1. July 5, 2008
NSPRA Annual Seminar Pre-Session
Crisis Management
A 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
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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:
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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?
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
Incident Commander
Crisis Coordinator
Liaison Officer
First Aid Coordinator
Parent Liaison
Teachers w/
student supervisory
duties
Student Safety
Coordinator
PIO
Operations Officer
Documents
Officer
District Crisis
Response Team
Other Support
Personnel
Teachers w/o
student supervisory
duties
Crisis Recovery
Coordinator

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
Communications Director
(Strategist/Counselor & Spokesperson)
Spokesperson(s)
Command Center
Coordinator
Media Manager
External Communications
Coordinator
Research & Media
Monitoring
Internal Communications
Officer
Crisis/Special Events
Coordinator
Media Support Staff
Volunteers
Other Support Staff

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
to students, staff, parents and media)
(communicate these

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 Health from triage to PTSD
 Information Systems from payroll to student
records
 Communication from media siege to when, where to
send students
 Memorials: events, anniversaries and moving on

47. What have we learned?
 A Leadership Test
Response defines the organization; be credible
 A Communication Test
How strong is your communication program?
 A Professional Test
How 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!

51. A Perspective on Lessons Learned
During the crisis …
 Don’t let media dominate your time, attention
 Stay focused on target audiences
 Internal communications is more important
 View crisis from “outside in” to gauge public
 Watch for external political, personal agendas
 Watch for ripple effect and copycats

52. A Perspective on Lessons Learned
During the crisis …
 Maintain active rumor control
 Balance privacy rights of individuals (FERPA)
with public’s right to know
 Be firm on media access to facilities, people

53. A Perspective on Lessons Learned
In the aftermath …
 Crisis has long-term life; remember healing
processes and triggering events
 Brace for blame
 Continuously update crisis plan; learn from
other situations
 Train new staff immediately
 Retrain all staff annually; don’t forget students

54. A Perspective on Lessons Learned
In the aftermath …
 Crisis not only creates character, but reveals it
 Seek opportunities to return to normal
 Seek closure and commemorate
 Take care of yourself and your team
 Bring in reinforcements
 Remember your team on anniversary dates

55. Additional Resources
The following slides are additional resources for
schools/universities to use in training with
students and staff:
 Crisis Planning
 10-Step Approach to Proactive Crisis Planning
 School/District/University Crisis Team Responsibilities
 Literature Resources
Photocopying of the following materials is permissible for training purposes only, and source attribution to: Rick J. Kaufman, APR

56. Common Mistakes of
Crisis Management
 Putting news media ahead of employees
Employees want, deserve news FIRST
 Lack of comprehensive media strategy
Who is spokesperson or persons? What are key messages?
 Ignoring the “Window of Opportunity”
Vital to address issues; once “window” closes it becomes difficult to
change perceptions
 No clearly assigned roles
Lack of role clarity guarantees confusion; know leaders, doers

57. Common Mistakes of
Crisis Management
 Limit communication due to litigation fears
Litigation usually follows adversity
 No crisis plan
Believing a crisis can’t happen is ignorant, arrogant. No plan can
result in crippling damage to an organization
 Untested crisis plan
Single most important mistake; also if developed in isolation

58. 10 Steps to Proactive Crisis Planning
1.
Review existing policies on crisis communication and
management
2.
Review guidelines and procedures for implementing
policies
3.
Review any existing crisis plans
4.
Establish crisis teams
- district level
- building level
- safety task force

59. 10 Steps to Proactive Crisis Planning
5.
6.
7.
Build relationships with community agencies,
volunteers and opinion leaders
Dialogue with the community
Divide planning into manageable sections
- crisis most likely to occur
- outline action steps for each
- define roles
- identify possible issues/obstacles
- determine strategies
Prepare tool kit and resource list (“go box”)
9. Determine format and prepare written plan
10. Provide training for all staff, students
8.

