Presented 2/26/2011 at TASB Winter Governance and Legal Seminar in Corpus Christi.

1. What do you do
when a crisis calls?

2. BRAD DOMITROVICH
Georgetown Independent School District
Director for School and Community Relations
Texas School Public Relations Association
Past President 2008-2009
CANDACE AHLFINGER, APR
Pasadena Independent School District
Associate Superintendent for Communications/Community Relations
Texas School Public Relations Association
Past President 2005-2006

3. Objectives:
★ Explore the tips and techniques that every
administrator needs to know in order to
manage their communication strategies in a
crisis situation.
★ An overview of procedures that can make
anybody look like a PR pro.
★ Become versed in way to handle the media
when there is a whirlwind of attention at
your doorstep.

4. What is a crisis?
(courtesy of the American Heritage Dictionary)
★A crucial or decisive point or situation; a
turning point.
★ An unstable condition, as in political, social,
or economic affairs, involving an impending
abrupt or decisive change.
★ An emotionally stressful event or traumatic
change in a person's life.

5. What is a crisis?
(courtesy of those of us in school PR)
• Any event that causes you to stop what
you're doing and react.
• Any situation that requires you to reach in
your drawer and pull out your emergency
operations plan.
• Any situation that involves reaching for
aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen.

6. Examples of school PR crises?
• Pandemic threat.
• Presidential speech.
• Emergency shelter in place.
• Transportation emergencies.
• Lock downs and intruders.
• Employee brainlessness.
• and more ...

7. Be prepared.

8. Be prepared.
★ Preparation is paramount.
★ Update your crisis plan regularly.
★ Review your crisis communications with key
individuals/departments in your district.
★ Make sure everyone knows what to do
before, during, and after.
★ Evaluateyour plan after a crisis to better
prepare you for upcoming situations.

9. Be prepared.
★ Know all your contact numbers, cell phones, e-
mails, etc.
★ Have call systems and e-mail distribution lists
set up for staff, parents, community, and media.
★ Always have two positives you want to share
about your district in a crisis situation.
★ Have your spokesperson trained.
★ Know the representatives from local fire,
police, and emergency ops departments.

10. Be mobile.

11. Be mobile.
★ Things to be ready to go with:
✴ bottled water, wet wipes, mouth wash, hand
sanitizer, “face in a bag”, comfortable shoes,
change of shirt or jacket, etc.
★ Always keep in your car:
✴ district map, emergency phone numbers,
media contact numbers, handbooks, etc.
★ Technology on the go:
✴ extra chargers, laptop, wireless internet
access, portable printer.

12. Have one spokesperson.

13. Have one spokesperson
★ One individual should be designated as the
primary spokesperson to make official
statements and represent “the company”.
★ A back-up individual should also be
identified in the event the primary person
is unavailable.
★ Designate technical experts and advisors to
feed the spokesperson.

14. Characteristics
of a spokesperson
★ Comfortable in front of reporters, media.
★ Capable to work well with other entities.
★ Able to establish credibility and project a
sense of confidence and believability.
★ Ability to redirect responses, identify key
points, and speak without using jargon.

15. Be honest.

16. Be honest.
★ Don’t be afraid to accept blame – but
always have a solution ready.
★ Respond promptly.
★ Correct problems so they do not
happen again.
★ Maintain a calm and helpful presence.
★ Never appear overwhelmed or
flustered.

17. Apologize if appropriate.

18. Apologize if appropriate.
★Act quickly.
★State what you’re apologizing for.
★Accept the blame, don’t pass it.
★Ask for forgiveness.
★Communicate your corrective
action immediately.

19. Never say “no comment”.

20. Never say “no comment”.
★ Try to view the crisis from the eye of
the public, do they want to hear you
say “no comment”?
★ Ignoring a crisis situation will only make
things worse.
★ By providing no comment, you lose
your greatest opportunity to control
the crisis.

21. Keep some quotes on file.

22. Keep some quotes on file.
★ “The safety of our students and staff is
always our top priority.”
★ “Because the safety of our students and
staff is our top priority, the building was
evacuated immediately”.
★ “We chose to err on the side of caution
for the safety of our students and staff ”.

23. Keep some quotes on file.
★ “Itis times like this that we are
reminded just how precious life can be,
and how fragile each of us truly are.”
★ “We are fortunate to have a team of
experienced counselors that can provide
the much needed comfort to our
students and staff.”

24. Keep some quotes on file.
★ “Once the incident was reported, the District
immediately began an investigation”.
★ “Since this is a matter involving personnel,
the District is unable to comment at this
time”.
★ “Just like any situation that may occur, the
District is following the policy established by
the Board of Trustees”.

25. It’s OK to stall the media.

26. It’s OK to stall the media.
★ But always remember to work with
their deadlines.
★ Take time to gather your thoughts.
★ Know your facts and anticipate their
questions.
★ Rehearse your message.
★ Create your sound bite.

27. Interviewing Guidelines
★ Set the ground rules.
★ Communicate with your heart.
★ Your first words create an image.
★ Listen with your face.
★ Keep your message simple.
★ There is no “off the record”.

28. Bleed for a day, not a week.

29. Bleed for a day, not a week.
★ Running away only makes the situation
worse.
★ Never have a press conference
addressing the problem only.
★ Confront the problem and provide a
solution at the same time.
★ Don’t lie low hoping that the radar
doesn’t see you.

30. Questions? Comments!

31. If you would like a copy
of the presentation slides from today:
www.SlideShare.net/BradDomitrovich

32. What do you do
when a crisis calls?