Presented with Candace Ahlfinger at TASA/TASB 2010 Convention.

1. What do you do
when a crisis calls?

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

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. C

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.
C

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.
B

6. Examples of school PR crises?
(things that we have had to deal with)
• Pandemic threat.
• Presidential speech.
• Emergency shelter in place.
• Transportation emergencies.
• Lock downs and intruders.
• Employee brainlessness.
• and more ...
C

7. Be prepared.
B

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.
B

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. B

10. Be mobile.
C

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. C

12. Have one spokesperson.
B

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.
B

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. B

15. Be honest.
C

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.
C

17. Apologize if appropriate.
B

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.
B

19. Never say “no comment”.
C

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. C

21. Keep some quotes on file.
B

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 ”.
B

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.”
B

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”.
B

25. It’s OK to stall the media.
C

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.
C

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”.
C

28. Bleed for a day, not a week.
B

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. B

30. Questions? Comments!
C-B

31. A quick review
★ Be prepared.
★ Be mobile.
★ Have one spokesperson.
★ Be honest.
★ Apologize if appropriate.
★ Never say “no comment”.
★ Keep some quotes on file.
★ It’s OK to stall the media.
★ Bleed for a day, not a week. C

32. What do you do
when a crisis calls?