60. Crisis Planning: Mitigation & Prevention
Goal: Decrease the need for response
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Connect with community emergency responders to identify
hazards.
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Assess problem areas in buildings, grounds.
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Assign official duties, responsibilities for safe, secure sites.

Involve staff in crisis planning.

Review data on critical incidents, such as fires, floods, etc.

Determine major problems likely to occur.
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Develop a response protocol to safety problems.
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Assess district, building vulnerability to a variety of crises.

61. Crisis Planning: Preparedness
Goal: Facilitate a rapid, coordinated & effective response

Review crisis plans used in schools, communities.
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Identify agencies involved in crisis planning.
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Develop communication systems that include staff, students,
families and media.
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Design procedures to locate, account for every student, staff
during a crisis.
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Compile facility information, such as maps, locations of shut-off
valves.
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Assemble equipment needed to save lives, provide treatment.

62. Crisis Planning: Response
Goal: Follow a well-designed emergency plan
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Determine extent of danger and if it amounts to widespread
crisis.
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Identify the crisis and an appropriate response.
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Activate an incident-management system.
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Implement strategies (evacuation, lockdown, shelter-in-place)
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Communicate with key staff positioned at designated areas.
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Oversee emergency responses, such as first-aid and rescue
services; triage areas.

Call for more aid and assistance if required, needed.

63. Crisis Planning: Recovery
Goal: Return to a daily routine and restore order quickly

Allow adequate time for recovery, but immediately draw up
plans to resume classroom learning, restore damaged
buildings.

Monitor signs of PTSD and other emotional disorders in
students, staff.
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Conduct debriefings with first responders and school staff,
and use suggestions to revise plans and conduct training and
drills.

64. School/District/University
Crisis Teams
Responsibilities of District/University Crisis Team:

Define clear crisis roles for ALL staff

Train and assist school/building level crisis teams

On call for all crises – district and building (maybe community)

Make policy and procedure recommendations

Communicate safety precautions and procedures

Work with Safety Task Force to identify best practices

Serve as lead crisis team in catastrophic or long-term event

Staff and operate communications command center
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Liaison with other agencies and intervention teams

Evaluate crisis response actions

65. School/District/University
Crisis Teams
Responsibilities of School/Building Crisis Team:

Refine district crisis plan for school/building needs

Define clear crisis roles for all school/building staff

Conduct regular safety assessments of school/building

Provide in-service training and drills for staff

Recommend policy/procedure changes to district crisis team

Communicate safety precautions and procedures to parents

Serve as immediate site crisis response team and work with
district team

Evaluate crisis response actions

66. Crisis Communication Tips
What should be communicated in a crisis?
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What happened? Avoid using sensational, romantic account.
Omit information that can be used to copy act.
Who was involved using general terms, unless names are public.
How individuals were involved may be reported in general terms.
Where incident happened, when it occurred. Be specific.
Prognosis of those involved once verified (work w/ families).
Avoid “no comment” answers; this suggests something to hide.
It’s OK to say, “I don’t know” or “I don’t have that answer right
now. I’ll have to get back to you.” Then DO IT!
Be honest and show real emotion.
Be cautious with the question, “How are you doing?”

67. Crisis Communication Tips
Suggestions for Avoiding Sensationalism
 Clarify what interview is about.
 Don’t agree if interview is sensationalistic or takes you away from
your message and focus.
 Avoid playing blame game.
 Avoid interviews that focus on perpetrators of violence.
 Stress positive vs negative images.
 Be wary of live call-in shows. You have very little control over
topic of conversation.
 Avoid repetitive and excessive interviews on the violent act.
 Goal is to focus on healing, returning to normal … moving
forward.

68. Resources
 The Complete Crisis Communication
Management Manual for Schools, National School
Public Relations Association
 Coping with Crisis
by Scott Poland & Jami McCormick
 School Crisis Survival Guide
by Suni Petersen & Ron
Straub
 Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A
Guide for Schools and Communities, U.S. Dept. of
Education