Ch 11.docx

Chapter 11 Agency Communication Strategies During Catastrophic Events Guest Chapter by Cessna Winslow, Ed.D. Associate Professor of Communication Studies, Tarleton State University Learning Objectives 11.1 Explore the role PR plays in effective agency communication 11.2 Understand the PR process cycle and the role of an agency spokesperson 11.3 Examine best practices in crisis management and effective crisis communication Vocabulary Crisis Communication Crisis Management External Public Communication Internal Public Communication Public Relations Cycle Spokesperson 11.1 What is Public Relations? To be able to effectively communicate during a crisis, it is important to understand public relations and the role PR plays in connecting with your agency’s diverse publics. While public relations has many definitions, the industry standard can be found on The Public Relations Society of America’s webpage: “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”--PRSA.org Breaking this definition down, “strategic communication process” means that your communication efforts are thought out and not simply on the fly. You are intentional in your messaging and have a goal in mind. “Mutually beneficial relationships” implies that all publics have something to offer and gain by the public relations’ efforts. Building mutually beneficial relationships requires trust and respect. To ensure effective communication, your publics need to have confidence in you, and thus trust and respect you. This requires two-way communication. Not only do your publics need to hear you, they need to feel and be heard. This reality is especially important during catastrophic events. (Insert communication-related picture or graphic here. Include a caption: Your publics need to understand that you are listening to their concerns. ) Know your publics Within PR there are two types of publics: Internal and External. Your internal publics are those within your agency or department. Internal PR is the communication that occurs with an organization. Your internal publics expect to not only receive communication from leadership, but also be allowed and encouraged to share their thoughts and concerns. Your external publics can vary depending on your agency or crisis. Examples of external publics may include the media, local residents and businesses, and legislative officials that have a relationship to your organization. The media is an external public that you must pay close attention to—especially during a crisis or catastrophe. Insert Internal/External publics graphic here Maybe create something like this: Since internal publics are your first link to your external publics, internal PR is vital to the success of your PR efforts. A common error many organizations make is to focus first on the concerns of external publics while marginalizing or not giving a voice to their internal publics. Another error is inconsistent messaging. If you are communicating one narrative to your internal publics and saying something very different to your external publics, you risk the possibility of communication disconnect, which can then lead to collective distrust and a lack of respect. Insert Internal/External communications graphic here? Maybe create something like this: 11.1 Summary The practice of public relations is often confused with marketing. The goal of marketing is to create or foster an image—it requires one-way communication. Public relations, however, is a strategic communication process that focuses on building trust and respect and requires two-way communication. In understanding those diverse publics, it is important to distinguish between internal and external publics and know how to communicate with them especially during a crisis. Discussion Questions – 11.1 Identify a government agency and discuss ways that it can effectively communicate with its publics. What are some good strategies or resources to use to communicate with internal publics? What are effective communication strategies or resources to use with external publics? What is meant by the statement: “Internal publics are your first link to your external publics”? Can an internal public also be an external public? Explain your response. 11.2 The Public Relations Process The practice of PR is a process that is commonly described as being a cycle or chain—a series of functions and actions with a goal of fostering effective communication. Collectively this process or cycle generates a strategic PR plan. There are many acronyms for the varied cycles. The R.A.C.E. developed by John E. Marston in 1963 is one of the more popular cycles still practiced in PR today. Let’s look at the R.A.C.E. steps: Research This step is where you are answering the “Who?” “What?” and “Why?’ questions that surround your situation. In brief you are asking “What is the problem or situation?” Action (Program Planning) This step is where you are analyzing what you learned in the first step to identify your diverse publics and then determine your goals and objectives. Here is where you answer “What is going to be done about it?” Communication “How will your publics be told?” Will you send out press releases? Will you do media interviews or press conferences? What social media strategies will you employ? Evaluation After the other steps have been followed now you is when you ask “Was the audience reached?” and “What was the effect?” After