They simply are what they areWhat is the worst-case scenario? What destructive thing *could* happen if nothing changes?
This is chicken & egg with the next step. We’ll get to why in a moment.
You’ve taken inventory, done your SWOT – use it here.What pieces need put into place? What existing pieces need leveraged?
Think broadly … have a core crisis team, and other key players who can be of help in a crisis.KNOW YOUR TEAM … relationships will be of great help in a crisis.CommunicationsITFacilitiesSafetyDining servicesRes lifeBOND the teamSuggestions – who else?
The Primal and the PR Survive – as a human, as an institutionFocus – stay on plan, stay on message, give struture inside chaos. You aren’t there to put out the fire in the burning building, but audience IS looking to you for escape plans, and what to do nextFlex – adapt, know when to adjust to meet needs – and know how to communicate with the whole team. Seamless.Protect – your audience AND your institution. How you react here has long-ranging consequences. MAKE SURE ALL TEAM knows these are your core goals
Reality is key … “I don’t believe in social media” isn’t enough of a viewpoint anymore. It’s real, it’s role in crisis communication is real, and real personalities and real voices are the order of the day.
Know it. Follow it. Make sure your team knows it tooAllow for human errorStreamlineMake it simpleRemember, in a crisis, it’s not about POWER – it’s about survival. Be like water … moving around obstacles, a sheer force, always moving forward in its set direction. Well channeled, water – and your workflow – can be powerful tools,.
2x yr minimum, set up process of testing-evaluating-revising-testing …
“We’ve always done it BLANK way” doesn’t really work anymore, as we’ve said.Think holistically about the tools that go into your arsenal. Realize that sticking with the status quo is probably no longer working for your institutionbecause …
What once was is no more. The red binder was created in a different era. We MUST adjust or we risk very real, very tough, very dangerous consequences.Communicate on a wider platform nowWeb and social mediavastly changed how we communicate, what we expect. Think broadly.
This is where the chicken and egg thing kicks in Tools are great, many, and can do amazing things. CAN do. But if YOU and your institution aren’t ready to use the tool to its best advantage, it doesn’t matter.Hence, tools after strategy – though certainly one influences the other.
Be ready to make a reasoned case for each of these tool sets.
BINDERIt has a place … but think creatively.Is it in the Cloud? Hardcopy? An app just for crisis team? Yes, all of the above?WEB-ENABLED ALERTCentral dashboard is key. Allows engagement of multiple tools through one interface.Should not be ONLY way to enact these systems but should be A place where they are brought togetherREDUNDANT SYSTEMSWhen the aliens come to YOUR campus and send an EMP blast or whatever it is they do, you will be glad of this.HOMEPAGE BLOGMissouri S&TSOCNETSWell-worn indeedI don’t advocate for separate accounts – social media fatigue makes the tools’ Need to have audience built inNeed to have community buyinSee “Do Your Homework”MESSAGESBe ready for anything but keep it simple … these will inevitably be adjustedHave them in the playbook & system ready to use as a basis
Can’t rely on one particular space; must be ready to work from anywhere.
An actual crisis may be over in minutes, the shockwaves reverberate for hours, days or more.Be ready to have strategy & resources to cover. Once it’s passed, a debrief is imperative – with several levels of the team.Revise plan as needed
One of the most powerful tools you have going for you is education. – your team. Your community.In line with test plan, have education plan. What good is a strategy if NO ONE knows? Review the plan. Update it regularly. Do NOT let the red binder collect dust.

Sound the Alarm:Preparing (& Surviving) Web-Based Crisis Communications Strategy — Presentation Transcript

Sound the Alarm: Preparing (& Surviving) Web-Based Crisis Communications Strategy
Colleen Brennan-Barry
http://www.twitter.com/colb
These are the times that try men's souls.
-Thomas Paine
February 2, 2011
#snowpocalypse #snowmageddon
The 2011 Groundhog Day Blizzard
Antioch, IL: 27.0”
Rochester, NY: 3.8”Annual average = 95.1”
School should be closed tomorrow because of snowstorm and bad weather conditions!! Will it be closed???? (12:05 am)
WHY WASNT SCHOOL CANCELED TODAY/!?! I almost died driving here! (8:17 am)
Why don't you EVER close?? (8:43 am)
February 3, 2011
Tools were the least of the issue.
Crisis communications plans must be regimented enough to be a set plan, yet agile enough to handle the unanticipated.
The Red Binder
Scenario-based plans
Often administrative – focus on internal structure, not external needs/expectations
Communication plan often secondary, tool-driven, hierarchical workflow
Detailed plans for dealing with press, traditional media through central PIO …
… but …
So where do we go from here?
Step One: Know what you know
Define “crisis”
Crises refine life. In them you discoverwhat you are.
-Allan K. Chalmers
Consider …
Take inventory.
Step Two: Know your audience
Top four channels used as primary crisis information sources:
- Email
- SMS
- Website
- Social Media
-- 2009 Steering Committee of the EDUCAUSE Net@EDU Converged Communications Working Group (CCWG) survey of 125 colleges/universities
Ask.
Do your homework.
Do your homework.
Step Three: Know your strengths… & weaknesses
Strengths
Weakness
Step Four: Build your strategy
Assess your needs
Assemble your team
Set goals
Survive
Focus
Flex
Protect
Establish communications guidelines
Be ready
Be rapid
Be responsive
Be real
Set processes & workflows
Create (& follow) test plans
Step Five: Build your toolbox
The status is not … quo.
- Dr. Horrible
The strategy
Stay true to the strategy, and you stay true to your goals, your purpose, your institution
Strategy is the #1 tool. Even if ALL ELSE breaks down, this should be able to guide you.
The hardware
The hardware (con.)
Your version of the “red binder”
Fully Web-enabled alert system with central dashboard
Redundant systems with geographic diversity
Alternate homepage with blog
Well-worn social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter
Messages & templates
The soft-ware
Crisis team
Extended team
Campus ALERT team
ALL employees
Student champions
The personalware
Smartphone or portable Web-enabled device
Mi-Fi
And don’t forget …
It ain’t over til it’s over.
- Lenny Kravitz
Step Six: Educate. Update.
Thank you.Good luck.
Colleen Brennan-Barry
cmbrennanbarry@gmail.com
colleenbrennanbarry.com
@ColB

Sound the Alarm:Preparing (& Surviving) Web-Based Crisis Communications Strategy

by Colleen Brennan-Barry on Jun 14, 2011

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Sound the Alarm:Preparing (& Surviving) Web-Based Crisis Communications Strategy — Presentation Transcript