None of us needs convincing that the unthinkable can—and eventually will—happen. From the horrors of Katrina to the daily specter of violence, tragedy, or crime, we know that no institutions, including libraries, are immune.  A growing area of concern in corporate communications and public relations is crisis management. In fact, many universities and community colleges now offer degrees in risk management and emergency management—fields that work hand-in-hand with crisis management.

Be Communicative: The most fundamental component of crisis management is fast, effective communication. The void in communication creates more fear, stress, and outright panic, which compounds the event whatever that adverse event might be. You have the right to remain silent, but if you do, the questioner will fill in the blanks with his/her own answer. “No comment” is tantamount to carrying a sign that says, “I’m guilty” or “I don’t know.”

Keep in mind that personnel and property can be replaced. Credibility is much more difficult to replace, perhaps impossible. You must be honest and accessible. Without credibility, you are even more susceptible to future crises.

Responsibility goes with issues and crisis management. It’s not just the responsibility to reduce lawsuits or to protect elected officials (or your own job for that matter); it is an overall responsibility to humanity. Crisis management is not just a business, not just a skill or trade. It also is a service to the people affected by our libraries.

What is a crisis? A crisis is not just a problem. It is a problem breaking out of control. It’s not a spring storm; it’s a hurricane. How do you define crisis?  What would be a crisis for you?

 While our focus is on crisis communication, we will also review aspects of crisis management, which provides a useful framework for identifying the best means for preparing for a crisis and then dealing with the situation.

Laying the Groundwork for Crisis Management

Risk Assessment

The first step in crisis management is risk assessment, or vulnerability audit. This evaluation is best conducted with the assistance of professionals who guide you through various “what-if” scenarios, but the assessments can be conducted in-house.

An important contraindication for in-house assessments is participant willingness to speak freely, confidentially, and honestly with the reviewer. This is critical because some of the most destructive crises are not natural disasters or accidents but those that smolder within an organization until they flare up and escape into the public consciousness. These crises can include discrimination or harassment charges, embezzlement and theft, “accepted” breaking of safety rules, labor issues, and nepotism in employment.     

Potential Crises

• Natural disasters, such as flood, hurricane, tornado, and wildfire
• Disease (employees or patrons with serious communicable disease)
• Bats (yes, bats!)
• Safety plans/procedures (evacuation plans and practice)
• Building maintenance (wet floors, deferred maintenance, backed up sewers, defective/frayed electrical outlets/wiring to computers and copiers, heating and AC, “exploding” fluorescent ballasts)
• Broken furniture that may collapse (the individual’s weight is unlikely to carry much weight in court—fix it before it becomes a crisis)
• Picketers (pornography, hiring practices, religion literature, health literature)
• Internet access, or lack thereof.
• Who/what may enter the library (homeless, backpacks, noisy children).
• Funding losses
• Turning down or accepting money or collections from certain sources?
• Subpoenaed data (from local police in a criminal matter, federal authorities on a “fishing expedition,” or attorneys in a civil matter)
• Employee or volunteer crimes (embezzlement, pedophilia)
• Hiring collection agency for past-due book fines
• Vehicle accidents by bookmobile drivers or employees on their way from one facility to another while on “pay” status.
• Workplace violence (employee, patron, or volunteer)
• Layoffs

Crisis Communications Team

Identify your crisis communications team (CCT). The CCT does not follow the standard hierarchy of an organization. Instead, team members should include a person from each category listed under “Team Members” below. It’s up to you to put a name on the position or person.  

 

Keep in mind that the team leader and spokesperson may be one and the same but is not necessarily the highest ranking person in the organization. The communications expert—the public relations director—is the most likely choice for team leader and spokesperson.

There are instances when another member of the team, or an outside expert, is the most appropriate spokesperson.

Anyone who will be a spokesperson must be trained in the organization’s messages and in talking to the media.

Team Members

Media Training for Spokespeople

Just knowing an issue doesn’t prepare you for speaking to the media, especially during times of crisis. Although one typically thinks of media training as “TV training,” that is just one part.

Sound bites aren’t just for TV anymore. A sound bite is a memorable message that is timely, on-target, succinct, truthful, and helpful.

Media training requires practice, practice, practice. Good media training discusses not just what to wear, not just what to say, but HOW to say it. There’s nothing worse than false empathy. Media training will weed out those who can represent your organization from those who are best behind the scenes.

 Beyond the videotaped media training you may take, stay sharp by practicing in front of a mirror, and looking yourself in the eye. It’s not as easy as you might think. For a real test, try it in front of an adolescent son or daughter. They don’t pull any punches.