you answer those questions, you assess if there are new problems or opportunities and if so begin the process again. Insert/Design a RACE graphic here … Maybe something like this: With that overview, let’s focus on Communication (the third step of the PR process) and more specifically, agency spokespeople. The Role of the Agency Spokesperson The agency spokesperson plays an important part of communications in the PR cycle. Just watch a newscast and you will see how some government agencies understand the responsibility and training that goes with agency spokesperson title. Clearly some agency spokespeople are effective communicators, while others are less so. In his book, Organizational Spokesperson – So You Want to Become a Press Secretary, Daniel Walsh says “…the nature of the spokesperson’s role is that he or she be a key link between the organization and its outside publics.” The challenge of a spokesperson, he explains, is “to not just articulate information or a particular message, but to do so in a way that enhances the organization’s ties with it’s publics.” Dr. Alex del Carmen is an Associate Dean and Professor in the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice and Public Administration at Tarleton State University. Dr. del Carmen is frequently recruited by the media to offer expert insights on topics surrounding criminology or criminal justice and to provide context to a criminal investigation or explain why an individual would commit a crime. When asked about the challenges of being a media expert, he says understanding the immediacy of the media is a challenge. “Most media requests typically have a short turn-around time. That is, the media operates on the basis of ‘breaking news’ and therefore, they may request assistance last minute on a story that is still developing.” Dr. del Carmen understands that for the media to view him as credible, he needs to be available and reliable. Dr. del Carmen’s best piece of advice for agency spokespeople who may be asked to do a media interview is simple: “I would say do not accept an invitation to interview with the media unless you know the topic well and you have had time to research the media entity that is making the request.” Tom Petrowski is a retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent and legal advisor who has served as an agency spokesperson for a number of high-profile crisis situations. His recommendation for any law enforcement spokesperson is to have a clear, focused message. Agent Petrowski notes that while addressing a critical issue with the media, spokespeople sometimes (albeit understandably) are overcome with emotion and concern while addressing the media which can cause them to digress from key points and important information. Here is his list of points an agency spokesperson should prepare and present: Cut this paragraph if too long or not necessary Feeling in the facts – Communicate why the agency is involved, express an emotion of the moment, and communicate appreciation for how people feel. Law and Policy – What is the agency’s mission and jurisdiction relative to this issue? Public Safety Considerations – what is the agency doing to make people safe? What resources and actions are being dedicated to the issue? Address what can be shared with the public and make the point that the agency is doing things that cannot be shared with the public. Call to Action - What do you need from people/other agencies? Express Gratitude - Who can you thank? Conclusion/Summary - Summarize/restate the focused message along with key takeaways. During his time as the Chief Division Counsel of the FBI Dallas Division, Agent Petrowski faced a variety of challenges when responding to the media. In describing them he noted that they fell into one of three categories: Organizational Culture Many organizations, including the FBI, historically have a culture of not sharing information publicly. Agent Petrowski says that this is largely due to the legal constraints noted below and the well-established culture of compartmentalization that the mission of the FBI strongly encourages. While this was historically an effective posture for the FBI, Agent Petrowski believes it is outdated and undermines the Bureau’s mission today. “The reality is it is now critical not only to be transparent with the media but to affirmatively seek ways to connect with the public via the media or otherwise. A law enforcement agency dealing with the media is essentially reacting to an issue. Affirmative and proactive contact with the public – particularly including contact that does not involve the media - mitigates the perception that the department is not being transparent, forthcoming, and accountable.” Legal Constraints “One such constraint is that agencies are generally prohibited from disclosing records regarding any individual without the individual's written consent. The common practice was to never release information that had not been released already – typically via public filing (for example, a search warrant application) or used in a public court hearing or trial.” Agent Petrowski noted that when the media asked about an investigation, the FBI typically provided no comment. Operational Constraints The operational impact of releasing information publicly to the media can be extremely difficult to assess. “In the FBI, the release of information related to a current criminal investigation or National Security operation often brings a benefit to the mission but may also have a negative impact as well,” explained Agent Petrowski. Reacting versus Responding Another consideration when responding to media inquiries or speaking at a press conference, is to understand the difference between reacting and responding. Reacting defined: To respond with hostility, opposition, or a contrary course of action. Usually emotional and with intensity. Responding defined: To say something in reply. Thought out. Can be intense but not usually emotional. Though not very different in definition, reacting and responding are different in practice. One is not right and the other wrong. In practice one “can” be right and the other wrong. Insert/Design a Reacting/Responding graphic here … Maybe something like this from my lecture notes: Incident I Response I React ------- Respond The very nature of a crisis may rightfully put a spokesperson in a reactive mode but when that occurs, it is vital that they maintain their composure while communicating essential and appropriate facts and information. Evaluation The final step in the public relations process is when you evaluate your efforts and see if you were successful or if there are new problems or opportunities to address. If so, the chain begins again with by asking Who? What? And Why? and then begin the action phase and 11.2 Summary Understanding that public relations is a process and intuitively cycling through the steps is a helpful skill to master. Additionally, communicating in a professional and ethical manner with the media and striving to be more transparent, is vital for any agency during a catastrophic event. By consistently sharing public and important information in an impartial, accurate, and proactive manner, government agencies will be able to mitigate tension with media representatives and build collaborative relationships. 11.2 Discussion Questions What part of the R.A.C.E. cycle do you think is most interesting? Which one do you think would be most challenging during a catastrophe? What would be most challenging for you if you were asked to serve as an agency spokesperson? Where have you seen a struggle between reacting and responding? 11.3 Crisis Communication and Controlling the Message during a Catastrophe Insert a crisis graphic or picture here Now that we have discussed the public relations process and the role of the spokesperson, let’s examine crisis management and crisis communication. Crises can happen anytime and anywhere and so it is important is to ensure that your agency has a crisis management and a crisis communication plan. Difference between Crisis Management and Crisis Communication The terms Crisis Management and Crisis Communication are often used interchangeably. And that is not correct. Though they align with each other, crisis management and crisis communication are different in meaning and practice. In his book, Crisis Communications – The Definitive Guide to Managing the Message, Steven Fink clarifies this confusion saying “Crisis management deals with the reality of the crisis…It is preventing the situation from escalating.” Crisis communication, he notes, is the process that manages the perception the crisis. In crisis communication, “you are telling the public what is going on (or what you want the public to know about what is going on).” Crisis communication is tasked with shaping public opinion. To summarize the differences, Fink says “Crisis management deals with managing reality; crisis communication deals with shaping perception.” He adds, “During a crisis, the responsibility of the crisis communication team is to craft and disseminate messages that explain the crisis, bringing perception and reality into sync.” Crisis Response Tips When communicating during a crisis, it is important to consider the following: Be timely, understandable, and accurate. As noted in 11.2, when communicating with the media, it is important to provide timely, understandable, and accurate information. The same is true for your publics. Make sure you provide facts and information that you can support and use verbiage that connects with your publics. Avoid agency jargon and acronyms that are not commonly understood. Be Prepared. The speed at which you will need to communicate during a crisis or catastrophe is challenging and so it is important that you have a communication plan to ensure that you are able to disseminate information clearly and accurately. A crisis communication plan is much smaller than a crisis management plan. It may be a single page of directives and bullet points—whatever works for your agency. Regardless of its size, the file needs to be accessible by all who may be involved in the communication efforts. Be Transparent and Honest. A key to building trust and respect is to exhibit transparency. If your agency has a reputation of withholding information or playing loose with facts, any crisis communication effort will be challenging. Guard your reputation and communicate transparency. In short, you want to be the one controlling the narrative when a crisis occurs. A point to always remember is that when there is a difference between perception and reality, Steven Fink says, “Perception always wins.” Demonstrate Care and Compassion. PR is about relating to your publics and during a crisis it is important that you give close attention to identifying