 Prior to speaking to the media in time of crisis, practice with a fellow team member.

Procedures for the Crisis Communications Team (CCT)

1. The CCT leader should immediately confer with the Emergency Management Team leader to determine what is known at this time and what operational response has taken place or will take place in the near future.
2. Hold a meeting of the CCT, in-person or electronically, involving internal members and external consultants relevant to the situation.
3. Ensure that switchboards/receptionists, management and other employees know the basics of what has happened, what they should say, and how to reach and direct information requests to the CCT.
4. Use a Crisis Contact Log.
5. If someone other than the CCT spokesperson will act as primary spokespersons, notify those individuals if they are not already on the CCT. They must be media trained.
6. Rapidly adapt the holding statements which follow these procedures to the situation and/or create new statements as required.
7. Convert the statements into formats appropriate for internal and external communication (e.g., press release/statement, Web pages, blogs maintained by library or others, internal email memos).
8. Ensure that any legally required notification is made according to the requirements of any regulatory agencies involved (e.g., OSHA).
9. No messages, beyond holding statements selected or developed from those developed by the CCT, should be made until more is known about the crisis. At that time, the CCT will work with legal and public relations counsel to formulate additional messages and communications tactics.
10. Continue to interact with the Emergency Management Team to gather information necessary for further communication.

Emergency Management Team

The Emergency Management Team are those individuals who handle the “physical” aspects of a crisis, from building security and police to administration. We won’t go into their responsibilities, because they know them better than we ever will. In the event of a crime or disaster, adhere to their recommendations!

Create “Placeholder” Statements

A placeholder statement is one or more statements written, reviewed and agreed to by the CCT prior to a crisis. Placeholder statements follow a vulnerability audit or risk assessment. In times of crisis, one cannot rely solely on memory. Keep an indexed crisis communications manual you develop from this tool kit.

Review your list of potential crises and organize them into topics for which you can prepare placeholder statements. An identified individual or multiple individuals must have the responsibility to consistently monitor new events that may affect your organization. This includes print and broadcast media, political newsletters, and blogs.

If the list above meets your needs, you must write 10 placeholder statements.

What to do with your placeholders

1. Placeholder statements also should be part of a stealth website that goes live at the time of a crisis.

2. At the time of a crisis, placeholder statements are reviewed the CCT.

3. Modify the statement to fit the specific details of the current crisis.

4. Adapt the placeholder statement to news releases, internal emails, or memos.

5. Have a fact kit about your organization already prepared. It also should be online.

6. Reporters look online before they pick up the phone to call you.
   • Media contact info, 24-7
   • Mission statement
   • Organization chart
   • Key personnel bios
   • Financial statements
   • Almost anything with numbers is popular with news media.

7. Policies are particularly important to have in a news kit and online prior to a crisis. It is validation for the statements you will make during the crisis. If you have an employee intranet, having personnel policies posted is helpful for heading off crises and helpful in defending your position when it hits the fan.

8. Know your audience, whether internal or external. Adjust your placeholder messages accordingly.

9. Be prepared to repeat statements until they are “heard.” People in crisis do not hear everything at one time. So you must be prepared to repeat the message until it “sticks.”

Sample Holding Statement/
Serious Accident or Injury
(pdf)

Practice, Practice, Practice

As Katrina so painfully pointed out, practicing emergency management and crisis management is critical to its ultimate success. All crisis plans must be reviewed/practiced at least annually to validate procedures, update messages, and adjust CCT members spokespersons. This practice is only as good as the willingness to follow through and make adjustments when necessary. And, make the changes quickly, not “in the next quarter.”

As discussed under “Media Training,” practice is also key to the spokesperson presenting information. No matter how well one thinks s/he knows the material, s/he must practice the statements until they are delivered in a smooth and natural manner.

Technology

Technology, specifically the Internet and blogs, are essential parts of crisis communications today. In fact, reporters often will turn to your Web site before they call you for a statement. Your placeholder statements must be in place online and ready to go live at a moment’s notice.

• The Internet has no time limits. It’s continuous.
• It is easily updated to fit the situation.
• There is no content limit, beyond good sense.
• Content can include video as well as audio spots.
• It’s critical that you get it right online to preserve credibility.
• Be very careful about your words. The written word lacks the benefit of voice intonation and body language.

Using Human Resources and Legal Counsel

Although a few administrators sometimes consider these two skill sets oppositional, they nonetheless have valuable input to offer regarding employment issues and legal issues.

These interests should be represented on the CCT but should address message accuracy, not the manner in which it is delivered.