your publics and relating to them where they are. During a crisis, your communication needs to demonstrate compassion. You need to craft your messages so that your publics not only understand your words, but they believe that you care. Choose your descriptive words wisely speak in a manner that communicates empathy and compassion. “Silence is Golden”…but not in a crisis The idea that remaining silent during a catastrophe is, simply put, Wrong! Avoiding the media and not addressing your internal and external publics is not effective crisis communication. Regardless of what you say or don’t say, the media will share stories, blogs will be written, and social media will be filled with information that may or may not be accurate. If you don’t control the narrative and provide accurate and helpful information, the Social Media Court or keyboard warriors as some refer to those who weigh in on social media, will control the narrative for you. Controlling the Narrative Being proactive is central to controlling the narrative during a crisis. If your agency is receiving positive coverage, you want to keep that momentum going and continue to build trust and respect. To generate additional coverage and keep your publics talking. To make that happen, you need to share additional related stories and provide new experts and people the media can interview. On the contrary, if the coverage is negative and you want to bring closure to the ongoing unproductive narrative, here are three effective strategies to help slow public interest and media pressure: If appropriate, take ownership and apologize. Layout an action plan to ensure the negative situation is being addressed. Create a diversion. Draw attention to something positive that your agency is doing. Lay low (but not silent). Only schedule a press conference or issue a press release if you have new or helpful information. Respond to media and social media/public interest when necessary. Insights from the Field: Tom Petrowski, FBI Supervisory Special Agent (Retired) Maybe make this a box? To Talk or Not to Talk During my career in the FBI, I recall numerous operational challenges where we were faced with whether or not we should notify the media of details regarding the threat to the public. Two cases stand out: The Boston Marathon Bombers On April 15, 2012, two then unidentified men detonated bombs at the Boston Marathon. The FBI had photographs of the suspects but, since facial recognition was not as developed then, we could not identify them. The challenge we faced was whether we should release the photographs of the two men to the media and recruit the public's assistance to identify them. The obvious issues were that this would immediately notify the two subjects, which would prompt them to either go into hiding, or worse, understand that their capture was imminent, prompting them to commit another terrorist attack. This decision had to be weighed against the risks associated with not recruiting the public's assistance and thus leaving them at large--which also presented a significant risk to the public. The decision was made to share the photos, which fortunately led to the immediate identification of the Tsarnaev Brothers and their apprehension through the heroic efforts of local law enforcement in Massachusetts. Ebola Outbreak On September 28, 2014, a man was admitted to a Dallas emergency room with symptoms consistent with the Ebola virus. He had gone to the emergency room three days earlier with similar symptoms and was treated and discharged. He had arrived in the United States from Liberia on September 20th. The Texas Department of State Health Services contacted the CDC informing them that he tested positive for the Ebola virus. The CDC immediately deployed a team immediately to Dallas. The FBI became involved to assess the national security implications and to ensure it was not a use of a biological weapon of mass destruction. An initial issue was what information would be shared with the media. It was critical to inform the public of the risk, but that notification had to be done in a manner that would not cause mass hysteria and overreaction. In addition to assessing the potential national security threat, it was critical to immediately identify the Ebola patient’s contacts to evaluate their exposure risk level and initiate monitoring. As the FBI confirmed its assessment that this was not a deliberate attack on the homeland, all involved agencies collaborated and drafted an effective, concise public notification that facilitated the needed identification of contacts of the patient and mitigated the risk while preventing overreaction by the public. Closing paragraph While it is vital that your communications’ staff are trained in public relations and crisis communication, don’t forget that they may not be the only ones who will be communicating with your external publics—including the media. Naturally your staff should be advised to direct inquiries and questions to assigned personnel, but be aware that as an internal public, they are considered credible resources with your external publics and may likely be approached by well-intended people and journalists when at the scene of a crisis or away from the office. With that reality, it is important that all agency staff receive some crisis communication training and are educated on agency regulations and crisis procedures—everyone from the lowest ranking position to the highest. 11.3 Summary Understanding the difference between crisis management and crisis communication is essential for any agency during a catastrophe. Knowing when and how to control the narrative and communicate in a way that fosters trust and respect is vital to success of your crisis communication efforts. “Remember, even if you think you have things under control, if the perception from your publics is that you don’t, they’re right; you’re wrong. Fix it.” –Steven Fink author of Crisis Communications (McGraw-Hill 2013) 11.3 Discussion Questions There are numerous ethnic, lifestyle, and age groups in the US. During a crisis what are some challenges to communicating with these diverse publics? What is meant by the idea that ‘crisis communication is tasked with shaping public opinion’? What are some challenges to influencing public opinion during a crisis? Watch a catastrophe press conference and assess the communication strategies. Afterward assess the following: Is it effective? Is the information accurate? Are the agency representatives credible? Vocabulary Public Relations Cycle A series of functions and actions used in the practice of public relations with a goal of fostering effective communication. The public relations cycle is commonly described as being a cycle or chain that generates a strategic PR plan. R.A.C.E is a common cycle acronym that is made up of four parts: Research, Action, Communication, and Evaluation. Internal Public Communication The processes involved with interacting with people inside of an organization. This includes employees and management. External Public Communication The processes involved with interacting with people outside of an agency. This includes the media and outside influencers and decision-makers. Spokesperson The person trained and briefed to speak on behalf of an agency to external publics—including the media. Crisis Communication How organizations communicate and collaborate during emergencies. Whether it’s a system outage, natural disaster, cybersecurity threat or other emergency, there’s a fundamental need to maintain operations and ensure the safety of personnel. (Blackberry.com) Crisis Management The process by which a business or other organization deals with a sudden emergency situation. (Oxford Languages/Google’s English Dictionary) Additional Reading Recommendations Indestructable , Molly McPherson Mandala Tree Press 2021 Extraordinary PR Ordinary Budget by Jennifer Farmer 2017 International Association of Chiefs of Police https://www.theiacp.org/ Lexipol LLC - a private company that provides training and consulting services to public safety departments https://www.lexipol.com Resources Marston, J. E. (1963). The nature of public relations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Organizational Spokesperson – So You Want to Become a Press Secretary, Daniel Walsh (2014) Crisis Communications The Definitive Guide to Managing the Message, Stephen Fink (2013) Sidebar Lessons from Hawaii (Or another title) Your crisis communication planning is only as effective as the education your agency provides your spokespeople. When you task someone with speaking for your agency it is essential that they receive specialized training and have skills in media relations and public speaking. Your staff should also be versed in your agency policies and regulations. Some would argue that a lack of training and competence lead to the resignation of the head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency. A day after Herman Andaya said he had no regret about not using sirens to warn residents of wildfires that devastated the historic seaside community of Lahaina and killed at least 97 people in August 2023, he resigned. The lack of sirens was cited as a potential misstep, and The Associated Press reported that it was part of a series of communication issues that added to the devastation and chaos. In defending his actions, Andaya said, “We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” a Hawaiian word that means inland or toward the mountain. He added, “If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire.” At another press conference, Andaya was asked whether he regretted choosing not to sound the sirens. He replied, “I do not.” Those statements, along with his lack of compassion and unwillingness to accept responsibility for his decision, brought extensive public scrutiny of Andaya’s qualifications to serve as the head of the agency. Initially Andaya vigorously defended his qualifications for the job, saying he was not appointed but had been vetted, took a civil service exam, and was interviewed by seasoned emergency managers. Those claims did not lessen the media and public’s scrutiny and a day later Andaya abruptly resigned citing unspecified health reasons. Upon accepting Andaya’s resignation, Mayor Richard Bissen said, “Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible.” Insert Maui fire photo and/or Andaya press conference image. In responding to the communication failures, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez issued a statement saying that an outside organization will conduct “an impartial, independent” review of the government’s response and officials intend “to facilitate any necessary corrective action and to advance future emergency preparedness.”

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